About Them Dawgs! Blawg

Just Another Lost Lead...

2012-01-17T10:18:00.005-05:00

In four seasons from 2008 through 2011, Coach Richt and company reached a mark
higher than Georgia did during the entire 25 seasons of the Coach Vince Dooley era...

...but it certainly isn't a mark to be proud of.

It recently dawned on me that Georgia's loss to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl was surely the third or fourth setback the Bulldogs endured the last several years after it led its opposition by double digits in the second half.

I did a little research, and sure enough, the loss to the Spartans was Georgia's fourth in the last four seasons after leading by 10 or more points in the second half -- a "lost lead," so to speak. During the four-season period, the Bulldogs had no "comeback wins," or the contrary -- trailing by 10+ points in the second half only to rally for a victory.

Georgia's comeback wins and lost leads under Coach Richt:

2002: Trailed Auburn by 11 in 2H but won

2004: Trailed South Carolina by 10 in 2H but won

2006: Trailed Colorado by 13 in 2H but won

2006: Led Tennessee by 10 in 2H but lost

2006: Trailed Virginia Tech by 18 in 2H but won

2007: Trailed Vanderbilt by 10 in 2H but won

2008: Led Georgia Tech by 16 in 2H but lost

2009: Led Kentucky by 14 in 2H but lost

2010: Led Colorado by 10 in 2H but lost

2011: Led Michigan State by 16 in 2H but lost

So, what does this all mean? Since it's such a small sampling, initially, I thought probably little. Although I did believe it was somewhat alarming that Richt had 5 comeback wins and 1 lost lead in his first 7 seasons, but was 0 and 4 the last four. More so, Georgia's four lost leads starting with Tech in 2008 have resulted during its total of 17 losses during that time, meaning for nearly 1 out of 4 of the Bulldogs' setbacks beginning with the Jackets in '08, Georgia actually had a double-digit lead in the second half.

During the 288-game Dooley era, Georgia lost just three
games after leading by 10+ points in the second half.
Interestingly, TWO of those losses came in the Bulldogs'
two appearances in the Astrodome: the 1978 Bluebonnet
Bowl vs. Stanford and pictured against Houston in 1967.

What about Georgia's previous head coaches? Maybe the fact that Richt has suffered a lost lead several years in a row isn't that much of a big deal in comparison?

Not so much. In 44 seasons from 1964 through 2007, the Bulldogs never suffered a lost lead in back-to-back seasons, much less one FOUR years in a row.

DOOLEY (25 seasons, 288 games): 13 comeback wins, 3 lost leads

GOFF (7 seasons, 81 games): 4 comeback wins, 2 lost leads

DONNAN (5 seasons, 59 games): 5 comeback wins, 3 lost leads

RICHT (11 seasons, 144): 5 comeback wins, 5 lost leads

More telling, in 519 games from 1964 through 2007, Georgia lost just 9 games where it led by 10+ points in the second half (1 in 58 games) compared to 4 lost leads in 53 games from 2008 through 2011 (1 in 13 games).

At first, I thought comparing coaching eras in this regard might be completely apples-to-oranges... Supposedly, offenses are far more sophisticated these days than they were during Dooley's time for example, and more points are scored in games. So, a double-digit second-half lead nowadays is far less "safe" than it was say 30-40 years ago. This argument might have some significance; however, major college teams averaged 21.2 points per game in 1968 for example, compared to only a slight increase to 24.4 points nearly 40 years later in 2006.

Anyway, no matter how many total points are scored, if a team has a double-digit lead in the second half, I don't care if it is the year 2011 or 1911, it shouldn't lose the game.

A closer look at the Richt era reveals...

From 2001 through 2007 (91 games), Georgia led by 10+ points in the second half of 62 games, suffering just 1 lost lead. The Bulldogs trailed by 10+ points in the second half of 16 games, rallying for 5 comeback wins.

From 2008 through 2011 (53 games), Georgia led by 10+ points in the second half of 32 games, but endured 4 lost leads. The Bulldogs trailed by 10+ points in the second half of 14 games, rallying for ZERO comeback wins.

How is all of this significant? In my opinion, the problem lies in exactly what this blog and 1,000 others have been declaring since the Bulldogs started their demise in 2008, whether its poor conditioning, complacency, or so-called "energy vampires" within the program. I was under the impression these issues were beginning to be controlled, which they probably and hopefully are, and perhaps the second-half collapse to Michigan State was a mere hiccup -- just another lost lead in the Bulldogs' improvement process.

Regardless, what occurred just twice in seven seasons of a dark Ray Goff era has resulted in each of the last four years... and that doesn't say much for the current coaching regime.

In Our Heads

2012-01-10T10:32:00.002-05:00

As the 2011 college football season officially ended last night, I realized that I'm just about over the Bulldogs ending their campaign in very disappointing fashion. I've basically forgotten that Georgia simply handed another victory to an opponent, which is exactly what I was afraid might happen.

Still, I cannot seem to get Blair Walsh and particularly his first failed field-goal attempt in overtime against the Spartans out of my head.

As one who is passionate about the history of UGA football, I've imagined how historic, memorable, and almost fitting it would have been if Walsh had made his first overtime attempt - a kick I actually thought was good until the very last moment. After recording two of the greatest seasons ever by a Georgia placekicker, here's a player who had struggled all year and yet on his final field-goal attempt as a Bulldog, he not only wins the Outback Bowl but sets the SEC's all-time career scoring record in the process.

Alas, as we all know, Walsh's kick instead missed, he later set the record on an attempt to force another overtime, and his final and second-most important field-goal try as a Bulldog was blocked, ending the placekicker's Georgia career.

What I can't seem to get out of my head is how did it come to this? What on earth happened to Blair Walsh this season?

How does a former All-American, who missed as many field goals in two years combined that you can count on one hand, miss 14 attempts in a single season?

During the season, I heard that Walsh is surely "rattled," or simply put, there must be "something in his head." But surely and simply there must have been something more to it than just that...

Look, I have no place-kicking experience. The last time I kicked a ball in organized sports, it was a soccer ball, and that was way back in middle school, and my kick probably went astray and out of bounds. Also, I realize that Blair is a college kid in his early-20s, so just about anything is possible. In addition, I'm a firm believer in until you walk a mile in a man's shoes, it's difficult to judge him.

However, this is beyond baffling:

In 2009, Walsh made 20 of 22 field goals, or 90.9 percent. Of the 52 players in FBS football to attempt at least 20 field goals that season, Walsh's 90.9 percent was tied for the SECOND best in the nation.

In 2010, Walsh made 20 of 23 field goals, or 87.0 percent. Of the 44 players in FBS football to attempt at least 20 field goals that season, Walsh's 87.0 percent was the FIFTH best in the nation.

In 2011, Walsh made 21 of 35 field goals, or only 60.0 percent. Of the 43 players in FBS football to attempt at least 20 field goals this season, Walsh's 60.0 percent was tied for the SECOND WORST in the nation.

In my research and work over the years, I've nerdily looked over and analyzed more statistics than I care to recall, and I've hardly ever observed something quite like this: a near first-to-worst player at his position - one of the best placekickers in the country instantly becomes arguably the worst.

You would have to believe that if Georgia had some sort of coach specifically for the special teams unit and/or for kickers, it would have only helped Walsh. Granted, the Bulldogs didn't have such an assistant in 2009 and 2010 when the placekicker was at his best; however, a special teams coordinator, or the like, on Georgia's sidelines in 2011 could have only provided assistance to Walsh during his apparent meltdown.

For 21 seasons from 1974 to 1994, Bill Hartman was a volunteer kicking coach at Georgia. The placekickers under the former Bulldog standout is like a who's who of the greatest kickers ever at UGA: Allan Leavitt, Rex Robinson, Kevin Butler, Steve Crumley, John Kasay, Todd Peterson, and Kanon Parkman. From 1974 through 1994, Bulldog placekickers made better than 70 percent (70.3) of their field-goal attempts. During the same time period, the remaining kickers in all of major college football were nearly 10 percent less accurate (61.1). Assuredly, Hartman had something to do - even if it was only the slightest - with this remarkable difference in accuracy.

I realize the NCAA eliminated volunteer coaches nearly 15 years ago, and Georgia doesn't have a full-time special teams coach because Coach Richt takes the same approach as his mentor, Bobby Bowden, and divides the special teams amongst position coaches.

For 2011, it's my understanding that offensive line coach Will Friend was responsible for coaching the PAT and field-goal kicking unit. Friend may have been an All-SEC lineman for Alabama in 1997, but I seriously doubt the one-time 6-foot-2, 275-pound offensive guard attempted many PATs or field goals in his time.

More than two months ago, when asked if he ever considered a full-time special teams coach, Richt said he "looked at it" but "if you have a guy that does only special teams, all of the sudden you’re robbing a position from the offense or defense."

Coach, desperate times call for desperate measures, and whether you have to rob, steal, or cheat, something needs to be done for next year regarding Georgia's special teams - perhaps a new approach from the old-school way of Bobby Bowden.

Specifically, whether Walsh was coached by Friend, had his own personal kicking coach, or wasn't coached at all, it simply did not work in 2011; whatever was "in his head" evidently stayed there the entire season with no assistance for escape.

An All-Time Favorite

2012-01-02T07:50:00.002-05:00

Win, lose, or draw, the 1978 WONDERDOGS are one of the most favorite Bulldog teams of all time

Over the holidays, a friend of mine mentioned that the 2011 Bulldogs, even if they were to lose their bowl game today, were one of his most "favorite" Georgia football teams of all time; a squad with a coach on the supposed "hot seat" starts off 0-2, only to win 10 consecutive games and capture the SEC East. What's there not to admire?

When asked of their "favorite" Georgia team, it has been my experience that often Bulldog fans, instead of mentioning the elite and championship teams of the past, will declare a group that more so overachieved and/or endured adversity to succeed. Examples of such overachieving Bulldogs include the 1975 Junkyard Dogs, the season after Herschel in 1983, Operation Turnaround in 1991, and the 2005 SEC champs.

In addition, there were the 1978 Wonderdogs - perhaps the best example in Georgia football history of underdogs turned topdogs.

Entering the 1978 season, the Bulldogs were actually forecasted to be even worse than the losing 5-6 team from the year before. In the preseason, one media outlet predicted that Georgia's game with Vanderbilt would decide which school was the 9th and 10th-best squad in the 10-member SEC. Reportedly, the only probable victory on the schedule was a meeting with the Virginia Military Institute - a Division I-AA opponent - in early November.

Nevertheless, Georgia achieved an unfathomable 9-1-1 regular-season record and came within an eyelash of capturing an SEC title. Within the first five games of the year, the Bulldogs remarkably defeated three opponents - Baylor, Clemson, and LSU - as decided underdogs. For the entire season, four of the nine victories by the Underdogs to Wonderdogs were by a scant one- or two-point margin.

Ranked 7th nationally in the UPI Poll, Georgia headed to the now-defunct Bluebonnet Bowl at the Astrodome in Houston. The Wonderdogs were facing Stanford and Coach Bill Walsh's high-flying offense, and once again - this time by more than a touchdown - the Bulldogs were underdogs:

In the 1978 Bluebonnet Bowl, one truly had to wonder about the Wonderdogs. During the regular season, Georgia had overcome deficits in the fourth quarter four times to rally for three victories and a tie at Auburn. Included was a 29-28 win over Georgia Tech, where the Bulldogs trailed 20-0 at one point.

After pulling off the biggest comeback victory in school history in its regular-season finale, Georgia suffered its biggest blown lead of all time the very next game, dropping a 25-22 decision to Stanford after the Bulldogs had led 22-0 in the third quarter.

After averaging just 329 yards of total offense for the year, Georgia gained more than 500 on Stanford. On the contrary, the Cardinals (and, yes, the nickname had an "s" back then, unlike today, but still referred to the color and not the bird), who entered with the fifth-highest ranked offense in the nation, was held to roughly 100 yards below their regular-season average.

Notably, after losing a school-record 35 fumbles during the 1977 season, Georgia decided to switch from the Veer offense to the I-formation. The change was a success as the Bulldogs lost just 16 fumbles in '78. However, in the Bluebonnet Bowl, the old epidemic emerged as Georgia lost five fumbles to the Cardinals - ALL of them in the second half.

Also sporadic was the performance of Rex Robinson. During the year, the sophomore placekicker was nearly perfect, missing just two kicks (29 of 29 PAT, 15 of 17 field goals). However, in the Astrodome against Stanford alone, Robinson missed four (1 of 3 PAT, 1 of 3 field goals).

As Robinson has mentioned before, part of his problem that day 33 years ago, like many performances in bowl games, was being removed from a routine during the off period between the regular season and postseason.

It's little wonder college football bowl games were initially treated and regarded as merely exhibitions.

Anyway, despite resulting in a loss, I found some good clips - ALL of them in the game's first 35 minutes - of a band of overachieving Bulldogs that I mostly only knew of beforehand from my research. Personally, and for what it's worth, the 1978 Wonderdogs are probably my "favorite" Georgia football team of all time - and similarly to the attitude of my aforementioned friend - even if they did lose their bowl game.

Far, Far from Special

2011-12-30T08:58:00.000-05:00

The Honey Badger's punt return for a score in the SECC
was one of eight touchdowns via returns allowed by the
Bulldogs this season - a school record you won't find
proudly listed in the Bulldog record book.

It's certainly nothing new to declare that Georgia's special teams unit, on the whole, has been quite a disappointment this season. Forecasted in the preseason by college football guru Phil Steele as having the best special teams in the nation, the Bulldogs, as recently mentioned by Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald, currently rank in the bottom of the SEC in nearly every special teams category.

Particularly, the amount of yardage Georgia has allowed per kickoff and punt return, its number of missed field goals, and total touchdowns yielded via return is each down-right distressing, especially historically speaking.

Two months ago, I posted how statistically the Bulldogs' defense was on pace to be one of the better defenses in Georgia football history. Well, the exact opposite can be said for the same squad concerning the following aspects of its special teams unit:

AVERAGE YARDS ALLOWED PER KICKOFF RETURN (23.5): The 23.5 yards allowed per kickoff return this season is the 9th highest of any Georgia football team in 63 seasons of obtainable data (1949 through 2011). Notably, the 1962 Bulldogs yielded a historical-high 28.9 yards, and just two years ago in 2009 (Remember that dreadful kickoff-coverage unit?), Georgia allowed 25.7 yards. Historically, the Bulldogs have yielded a total average of 20.2 yards per the nearly 2,500 kickoff returns by opponents since 1949. In addition, the 120 FBS teams have combined to average 21.7 yards thus far this season.

AVERAGE YARDS ALLOWED PER PUNT RETURN (16.1): For the 2011 season, FBS teams have averaged 8.8 yards per punt return. Since 1949, Georgia historically has yielded a similar average of 8.5 yards per return. However, the 2011 Bulldogs are allowing a whopping 16.1 yards per punt return, or the 2nd-highest amount in school history, only behind the 18.4 average given up almost 60 years ago in 1953.

MISSED FIELD GOALS (13): The 13 combined missed field goals this season by Blair Walsh (12) and Brandon Bogotay (1) are tied for the most of any Georgia football team in 52 seasons of obtainable data (1960 through 2011). The 1969 Bulldogs also missed 13 field goals; however, with all fairness to Jim McCullough (10) and Mike Cavan (3), their misses resulted during a time when your average major-college kicker was successful on just approximately 48 percent of his field-goal attempts.

Since 1960, Georgia has averaged just 6.4 missed field goals per season. Also, of the 100 FBS kickers who've made at least seven field goals this year, including Walsh, they've combined to make 74 percent of their field-goal tries while missing an average of less than five attempts for the season. As indicated, Walsh has missed a staggering 12 attempts thus far while making only 61 percent of his field-goal tries.

TOUCHDOWNS ALLOWED VIA RETURN (8): This is likely the most startling of the four failed facets, and yes, I do realize it doesn't only concern Georgia's special teams, but whether by kickoff (2), punt (2), interception (3), or fumble (1), the Bulldogs have allowed 8 returns for touchdowns this season. This figure is especially astounding since Georgia allowed NO returns for scores a year ago, and over the last 34 seasons (1978 through 2011), has yielded an annual average of just 1.6 returns for touchdowns. The eight returns allowed for touchdowns is historically the most at Georgia with the five allowed by the 1994 Bulldogs coming in at a distant second.

So, there you have it - four critical aspects of special teams play, where the 2011 Bulldogs rank as the 9th-worst (of 63), the next to worst, tied for the worst, and the worst in school history. Similar results for two of the categories could perhaps be acknowledged as having little to no association and insignificant, but for FOUR?!?

There lies a problem where something is undoubtedly amiss. The solution?

Do the Bulldogs need to hire an assistant responsible for only the special teams or, at least, should a number of high-quality players, even if they're already an offensive or defensive starter, play on kickoff and/or punt coverage as well? Personally, I'm in favor of both, especially when the issue with Georgia's special teams, according to Alec Ogletree, is "guys kind of doing their own thing, not doing it the right way."

In Weiszer's article, Coach Richt mentioned that there will be more focus and a "high sense of urgency" on special teams come this spring, although it sure would be nice if some sort of solution came a little sooner, like by January 2nd. This season, Michigan State has averaged 24.3 yards per kickoff return (15th in the FBS), 11.2 yards per punt return (25th), and has scored SIX touchdowns via return.

Because of poor kickoff and punt coverage, missed field goals, and/or allowing touchdowns on returns, Georgia has already endured one loss this season (South Carolina) it otherwise would have won, while coming close to defeat on other occasions. Simply put, let's hope there is some sort of urgency in not giving away another ballgame to the opposition, beginning not this spring, but three days from now in Tampa.

No Fun in the '69 Sun

2011-12-24T07:50:00.001-05:00

Georgia's offense had a hard time moving the football,
and holding onto it, against Nebraska's "Blackshirts"
defense in the 1969 Sun Bowl.

I normally wouldn't post video footage from a 39-point Bulldog defeat, but I came across the 1969 Sun Bowl loss to Nebraska and felt the sheer fact the game is more than 40 years old made it somewhat intriguing. Plus, the circumstances surrounding Georgia in its acceptance of the bowl bid, and how things have changed drastically since then regarding bowl invites, made for my opinion of a somewhat interesting subject (despite the second-worst setback for the Bulldogs over the last half-century).

The video below is of black and white coaches film while the audio is from Nebraska's KFAB Radio. Except for a play here and there and clips from Georgia's lone touchdown drive, there were very few highlights, as one would imagine, from the Bulldogs' 45-6 blowout loss.

Regarding the 1969 Georgia football team, Coach Vince Dooley would later say never had he ever witnessed a group which started so strongly struggle so mightily down the stretch. Coming off an undefeated regular season and an SEC championship the year before, the Bulldogs opened the '69 campaign preseason ranked 8th in the nation. After a 3-0 start, Georgia was defeated by an Archie Manning-led Ole Miss squad in Jackson, MS, but the Bulldogs responded with back-to-back wins and were sitting pretty with a 5-1 record and a No. 11 ranking entering their final four games of the regular season.

To start the month of November, Georgia could manage just a field goal in a 17-3 loss to Tennessee in Athens. Next, the Bulldogs and the Gators battled it out in Jacksonville to what would be the last of only two ties in the rivalry's history (and come this summer, yes, you can read all about Georgia's infamous 1969 "Fifth Down" game against Florida). The following week, the non-winning streak increased to three games with a 16-3 loss to Auburn at Sanford Stadium. Suddenly, what once appeared to be a promising season was turning into one that was seemingly forgettable.

Yet, on November 16th - the day after Georgia's record dropped to 5-3-1 and the first day bowl bids could be extended - the Bulldogs were surprisingly invited to El Paso's prestigious Sun Bowl. Georgia had figured that if it was going to any bowl game that year, it would be to Atlanta's second annual Peach Bowl. In fact, following the Auburn loss, defensive coordinator Erk Russell gathered 15 seniors to vote on whether to accept an invitation if the Peach Bowl came calling. Only about half of the voters accepted the expected invite from the Peach. But when the Sun Bowl, which did not even scout the Bulldogs during the year, called upon Georgia, the vote was unanimous to take the trip out to El Paso for the December 20th bowl.

Based on stories they had heard from the Bulldogs' Sun Bowl trip five years before - Dooley's first team of 1964 - the players were absolutely thrilled to be playing their postseason in El Paso. Georgia assumed it would win its regular-season finale against a Georgia Tech team that had lost six of its previous seven games. With an expected and respectable 6-3-1 record, the Bulldogs would then play (again, in what they assumed) a winnable Sun Bowl against the winner of the upcoming Colorado (6-3) and Kansas State (5-4) game or versus WAC member Arizona State.

But you know what they say about assuming...

Dooley would say at the end of his coaching career that accepting the Sun Bowl invitation in 1969 may have been his "worst mistake" while at Georgia and had he known that Nebraska would be their opponent, the Bulldogs might have stayed home.

According to Dooley, back in those days when bowl invitations were extended prior to the end of the regular season and often with two, or even three games remaining on a team's schedule, you accepted a postseason invite as early as possible. Take LSU, for example, in that very same season. In 1969, the Tigers were SEC champions, finished with a 9-1 record and ranked 8th in the nation. The Sugar Bowl had extended a bid but LSU turned it down; the Tigers did not want to appear in a bowl game so close to home and desired a legitimate shot to play for a national title. By the time all the bowl invites had been given out, LSU was left empty handed and stayed home for the holidays with no bowl at all.

The Tigers, not the Bulldogs, probably should have been the SEC's representative to take on mighty Nebraska (the Cornhuskers and LSU would actually meet the following year in the 1971 Orange Bowl). Nebraska was the Big Eight champion, ranked 14th in the country, and entered with an 8-2 record, where its two losses were to 5th-ranked Southern Cal and No. 7 Missouri.

This '69 Cornhusker squad, which was unusually both massive in size and quick, would follow up its season performance with back-to-back national championships in 1970 and 1971. Head coach Bob Devaney once indicated that Nebraska in 1969, by the end of its season, was actually a better team than his '71 Cornhuskers, which ended their year with a 38-6 win over Alabama in the Orange Bowl and a perfect 13-0 record. Also, the 1971 Nebraska team years later would be recognized by The Sporting News as the greatest college football team of all time.

Georgia, on the other hand, would wind up being upset by Georgia Tech 6-0 and entered the Sun Bowl with a disappointing 5-4-1 record. Down the stretch, injuries had dismantled the Bulldogs' offense, and was the primary reason the team averaged only 4.8 points per game in its final four contests of the regular season. Georgia had lost senior end Dennis Hughes, at the time, the school's all-time career leading receiver and Dooley's opinion of the team's best player. In addition, out for the bowl game were two of the Bulldogs' top three rushers - Bruce Kemp and Craig Elrod - and most detrimental, standout starting quarterback Mike Cavan was out with the flu.

Thus, the 1969 Sun Bowl mismatched, if you will, a Georgia team, which had not won a game in nearly two months and missing all of its primary offensive weapons, versus a Nebraska squad who, according to its head coach, was playing better than arguably the greatest college football team in history. Prior to the game, a major newspaper suggested the Bulldogs "bow out" of the bowl, and you can probably see why. Still, the so-called "experts" out in Vegas figured Georgia as only a one-touchdown underdog.

Filling in for the ill Cavan against Nebraska was Paul Gilbert, who entered the game having thrown six interceptions in just 33 career pass attempts as a Bulldog. Gilbert wouldn't fare much better in front of nearly 32,000 spectators at the Sun Bowl and a CBS national audience, completing just 10 of 30 passes for 116 yards and was intercepted five times. The junior quarterback did score Georgia's lone touchdown on a 6-yard run late in the game.

Despite a gusty wind, Nebraska placekicker and game MVP Paul Rogers made four field goals - ALL four resulting in the first quarter. But the Cornhuskers biggest benefit was Georgia's inability to hold onto the football; the Bulldogs lost two fumbles and threw six interceptions compared to Nebraska's two total turnovers.

"We should have been home by the fire watching Nebraska whip up on somebody else," Dooley would later say. "What a miserable afternoon."

An Outback Comeback

2011-12-13T11:21:00.002-05:00

In the 2000 Outback Bowl, freshman
Terrence Edwards' 74-yard touchdown
run began a furious rally by the Bulldogs.

Leading up to Georgia's Outback Bowl appearance, I'll post some historical pieces on the Bulldogs' postseason past. The first was a bowl from not too long ago which some of you may remember well, if you happened to stumble out of bed in time to catch the game.

Only hours after we celebrated the dawning of a new millennium, Georgia kicked off at 11:07 AM in Tampa against Purdue in the 2000 Outback Bowl. The game billed itself as the first major sporting event of the millennium as it reportedly started four minutes and 50 seconds earlier than that year's Cotton Bowl. That fact is great and all, but if you were like me, I didn't care much for a morning football game on a January 1st.

Undoubtedly, the Dawgs must have also had a late night on New Year's Eve and appeared to be asleep in the first half as the Boilermakers raced out to a 25-0 second-quarter lead. Behind the arm of quarterback Drew Brees, Purdue scored four touchdowns on its first five possessions. Georgia, on the other hand, could hardly muster any offense with sophomore Quincy Carter directing the team.

However, during what appeared to be an easy blowout win for Purdue, the Bulldogs actually caught some critical breaks. After the Boilermakers' second touchdown, placekicker Travis Dorsch missed the PAT. This caused head coach Joe Tiller to elect to go for the two-point conversion following the third touchdown, which Purdue missed. After the fourth touchdown, the Boilermakers went for the two points a second time and again a Brees pass fell incomplete. At the time, the missed opportunity for three extra points seemed insignificant, but would later prove costly.

I just noticed that this entire game is being aired on ESPN Classic today at 1:00 PM. Check it out to witness Georgia's memorable comeback in its entirety. Of course, you might want to wait until midway through the second quarter when the Bulldogs finally awoke from their stupor.

I was looking over Georgia's defense of 1999 and checkout these standouts:

Orantes Grant, Tyrone Robertson, Jamie Henderson, Kendrell Bell, Marcus Stroud, Demetric Evans, Richard Seymour, Tim Wansley, Terreal Bierria, Josh Mallard, Charles Grant, Will Witherspoon, and Boss Bailey - all major contributors that season and all would eventually play in the NFL.

Yet, this group of defenders, statistically, is one of the worst in Georgia football history. In 1999, the Bulldogs ranked last in the SEC in total defense (382.6) and pass defense (278.1) and next-to-last in scoring defense (25.9).

Many blame the Bulldogs' defensive woes of '99 on Kevin Ramsey. Remember him? He was Tennessee's much-acclaimed secondary coach, who left the Vols following their national championship season of 1998 to become Georgia's defensive coordinator. Ramsey's hire by Coach Jim Donnan demoted former-DC Joe Kines (the best bowl coaching clip of all time) to "Assistant Head Coach."

After the defense's performance in 1999, it was Ramsey who Donnan tried to demote to secondary coach. And as you're likely aware, legend has it Donnan's decision would eventually cost the head coach a punch in the face during a confrontation with Ramsey. Needless to say, the 2000 Outback Bowl was Ramsey's final game as a Bulldog, and as of this season, his last game as a defensive coordinator in college football.

Be that as it may, Ramsey's troops showed their potential the final two-and-a-half quarters against the Boilermakers, holding a team that entered ranked 8th in the nation in total offense scoreless in its final eight possessions of the game. Meanwhile, the Bulldog offense woke up, scoring three unanswered touchdowns and two field goals en route to a 28-25 comeback win. It remains the largest deficit in history that Georgia has rallied for a victory in a football game.

Albeit in defeat, Brees was named the bowl's MVP, passing for 378 yards and four touchdowns on 36 of 60 passing. Although, as far as Georgia was concerned, an argument could have been made for placekicker Dorsch as the most valuable Bulldog. The Purdue sophomore placekicker, who ironically would eventually be a first-team All-Big Ten honoree, was 0 for 3 on field-goal attempts and, as mentioned, missed the all-important PAT try with the Boilermakers leading 13-0.

Evidently, even a placekicker can struggle and have the shakes the morning of a New Year's Day.

One Durable Freshman

2011-11-24T08:35:00.003-05:00

With all the talk concerning Isaiah Crowell's status for this Saturday's game against Georgia Tech, I was reminded of a time long ago when another true freshman Bulldog tailback encountered the Yellow Jackets for the first time.

From Keith Henderson to Rodney Hampton to Garrison Hearst to Washuan Ealey, there has been a number of true freshman running backs in Georgia history to produce fine first seasons; however, only one - the legendary Herschel Walker in 1980 - reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark.

Crowell enters the Tech game just 168 rushing yards shy of 1,000. If he can hold up, barring a physical (or mental) ailment, one would think that surely the newcomer from Columbus will join an exclusive group with Walker over the final three games of 2011. One would think...

Speaking of the durability of a freshman back, including the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, Walker averaged a whopping 26 carries per game in 1980. His season was not without injury. A sprained ankle limited him to 20 combined carries in Georgia's fourth and fifth games - the only two games of 12 Herschel would not run the ball 21 or more times. Most notably, against the Fighting Irish in New Orleans, he had 36 carries in a game where he suffered a separated shoulder on the bowl's second play.

Like Crowell, Walker entered his regular-season finale against hated Tech within reach of a milestone. Herschel had topped the 1,000-yard mark long before - a full month earlier against South Carolina. Instead, he was 176 yards from breaking the NCAA freshman record of 1,586 rushing yards set by Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett in 1973.

And, if anyone could break a record (or a long run), it was Herschel:

Following the greatest pep-talk in the history of Georgia football, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead on the Yellow Jackets. Tech's offense would come alive in the second half, and score its first points on a touchdown pass early in the third quarter.

On the touchdown, a Yellow Jacket was flagged for some rough play with senior cornerback Scott Woerner. Tech was forced to kickoff from its own 25-yard line, instead of the 40, and ironically Woerner received the kick. On a kickoff that likely would have been downed in the end zone if not for the Jackets' buffoonery, Woerner caught the kick at his own 6-yard line and streaked 71 yards to Tech's 23. On the next play, Herschel rushed for his second touchdown of the game.

Leading 31-20 and the Bulldogs just 9:30 away from a perfect regular season, and the freshman phenom 52 yards from Dorsett's mark, how fitting was it that Herschel broke the record and clinched a win over Georgia Tech on one of his patented long runs. The 65-yard touchdown play was, according to Coach Dooley, Herschel's favorite play, the draw - "Slot Right Fly 24 Draw" to be exact.

The touchdown was remarkably Walker's seventh and final rush of the season of 48 yards or more and transpired in front of Sanford Stadium's final collection of "track people," as construction to close off the stadium's east end would begin immediately following the game.

Herschel finished the contest with 205 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries - his sixth (of what would be seven) straight game carrying the ball 23 times or more. In comparison, Crowell has yet to carry the ball 23+ times in consecutive games this season.

There has been no true freshman running back quite like Herschel Walker, and seemingly, there will never be.

Dawg Nation Loses Legend, One of Us

2011-11-21T11:38:00.001-05:00

Like all of you, I was deeply saddened to hear the news that legendary announcer Larry Munson had past away last night from complications of pneumonia. I've always believed that Munson was as much a part of Georgia football's celebrated history as Coach Vince Dooley, Herschel Walker, silver britches, the hedges, you name it...

Munson was undoubtedly a Bulldog legend. When a four-year old, like my son as recently as a week ago, thanks to television clips and YouTube, asks his daddy what "my God, a freshman" is, you know the individual that first uttered those words is likely some sort of iconic figure.

Furthermore, besides being an icon, Larry Munson was probably more so - and simply - one of us. In describing the action, he seemed to be speaking to each individual member of the Bulldog Nation in full detail, filled with just as much passion and a desire to win than anyone else.

Personally, I didn't know Larry like many of the people did in my line of work. In fact, I came in contact with him only a few times for one thing - the foreword of my first book.

Early in 2007, I had been informed by my publisher that if I knew of an appropriate individual, I could ask him (or her) to write the foreword to the book. If not, they could find someone to do so. Well, I didn't know Larry Munson, and he certainly didn't know me. However, as a passionate Georgia fan who had imitated the man's legendary voice as early as at five years of age, there was no one better I could think of to write my first foreword on a book about UGA football.

Now, all I had to do was ask him.

As nervous as I had been back in second grade when I approached Herschel Walker for an autograph, a quarter-century later, I anxiously reached out to another one of my Bulldog football heroes. I'll never forget that familiar, gravely voice, answering "Hello," on the other end of the phone while a TV blared in the background of what sounded like ESPN's SportsCenter. I then went into a long request (way too long), asking him if he would be so kind to write my foreword and how honored I'd be if he did so.

{LONG PAUSE}

As I waited for an answer, I heard absolutely nothing on the other end, not even the television that had been blaring just seconds before. "Well, that's just great, he hung up the phone," I thought to myself. "What's Plan B?"

Suddenly, in that same voice I had been so familiar with since I could remember, I heard an answer - something on the order of, "Yeah...sure thing. What do I need to do?"

Come to find out, the long pause on the phone was only because Larry had gone to turn his TV down to talk. In the "foreword-writing process," which might not be as simple of a request as it sounds (I know from experiences that would follow), Larry was more than gracious, going above and beyond of what was asked of him.

Larry Munson didn't know this unknown writer from Adam's house cat, but I'd like to think he simply heard a fellow Bulldog in need, and obliged to my request. The Bulldog Nation undeniably lost a legend last night, but more so, we lost a friend and one of our own.

Speaking of "Special Teams"

2011-11-08T09:52:00.002-05:00

Neither rain, nor James Brooks (No. 21), nor orange
jerseys on the Plains could keep Jimmy Payne
(No. 87) and the Dawgs from a championship in '80.

As the Auburn game looms and the chatter of a championship game persists, along with Georgia's hopeful improvement on special teams, I was reminded of a particular and very critical game from long ago pitting the rival Tigers against perhaps the most special of Bulldog teams.

Led by Herschel Walker, an extraordinary bend-but-don't-break defense, spectacular special teams play, and aided by a little miracle from the week before, the Bulldogs ventured to the Plains of Auburn in 1980 ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in 38 years.

Two years before in 1978, the circumstances had been eerily similar. The undefeated Wonderdogs team had traveled to Auburn only a victory away from an SEC championship and a trip to the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers tried the psychological ploy of warming up in their customary blue jerseys but switched donned in orange by kickoff.

Whether it was the ploy or not, something worked for the five-point underdog Tigers that day as they ran all over Georgia to the tune of 430 rushing yards. The Bulldogs were fortunate to return home with a 22-22 tie; however, because of the draw, there would be no conference title nor trip to New Orleans in '78, but an invite from the Bluebonnet Bowl instead.

Just prior to the 1980 game, Coach Dooley spoke to his troops about the Tigers' tactic from two years before:

Now, they are probably going to do what they did in '78. ... It doesn't matter, men, what kind of jerseys they wear. You can whip their ass in any color jerseys. Let's show 'em what a championship team is made of!

For a team to become special and of championship caliber, it quite often must do the "little things" right to succeed. This was certainly the case for the '80 Bulldogs who, faced with a steady rain at Auburn and a second Tiger mind-trick attempt, executed the little things en route to a championship:

Remarkably, after not scoring at all in the game's first 23 minutes, Georgia tallied 31 consecutive points in just 16 minutes of play to take a 31-7 lead with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Notably, the game's biggest play – a 27-yard return of an Auburn blocked punt for Georgia's initial touchdown – was carried out by the unlikeliest of Bulldog heroes (0:25 of video). The "blocker" of the punt, Greg Bell from Birmingham, was a seldom-used senior cornerback, who totaled just 14 career tackles while at Georgia, but made one of the biggest plays in a championship season on his return home to his native state. The "returner" of the block, defensive end Freddie Gilbert, was a mere true freshman, had an excellent spin move as evident by the video, and was just beginning to make a name for himself in a career that would conclude with All-American honors three years later.

The second big play resulted just before halftime with Georgia possessing the ball on Auburn's 1-yard line  (1:33). With just nine seconds remaining and the Bulldogs leading 10-7, quarterback Buck Belue fumbled and, presumably, the time would run out. However, Georgia caught a huge break when an official decided to stopped the clock momentarily, leaving the Bulldogs just enough time to take another snap with one second remaining, and score on a Belue-to-Norris Brown touchdown pass.

If you recall, 12 years later in the same stadium, Georgia would catch a break when officials decided not to stop the clock.

Besides the rain, fortune continued to fall upon the Bulldogs as well at Jordan-Hare in '80 (2:10). In an enraged reaction to the official stopping the clock following Belue's fumble, long-time Auburn assistant Paul Davis was flagged 15 yards, which was enforced on the opening kickoff of the second half. Kicking from Auburn's 45-yard line instead of his own 40, Dooley decided to gamble with an onsides kick, which was recovered by Will Forts at the Tigers' 33. A few plays later, Belue scored from a yard out to give Georgia a 17-point lead.

I'd be remiss if I didn't include Herschel's 18-yard touchdown, which in actuality, covered at least twice that many yards (2:40). Although he had a number of great scoring jaunts in his three years as a Bulldog, especially as a freshman in 1980, Herschel's reverse-the-field touchdown against Auburn was one of his greatest runs.

And, just imagine, playing in only your 10th game as a Bulldog, having your name chanted by fans loud and clear, and most impressively, on the road at an opposing stadium (1:15).

Following Herschel's touchdown, Auburn scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but it mattered little as Georgia's 16-minute scoring spree was too much for the Tigers to overcome. Following the victory, the Bulldogs were invited to the same game that had eluded them just two years before – the Sugar Bowl, who would also invite Notre Dame that same afternoon (and, speaking of championships, we all recall what would happen in that matchup).

Grantham's Guard Dawgs

2011-11-01T11:44:00.001-04:00

Prior to the start of this football season, the general consensus regarding the outlook on Georgia's defense was that there was only room for improvement. By year two of Todd Grantham's scheme, surely and hopefully, his defenders could only get better from the previous year.

Through the first eight games of the 2011 season, you could certainly say the Bulldogs' defense has improved. In fact, the unit has generated some noteworthy figures in which few defenses in the nation, and even in Georgia's football history, are comparable.

Now, I realize the Bulldogs have been fortunate to face several near-stagnant offenses thus far, and there is still lots of football yet to be played. Georgia must still defend against a Georgia Tech offense which currently averages a staggering seven yards per play, a bowl opponent, and possibly the champion from the SEC West. Of course, the Bulldogs also have New Mexico State to play and two offenses - Auburn and Kentucky's - which both currently rank in the bottom one-third of the FBS.

Regardless, what Georgia's defense has achieved thus far in 2011 is rather remarkable, specifically when compared to Bulldog teams from yesteryear.

For the following defensive statistics, unless indicated, considered are Georgia teams from 1969 to the present. I chose to start at that particular year to keep yardage comparisons on somewhat of an even keel. Around that time, because of a couple new rule changes in the game, offenses went from averaging roughly 60-to-65 plays per game to 70-to-75.

3rd-Down Defense (Since 1979)

1) 2011- 25.7%

2) 2004- 27.3%

3) 2006- 27.4%

4) 2003- 27.5%

5) 2000- 31.5%

Rushing Defense

1) 1981- 72.5

2) 2011- 86.8

3) 1971- 98.0

4) 1985- 99.5

5) 2003- 102.4

Tackles For Loss per game (Since 1980)

1) 1985- 11.1
2) 2002- 8.3
3) 1989- 8.1
4) 2011- 8.0
5) 1999- 7.9

Total Defense
1) 1971- 234.3
2) 2006- 258.2
3) 1981- 262.1
4) 1970- 264.2
5) 2011- 267.0

Yards Per Carry allowed
1) 1981- 2.0
2) 1985- 2.49
3) 1971- 2.54
4) 1970- 2.7
5) 2011- 2.8

Pass Efficiency Defense (Since 1976)
1) 1982- 84.1
2) 1980- 92.9
3) 1992- 94.8
4) 1981- 97.6
5) 2011- 98.9

To me, the first thing that stands out is the Bulldogs' stop percentage when their opposition is facing third down. Remember, it was only last season when stopping opponents on third down was a major Achilles heel of this team. Suddenly, only one year later, Georgia is forcing fourth down to a greater degree than ever before (or at least since the school began keeping the statistic 32 years ago).

In addition, notice the Bulldogs' defense has had success in both stopping the run and defending the pass.

Temple is shutdown by Georgia's defense of 1981 - one
the greatest defensive units in Bulldog history.

No other Bulldog defense from the past ranks in the top five with the 2011 defensive unit in all six categories. The 1981 defense is ranked in the most categories with four. Notably, the 1971 defense is present in all three of the categories it could possibly be ranked in.

Besides being two of the greatest Georgia defensive units of all time, what else did the '81 and '71 defenses have in common? Simply, they were integral parts of very successful Bulldog teams, each achieving a 10-1 regular-season record.

As they say, defenses do win championships.

To some, all of this could mean very little. As indicated, there are still as many as six games left to be played and the ideal comparison would come in early January instead of November 1st.

Nevertheless, what many hoped would be merely just an improvement of Grantham's defense from 2010 has been undeniably more – more like an inconceivable advancement, which possibly could result in the 2011 Georgia defense eventually being distinguished as one of the best in school history.

A Gator Bowl Beatdown

2011-10-26T08:54:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd take a look back to a time when it was the Bulldogs who owned the Georgia-Florida series, and one of the sweetest of these victories was the 44-0 rout over the Gators in 1982:

The '82 Cocktail Party was suppose to be as close as its two preceding and thrilling 26-21 Bulldog victories. Georgia entered as one of the country's best, although Florida was 6-2 and ranked 20th in the nation; the oddsmakers determined the Bulldogs to be just a 3½-point favorite. As it turned out, the so-called experts would be a little off.

In watching the game, particularly the second half, the one thing that really stuck out were the numerous Georgia reserves that saw playing time. Man, did Coach Dooley really empty the bench.

At the skilled positions, Herschel Walker played for just 2½ quarters (and with the flu!) but still managed to rush for 219 yards and three touchdowns. Nearly all of the playing time tailback Keith Montgomery and quarterback Todd Williams – both freshmen and future starters – saw in 1982 came in this one game. Tailback Tommy Spangler, the current defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech, even got to carry the football – his lone rush in his Bulldog career.

What a thrill it must have been for the seldom-played freshmen, walk-ons, former scout-team members, etc., who had hardly seen the field as a Bulldog, if at all, to make an appearance in the Gator Bowl against the despised Gators.

On the touchdown run by Tron "the Electron" Jackson, another freshman, checkout the quarterback running the play. Now, I thought I knew every single player from the last 30-to-40 years to ever don the red and black, but admittedly, I had to look up jersey-number 13 from 1982 - third-stringer Danny "Don't Call Me David" Greene from Wenonah, New Jersey.

Greene quarterbacked Georgia for its last couple of possessions of the game – his first, and last, drives (I'm willing to assume) directed as a Bulldog:

In watching all of Dooley's second-half replacements, I recalled the times Steve Spurrier ran the score up in the very same rivalry whenever given the opportunity. Some examples:

Late in the game in 1990, with the contest having been settled long before, Spurrier sent his first-team defense back onto the field to prevent Georgia from merely picking up a first down. With a 38-13 lead the following year, All-American quarterback Shane Matthews wasn't replaced until Florida's next-to-last offensive series, and even when the starter was finally sidelined, backup Brian Fox passed for a touchdown with less than two minutes to play. In 1998, Spurrier punctuated another blowout Gators victory with a wide receiver reverse for a touchdown with mere seconds remaining. I could go on...

Now, the Florida faithful says Spurrier had very good reason to pull his classless acts against the Bulldogs. Let me add, however, there's a few inaccuracies in the Gators' "Dooley-running-up-the-score-in-'68-is-the-reason-Spurrier-hates-Georgia" story. For one, the "offensive lineman" that kicked the field goal for the game's final points was actually Peter Rajecki – the Bulldogs' backup placekicker, who had kicked a PAT earlier and would attempt several more field goals at Georgia from 1968 to 1970. Also, the final field goal resulting with "with less than two minutes left to go" (another version of the story states "with seconds to go") actually occurred with 5:29 remaining – an eternity.

Nevertheless, the aforementioned seems to be yet another exaggerated story by a bunch of disgruntled Gators. In Dooley's defense, unlike Spurrier, he wasn't much of one for running up the score on the opposition. Take the 1982 pummeling of Florida, for example. Danny Greene saw action at quarterback against the Gators, for God's sake! And from what I hear, Dooley even had E.T. on the sideline warming up to go in...

Disregarded Gators

2011-10-19T13:04:00.001-04:00

Like Tom Cruise in "A Few Good
Men," apparently, Florida can't
handle the truth either.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I recently signed a contract to write a book on the Georgia-Florida football rivalry. In my research, I've already delved into lots of information on the history of the Gators - nearly too much, in fact, for one Bulldog to endure.

I'm sure like many of you, I've known for quite some time that there is a discrepancy between the two schools regarding the series record; the Bulldogs declare they have a 47-40-2 advantage while the Gators claim to trail 40-46-2. The one meeting in dispute was played in 1904 in Macon by a Florida squad, which evidently is not acknowledged by the school as a "true" Gators team.

I recently became aware of the exact details surrounding the series conflict, and thought they were fitting to post with the 90th meeting of the rivalry (or is it 89th?) looming...

Simply, the University of Florida does not recognize any football results prior to the school's move  to Gainesville from Lake City beginning with the 1906-07 academic year. This means the five Florida football teams from 1901 to 1905, all located in Lake City, are disregarded in the team's history.

Although, just prior to the 1903 football season, the school at Lake City began referring to itself as the "University of Florida," and so the press did as well from that point going forward. That year, the Florida football team won one of three games.   The next season in 1904, the school recorded likely one of the worst campaigns in the history of southern football, losing all five of its contests by a combined 225-to-0 score. That is no typo you see; that's an average loss by a score of 45 to zilch.

To illustrate how bad the 1904 University of Florida football team must have been, it was defeated by Georgia 52-0 in the series' first game and the Red and Black's season opener.  That dismal Georgia squad, who absolutely routed Florida, would play five more games the rest of the year, and lose them all by a combined 68-to-16 score.

Florida also lost to Alabama 29-0 and Georgia Tech 77-0 in 1904 as well. For what it's worth, both the Crimson Tide and Yellow Jackets, like Georgia, recognize the games in their records, while the University of Florida (at Gainesville) does not.

In 1905, Florida played just one game - a 6-0 victory over "Julian Landon," whomever they, he, or she may have been.  Upon the relocation to Gainesville the following year is when the Gators begin acknowledging their football history, and thus what Georgia claims is the rivalry's second game - a 37-0 win in 1915 and another blowout over Florida - is what the Gators actually believe is the first.

A Florida newspaper - Jacksonville's The Florida Times-Union - identified the 1904 Georgia-Florida game in 1941 as "the No. 1 game in the famous series." In addition, Tom McEwen, a Florida graduate and then-sports editor of the Tampa Tribune, wrote "The Gators: A Story of Florida Football" in 1974. For years, McEwen's book was considered the bible of the school's football history. In the back pages, under "Florida's Past Scores," listed are the team's historical results and included are the games from, you guessed it, 1903 to 1905 (and 1901-1902 as well).

Let me add, I have a suspicion that if the University of Florida football team, whether located in Lake City, Gainesville, or any other place for that matter, had achieved, let's say, a 7-2 mark instead of its actual 2-7 record from 1903 to 1905, the results might be counted by the school, including the 1904 Georgia game. However, since it's somewhat of a gray area and those early Florida teams were absolutely awful, the Gators have picked and chosen what to recognize and what not to recognize.

Personally, and I might be somewhat bias but I side with Bulldog historian and icon Dan Magill when, in acknowledging Georgia's win in 1904, he said, "That's where Florida was back then. We can't help it if they got run out of [Lake City]."

Furthermore, although the Florida players and coaches from 1903 to 1905 have long past away, I'm sure they would want their efforts (or lack thereof) to be recognized. These men sweated and bled while playing under the "University of Florida" name, so their games should be counted by the school instead of merely dismissed.

During the Gators' one-sided 18-3 run against Georgia since 1990, Florida followers have often been quick to instruct Bulldogs to stop living in the past. Apparently, for University of Florida football, part of its past actually never occurred.

That Hot Night in Knoxville

2011-10-04T10:59:00.002-04:00

This Saturday's game against Tennessee will be the seventh night game Georgia has played in its 21 meetings versus the Volunteers in Knoxville. When a good portion of Bulldog fans think of nighttime in K-Town, like me, they recall one particular sweltering night in 1980 and a freshman sensation running over Bill Bates.

Be that as it may, the unsung Georgia possession of that historic victory moved the football just four yards in three plays and resulted in a punt; however, it could very well be considered one of the most important offensive series for the Bulldogs during their national title season:

Interestingly, when senior Pat McShea recovered Tennessee's costly fumble, jarred loose by the "Ty Ty Termite" linebacker Nate Taylor, the defensive end just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time, completely missing his assignment for the play. Of course, the ball seemed to always bounce in Georgia's direction during its unlikely championship run.

Leading 16-15 with 4:02 remaining in the game and with the ball on its own 2-yard line, Georgia ran true freshman Herschel Walker up the middle on first down. Walker lost a yard but was able to instinctively avoid being tackled in the end zone for a safety.

In front of more than 90,000 screaming Vol fans, Walker took a second-down pitch six or seven yards deep in his own end zone and gained four yards to the 5-yard line. After a delay of game penalty, moving the Bulldogs back two yards, Walker carried again and netted three more yards to the 6-yard line.

It doesn't seem that significant but every inch gained by Walker on his three rushes was just a little more punting room for Jim Broadway. Following the game, Georgia's offensive coordinator George Haffner, who like Walker and Broadway was also experiencing his first game as a Bulldog said, "that's when I knew Herschel Walker was something special," simply because of those six precious yards on three carries.

Broadway, a walk-on from the season before, had struggled that night in Knoxville, averaging just 35 yards on his previous eight punts. Nevertheless, with the game on the line, Broadway got away a booming 47-yarder from his own end zone. And, as it would execute the entire season, Georgia's punt coverage was immediately there to stop any significant return.

Of all the impressive figures generated by the 1980 Georgia team and its individuals, the most astounding is that only 8 net yards were gained the entire season by the opposition on 16 punt returns. That's remarkably just a half-yard average per return with a long of only four yards, as evident on the video by Tennessee speedster Willie Gault.

For a comparison, in 1980, the average punt return for all of Division I-A football was just over seven yards per attempt. Through five games in 2011, Georgia's punt coverage is allowing a whopping 14.8 yards per return.

Often, it's the "little things" - the ball bouncing the right way, a yard here and a yard there, exceptional punt coverage, etc. - that ultimately wins big ballgames, like a memorable victory against a reputable opponent in front of a large hostile crowd, when the nighttime temperature at kickoff is nearly 90 degrees (while the stadium concessions runs out of ice).

And it's often these little things that separate the champions from the mere contenders...

...And I Really Hate Florida!

2011-09-28T11:05:00.002-04:00

I'd appreciate any assistance.

Last week, I signed a deal to write a pro-Georgia/anti-Florida football book - my fifth book on the Bulldogs and third published by Triumph Books. It is properly titled "I Love Georgia/I Hate Florida," and is part of Triumph's I Love/I Hate series. The book will be released late this summer (hopefully following a victory over the much-hated Gators a month from now).

The book will be written a little different than my previous four as instead of writing in an objective and reporting-like manner, I'm asked to be irreverent and funny. If you read this blog on a regular basis, you're aware that I struggle with the latter, so I'm asking for your help.

If you know of an anti-Gator story, tidbit, joke, etc., whether personal or one that is commonly known, please feel free to send it my way to book@patrickgarbin.com. I've recalled plenty of Gator-hating anecdotes on my own but want to make sure I don't omit any good ones I've forgotten or just aren't aware of.

My busy freelance-writing career just got a whole lot busier. Unfortunately, that means that my sporadic blog posts will become even more infrequent over the next 5-to-6 months. However, I'll continue to post (and should have some new videos soon from Bulldog games from long ago) whenever I can.

Again, if you're a Gator Hater and have a story and/or joke to tell, please send 'em if you have 'em. Thanks!

Win Over Rebs Stopped Bleeding

2011-09-22T10:26:00.000-04:00

In 1979, freshman Carnie Norris (No. 36) helped Georgia avoid remaining
winless at Oxford and for the season.

In 1979, the Georgia football team found itself in a similar situation as the Bulldogs of 32 years later: heading to Oxford with a losing record, with lots of questions, but yet seemingly optimistic.

Coming off its 9-2-1 "Wonderdog" season of 1978, expectations were high for Georgia the following fall. The Bulldogs entered the year preseason ranked 11th in the nation - second among SEC members only behind Alabama, who had won a national championship the year before, and the highest for the program in 10 years.

Following a stunning 22-21 loss to 18-point underdog Wake Forest in the opener, the Bulldogs dropped consecutive games to Clemson and South Carolina. After losing just one of 11 contests during the 1978 regular season, Georgia had lost four straight dating back to the previous year's Bluebonnet Bowl by an average margin of a mere four points per setback.

If things weren't bad enough, the Bulldogs were next scheduled to play at Ole Miss, where twice excellent Georgia teams had fallen to average Rebel squads the first two times the Dogs had ventured to Oxford. In back-to-back seasons of 1975 and 1976, the "Junkyard Dog" teams had fallen in Hemingway Stadium. The loss in '75 would ultimately cost Georgia an SEC title while the defeat the next year would spoil an undefeated regular season.

Ole Miss entered the '79 meeting slumping as well as the Rebels had dropped consecutive games to Missouri and Southern Miss by an average loss of four touchdowns. Still, the home team was favored to defeat the visiting Bulldogs by a field goal, which would hand them an 0-3 record in Oxford and, most importantly, an appalling 0-4 mark for the season.

For the first month of the season, the Bulldogs' primary issues had been a surprising dismal defense and a unforeseen quarterback controversy. In the 0-3 start, defensive coordinator Erk Russell's defenders had allowed a staggering 443 yards per game, including nearly 300 rushing.

On offense, Jeff Pyburn had struggled as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback, and much of the Sanford Stadium crowd had voiced their opinion the week before against South Carolina by booing the senior signal-caller from Athens. Pyburn had been Georgia's primary quarterback for the two previous seasons, achieving a 14-3-1 record as a starter, but highly-touted sophomore Buck Belue had began to press the veteran for the starting position.

To add to the Pyburn-Belue quarterback controversy, Jeff's father, Jim, was the Bulldogs' defensive backs coach, who had played with Vince Dooley at Auburn in the early-50s and had been on the head coach's staff at Georgia since day one in 1964. As soon as Dooley made Belue the starter the week of Ole Miss and moved Pyburn to tailback, rumors abound that the elder Pyburn handed Dooley his resignation effective at the end of the '79 campaign.

Donned in red britches for the young Belue's first collegiate start, Georgia quickly fell behind the Rebels 14-0 in the first quarter. Clearly, remaining winless in both Oxford and for the season seemed like near certainties for the Bulldogs.

However, just before halftime, Georgia freshman Carnie Norris cut the Bulldogs' deficit in half with a 1-yard scoring run. Making just his second start at Georgia, Norris would finish with 91 rushing yards despite suffering and playing through a foot injury during the game.

After leading Georgia to perhaps its greatest comeback in history as a freshman, Belue began his second memorable rally of his short Bulldog career. First, he connected with Carmon Prince for an 11-yard touchdown to tie the game in the third quarter. With Georgia trailing 21-17 in the final quarter, Belue passed to tight end Norris Brown for a 19-yard score and what would be the game-winning touchdown.

Defensive linemen Robert Goodwin (L) and
Joe Creamons (R) stop a Rebel rusher.

Erk's troops would hold the Rebel offense, and the Bulldogs escaped with their initial win in Oxford and finally their first victory of the season. Belue was considered the star of the game, completing 8 of 12 passes for 119 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Also, after averaging just 111 yards through the first three losses, Georgia's rushing offense gained 245 yards in the win.

Spearheading the Bulldog blocking for the ground game was Matt Braswell, who had stated that Georgia had "a slight morale problem" during its 0-3 start; however, the All-SEC lineman had forecasted that he believed "everything will be cured if we can beat Ole Miss."

What is often true and as the senior tackle indicated, the first football victory of the year over a worthy opponent can completely turnaround a season and even place a program back on the winning track.

A week later, Georgia upset touchdown-favorite LSU in Athens and, only a month later, the Bulldogs found themselves where they had been a year before during their banner season: just one game shy of an SEC championship and a trip to the Sugar Bowl.

The season ended with a victory at Georgia Tech, ironically, with Pyburn back at quarterback, leading Georgia to the win in his final game as a Bulldog. It seemed like the perfect passage into the very next football season at Georgia... and we all know what resulted for the Bulldogs in 1980.

Yet Another Unfinished Drill

2011-09-12T10:07:00.001-04:00

The bottom line, the difference in the game is we had a chance to win in
the fourth quarter and we didn't do it. - Todd Grantham after USC loss

In a contest where the Bulldogs appeared several times they might pull away from the Gamecocks, they instead hand out points and eventually give the game away. In doing so, Georgia suffered its unfathomable ninth loss on Saturday in its last 14 games, including a FIFTH defeat by a touchdown or less.

Under a head coach, whose motto is ironically to Finish the Drill, Georgia's five losses have resulted without a single victory in games decided by seven points or less. The Bulldogs' touchdown-or-less losing streak is a continuation from an 0-4 situational mark in 2010, capped by the 10-6 embarrassing defeat in the Liberty Bowl.

Since the beginning of the Coach Vince Dooley era nearly 50 years ago to the present, never before had a Georgia football team dropped five straight games decided by seven points or less without a win, until two days ago. Prior to last season, the previous time the Bulldogs had lost on four consecutive occasions in games resulting in a touchdown-or-less margin was 40 years before.

As revealed in a post from January, Georgia historically has done well in close ballgames. Dooley won nearly two-thirds of his games (64-37) decided by seven points or less, Donnan achieved 70 percent, and before his recent demise, Coach Richt had a respectable 30-16 record in touchdown-or-less games, including a combined 7-3 in disappointing 2008 and 2009 seasons.

So, why this recent downfall? Why the heck can't Georgia win a close game in five attempts since the memorable six-point victory at 7th-ranked Georgia Tech two seasons ago?

It's not like the Bulldogs were expected to lose all of the aforementioned games to begin with, as they were actually favored entering three of the five contests (Arkansas, Colorado, and Central Florida a year ago). Also, I believe there's little argument in the assumption that Georgia is simply not as talented as it once was (with more to come on that subject later...). And, according to Aaron Murray, the coaches cannot be blamed for the mistakes that cost the team the latest game.

Yes, Georgia's head coach and assistants should not be held solely accountable for the loss to South Carolina. However, when a team strings together five similar defeats without a single victory, it's no mere coincidence; coaches are to be blamed for having the team repeatedly ill-prepared for decisive moments in games while tolerating an apparent losing mind-set.

When it became evident that Saturday's game was not going to be decided until towards the end and it was any team's to win, based on Georgia's recent performances, I had a sense the Dawgs were likely to fall in yet another close one. Unfortunately, my guess is that there were even those on the Georgia sideline and huddle with similar notions.

Overall, the Bulldogs played better against the Gamecocks than probably most expected. Personally, I'm more optimistic than I was this time last week, somewhat reconsidering my idea that an 0-2 start would translate to nothing but doom. Nevertheless, if Georgia is to win an acceptable amount of games in 2011, Coach Richt and his staff will undoubtedly need to get their team to finally finish a drill.

One for the Record Books

2011-09-09T09:44:00.000-04:00

In an attempt to be as optimistic as possible that the Bulldogs could conceivably beat the Gamecocks tomorrow, I am reminded of a time when Georgia, armed with perhaps the best quarterback in the nation, entered a South Carolina game seemingly full of confidence, and rightfully so.

After a 5-6 losing year, Coach Ray Goff's Bulldogs came to Williams-Brice Stadium to open the 1994 season ranked 24th in the nation, featuring a Heisman-candidate senior Eric Zeier, possessing a defense under Marion "Swamp Fox" Campbell that was thought to only get better from the year before, and were a near-touchdown favorite to defeat the 'Cocks and first-year coach Brad Scott in their own backyard.

During a time when South Carolina had some success against Georgia, winning four of seven games from 1988-1996, the Gamecocks would hold their own on this night as well, turning a perceived Bulldog cakewalk into a true dogfight:

Zeier was absolutely sensational against the 'Cocks, completing 31 of 51 passes, including three TDs and no interceptions, for 485 yards, while breaking the SEC record for most yards passing versus a conference foe. Zeier's yardage mark still remains the second-most in school history, only behind the SEC-record 544 he totaled against Southern Miss the season before.

Just several years removed from Coach Dooley's three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense and only a couple after Garrison Hearst rushed for 1,500+ yards, it was almost difficult to comprehend, at the time, a Georgia offense throwing the football seemingly on every down.

At South Carolina, the Bulldogs rushed just 20 times of 71 total plays and that included running on the final six snaps of the game (the final four by true freshman Hines Ward). For the entire '94 season, with future NFL superstars Terrell Davis and Ward in the backfield, Georgia would rush the least amount of times of any Division I-A team in the nation.

Quarterback Eric Zeier was just that valuable to the Bulldogs.

I shudder to think how dismal those 1993 and 1994 teams, who combined for just an 11-10-1 record, would have been without Zeier and his talented band of receivers: Brice Hunter, Hason Graham, Juan Daniels, Jeff Thomas, and tight end Shannon Mitchell ('93).

Georgia's offense had to be fast-paced and proficient as the team's defense was quite inadequate. In fact, in allowing 394 yards and 26 points per game, Swamp Fox's '94 defense was actually more inferior than the defensive unit from the year before and is arguably the worst in school history. Nevertheless, it did come up big and save the day with Corey Johnson's interception in the final minutes to defeat South Carolina.

Watching this game also reminded me of the infamous snub Georgia endured at the end of its year.

The Bulldogs finished the '94 regular season with a 6-4-1 overall record, while South Carolina was slightly worse at 6-5, plus, Georgia had defeated the Gamecocks. However, when the Carquest Bowl was looking for an SEC team, its invitation was extended to not the Dawgs, but the 'Cocks.

Granted, the bowl figured that likely more USC than UGA folks would travel to its Miami location, but rumor had it that the Bulldogs did not get the invite primarily because of a single player. With the threat of Zeier, who suffered a knee injury in the season finale against Georgia Tech, not being able to play in the postseason, the bowls, particularly the Carquest, shied away from the Bulldogs, leaving them at home for the holidays.

Seems the bowl game would have rather featured one of the greatest college football quarterbacks of all time rather than a freshman Mike Bobo under center for the Dawgs. Again, the record-breaking Zeier was just that valuable.

A Must-Win

2011-09-05T08:27:00.001-04:00

The last time Georgia started a football season with an 0-2 record, it
wound up being a long, losing year for Mike Bobo and the Bulldogs.

As I watched Boise State dink-and-dunk Georgia's defense to death Saturday night, my primary thought was the exact same as one I had last November when it was first announced the Broncos were replacing Louisville as the Bulldogs' season opener: a loss to Boise wouldn't be too bad, but then to follow it up with a setback to South Carolina would be disastrous.

Including this very morning, I continue to hear those who declare that even if Georgia was to lose to the Gamecocks, dropping to 0 and 2, the way the schedule is laid out, it could still be a respectable season for the Bulldogs in 2011.

I couldn't disagree more. Instead, in my opinion, Georgia must do something this Saturday it has only achieved once in its last eight attempts - defeat an AP-ranked opponent - and just one time in its previous seven tries - win a game in an underdog role.

In the previous 117 seasons of UGA football, 11 of them began with losses in the first two games, including two in recent memory (1993 and 1996). Of those 11 seasons, only one ended in a winning season for Georgia, and even that was just a sub-par 6-5 record in 1979.

I strongly believe if Georgia was to start 0-2 for the 12th time in its history this Saturday, the best the Bulldogs would do this season (and I mean the very best) is a 7-5 record. And a mere seven-win campaign likely translates to the program seeking out a new head coach come December...

In the wake of the Broncos handling of the Bulldogs, I tried to recall other schools that had started a college football season 0-2 but finished in fine fashion. I came up with several off the top of my head, interestingly, all coming within a few-season span: Michigan in 1988 (finished ranked 4th in nation), Florida State the next season (10 consecutive wins to end year), Alabama in 1990 (started 0-3 but won seven of last eight regular-season games to reach Fiesta Bowl), and Penn State the same season (nine straight wins to close regular season).

What did the aforementioned football programs from 20+ years ago have in common? Prominent head coaches Bo Schembechler, Bobby Bowden, Gene Stallings, and Joe Paterno were all supported by top-notch assistants, whose players were disciplined, fundamentally sound, and filled with intensity, or features evidently missing from the Bulldog teams the last few years and apparently the other night in the Georgia Dome.

In a season of supposed change, Georgia looked like the same old Bulldogs against the Broncos as, among other things, the offense couldn't stay on the field while the defense couldn't stay off of it. Boise State ran 71 plays to the Bulldogs' 60 and possessed the football for more than seven-and-a-half minutes longer.

In Georgia's last six games against FBS opponents, beginning with Kentucky a year ago through last Saturday (excludes Idaho State), the Bulldogs averaged just 59 plays to the opposition's 75 and a time of possession of roughly only 27 minutes to the opponents' 33.

Like Georgia's previous 0 and 2 seasons of the past, there would be no rebound this year if the Bulldogs were to also lose their first two games, but a continuation of a program crumbling. Although, this deterioration can be halted, at least for the moment, with a victory in a must-win situation this Saturday.

The Boise State meeting may have been one of Georgia's biggest season openers in its football history; however, South Carolina is the biggest game period during the Coach Richt era and for the Bulldogs in a long time, considering a loss would result in possibly another losing campaign and a long, long season...

Crowell Would Be in Rare Company

2011-08-31T18:02:00.006-04:00

This Saturday, Isaiah Crowell could make history, joining pictured Danny Ware and just
four other Georgia running backs by starting a season-opening game as a true freshman.

With the season opener only days away, apparently tailback Isaiah Crowell is in position to start against Boise State, but the question still remains (at the time of this posting) if he will or not.

Crowell figures to get the load of the carries against the Broncos, so it really doesn't matter whether he is in the lineup or not when the Bulldog offense first takes the field. However, if the true freshman does happen to start on Saturday, he'll be given an opportunity very few players have experienced at Georgia.

In 2004, Danny Ware became the first true-freshman tailback/halfback to start a season-opening game for the Bulldogs in 61 years. In a 48-28 win over Georgia Southern, the newcomer shined, rushing for 135 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns.

For decades, Georgia's Charles "Rabbit" Smith was given credit to starting at one of the two halfback positions as a true freshman in the 1943 season opener against Presbyterian. Smith rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on just five carries, caught two passes, and also intercepted two passes on defense; however, it was in a reserve role. In actuality, it was another freshman, and not "Rabbit," to start the game for Georgia at running back.

Against Presbyterian, according to newspaper accounts and the official NCAA statistics sheet, Bobby Hague started at quarterback for Georgia, Bill Poole at fullback, Edgar Bratton at wingback - all merely true freshmen and for good reason - while Johnny Cook, another 17-year-old newcomer, started at the Bulldogs' tailback position.

Including Johnny Cook (center with dark jersey),
every Bulldog true-freshman running back has scored
at least one touchdown in a season-opening start.

In a year he'd lead the nation in passing, Cook completed 12 of 20 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown, returned four punts for 50 yards, punted eight times, and made what would be an SEC single-game record four interceptions in a 25-7 Georgia upset victory.

As mentioned, it would be more than six decades later that another Bulldog true-freshman running back started a season opener for Georgia after Cook did so for the first time in nearly a quarter-century.

In the history of UGA football, on the whole, it has been somewhat difficult for a true freshman to play, much less start at a skill position for the first game of a season.

Beginning with the inception of the sport at the school in the 1890s until the early 1900s, Georgia teams were primarily made up of juniors, seniors, and students of the university's law school, many of whom had played football as undergraduates at other schools.

During the 1920s, UGA's freshman football program began and for the next fifty years, besides the wartime seasons of 1943 and 1944, rarely a Bulldog frosh saw playing time. Starting after the Korean War and until 1972, no newcomer saw the field as freshmen were ruled ineligible to play by the NCAA.

That leaves only a few windows of time for first-year players to see varsity action. In fact, if Crowell was to start this Saturday, it would be only the sixth time (by my count) in 118 season openers a true freshman has started at running back for the Bulldogs. Prior to Ware and Cook, the other instances:

KARL BOHREN (1920): In the season opener of the 1920 - a 40-0 rout of The Citadel - true freshman Bohren got the start at left halfback. The "speedy" newcomer scored the final touchdown of the game on a 30-yard rush. A week later, there was talk of Bohren moving to quarterback, but towards the end of the season, he remained at halfback as a reserve, where he scored two touchdowns against Florida. Bohren's start in his very first game would also be the last start in his only season at Georgia.

BOB McWHORTER (1910): McWhorter had plenty of practice for varsity play prior to coming to UGA. While playing for Barnesville's Gordon Institute, a prep school before becoming a college, McWhorter scored versus Georgia Tech's varsity squad in a game in 1909 and played baseball against Georgia that spring. Nevertheless, the native Athenian was regarded as a first-year college freshman for the 1910 Red and Black, and considering Georgia returned just five players from a 1909 team that officially won just one of seven games, the newcomer was promptly also regarded as a starter.

Starting at left halfback against Locust Grove, a football legend was born as McWhorter scored five touchdowns in a 101-0 blowout. The following week against his former school, Gordon, McWhorter scored seven more touchdowns playing the right halfback position, where he'd remain and start at the rest of his Georgia career. McWhorter would eventually become the school's first All-American and my opinion of the Bulldogs' most valuable football player of all time.

JOHN COX (1909): Freshman Cox, from Gainesville's Riverside Military Academy, arrived at UGA known more for his talents on a baseball diamond. However, because the struggling football program was in dire need of gifted athletes, Cox was promptly practicing in the Red and Black's backfield. Against the Atlanta Olympians in the first game of the 1909 season, Cox started at left halfback and scored the contest's only points on a five-yard touchdown run in a 5-0 Georgia victory. Notwithstanding, his "true-freshman opening-game start" is in somewhat need of an asterisk...

I've indicated before the fact UGA currently does not (but perhaps will in due time) acknowledge the contest against the aforementioned Atlanta club team, and three others mistakenly excluded, in its official records. Presently, a 0-0 tie with The Citadel is officially recognized as the '09 season-opening game.

Although Cox played during both the 1909 and 1910 seasons, scoring four total touchdowns while starting off and on at halfback, it is unclear if he actually started for the official season opener of '09 against The Citadel.

Simply Red

2011-08-24T08:47:00.004-04:00

Upon the unveiling of the new football uniform last Saturday, a portion of the Bulldog Nation was simply appalled. I, for one, expecting what had been circulated about a month or so ago, felt the new attire, besides appearing very red, actually looked worse than what had been rumored. Red tops AND red britches?!?

As a kid, I enjoyed those handful of times during the 1980s when Georgia wore its red pants with white jerseys; it was a nice change from the norm and something different (yet not nearly as different as the new uniform...not even close).

Although resulting in defeat, perhaps the most intriguing and exciting red-britches Bulldog game was the 1987 Clemson contest. The Dawgs and Tigers met in Death Valley both with 2-0 records; Georgia was ranked 18th in the AP Poll while Clemson was 8th.

Adding some color to the contest, both squads entered wearing their alternate pants: Georgia donning red instead of silver, Clemson in orange instead of its common white. Dressed in their red britches, the Bulldogs had not lost a game in seven consecutive tries while the Tigers were 11-1 since debuting their orange pants in 1980. Something had to give...

Coach Danny Ford got his wish as the Tigers would indeed "quit playing Georgia for a while." When the Bulldogs added a seventh conference game in 1988 (and an eighth four seasons later), the yearly Georgia-Clemson football rivalry came to an abrupt end as the schools would meet just six times over the next 24 years.

In 1987, the Tigers ended the annual series in heart-breaking fashion as placekicker David Treadwell beat Georgia with a field goal in the final seconds for the second consecutive year. Albeit in defeat, a few relatively fresh-faced Bulldogs stood out among the rest.

In his first and only season at Georgia, senior cornerback Mark Vincent intercepted his first pass as a Bulldog at Clemson. After three years at SMU, Vincent had left the Mustangs for Athens after the program had received the much-publicized "death penalty" from the NCAA. Vincent tallied two more interceptions two weeks later at Ole Miss, became an instant leader of Georgia's defense, and in my opinion, is one of the Bulldogs' all-time One-Hit Wonders.

Although receiver/returner Nate Lewis had played sparingly his first two seasons at Georgia and had never returned a punt, he emerged in the preseason of 1987 as the team's primary punt returner. Highlighted by the 76-yard touchdown against the Tigers, Lewis averaged an impressive 13.9 yards per punt return as a junior. In becoming one of program's most notable all-time transfers, Lewis was unfortunately forced to leave school just prior to that season's Liberty Bowl appearance.

Before his impressive fourth-quarter touchdown run in the Valley, tailback Rodney Hampton had carried the ball just 15 times in nearly three entire games as a Bulldog. The true freshman from Texas was required to be patient backing up senior starter Lars Tate, who entered the Clemson game as the leading rusher in Division I-A football (350 yards in two games).

As Tate sat with an injury two games following the Clemson loss, Hampton broke the school's single-game record with 290 all-purpose yards against Ole Miss. By season's end, the newcomer had a team second-best 890 rushing yards and would end his career in 1989 as the school's third all-time leading rusher behind Herschel Walker and one-time teammate Tate.

Of the 15 games Georgia has worn

red britches, the most (3) have come at

Clemson: 1979 with Lindsay Scott,

1985 and 1987.

Prior to the upcoming season opener against Boise State, the 1987 Clemson game was one of the final times the Dawgs donned their red britches. The September 3rd contest will mark just the 16th game in history Georgia has worn the red bottoms:

1978: at South Carolina (loss), at Kentucky (win), Florida in Jacksonville (win), at Auburn (tie)

1979: at Clemson (loss), at Ole Miss (win), at Vanderbilt (win)

1980: at Tennessee (win)

1985: at Clemson (win), Ole Miss in Jackson (win), at Vanderbilt (tie), Arizona in Sun Bowl (tie)

1987: at Clemson (loss)

1988: at Miss. State (win), at South Carolina (loss)

In just over a week, while the Bulldogs will be wearing red pants for the first time in 23 years, they will reveal a red top-bottom combo for the first time in Georgia football history. As I've mentioned, the fact I'm somewhat of a traditionalist coupled with the Dawgs seldom changing their look over the years, for some folks like me, an all-red look can be difficult to accept.

Nevertheless, it really doesn't matter how I or most anyone else feels concerning the team's new attire. As long as the Bulldogs look good in performance - something that has been rarely evident the last three seasons - I'd welcome almost any type change in uniform.

Quincy's Coming Out

2011-08-17T08:50:00.003-04:00

With the beginning of the football season looming, a prevailing question has not necessarily been if Isaiah Crowell will make an impact, but exactly when will his impression be made. For the Bulldog Nation, the hope is impact comes rather quickly from the freshman, like against Boise State in just over two weeks.

I infer that nearly every great Bulldog true freshman in history had a coming-out game of sorts - a signature performance during their initial season, often grabbing the attention of all of college football, while informing Georgia it had no run-of-the-mill newcomer on its hands.

Herschel Walker's impact was felt immediately, just ask Bill Bates. A few others I recall: Eric Zeier against Clemson (1991), Matthew Stafford at Auburn (2006), and Lindsay Scott at LSU (1978). Evidently, these coming-out games are generally against an opponent the freshman and his team were not expected to defeat. Looks like Crowell and company are in a good position come September 3rd against the favored Broncos...

Perhaps my favorite Bulldog coming out came 20 years after Scott's against the same opponent in the very same stadium. The performance proclaimed that the Bulldogs were equipped with what was called a "one-of-a-kind, sure-thing" newcomer, who was seemingly going to torment opposing defenses, whether at Georgia or in the NFL, for a long time to come.

To actually describe how talented of an athlete Quincy Carter was would be a formidable task. Regarded as maybe the best quarterback prospect coming out of high school in 1996, Carter originally signed with Georgia Tech. A second-round MLB Draft selection by the Chicago Cubs, he had a change of heart and decided to play minor league baseball for the next two years. In January of 1998, Carter announced he was returning to football but would be enrolling at Tech's chief rival.

In August of that year, Carter at almost 21-years-old, having not even participated in a football practice in nearly three entire years, would beat out Mike Usry, Jon England, and Nate Hybl for Georgia's starting quarterback position. Including Daniel Cobb, the Bulldogs had FIVE quarterbacks at the time, who were all regarded nationally as top-25 or so quarterback prospects out of high school. Because of the presence of Carter, all but one (England, a fourth-year junior) of the four reserves would soon transfer.

Leading up to LSU, Carter had displayed flashes of brilliance in his first few games as a Bulldog; however, against the likes of Kent, South Carolina, and Wyoming, he wasn't quite called upon to carry the offense on his back. After averaging just 27 total offensive plays through three games, Carter totaled about twice that amount in Death Valley.

Against the near-double-digit favored Tigers, the freshman sensation completed 27 of 34 passes, including his first 15 attempts, for 318 yards, two touchdowns and was not intercepted. He also led Georgia with 41 yards rushing and as evident in the video, caught a pass for 36 yards.

Unfortunately for both Bulldog and Tiger fans, we'd soon find out our teams were not quite as good as anticipated. LSU proved to be near dreadful, dropping from being ranked 6th nationally to an eventual 4-7 record by season's end. For Georgia, in its highly anticipated matchup with Tennessee the following week at home, the Bulldogs were easily handled by the Vols, 22-3.

Carter would soon have a fall from grace of his own. After being recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Year in 1998 and having one of the best seasons ever by a Bulldog true freshman, he would actually begin a slow decline in performance his sophomore year through his third and final season at Georgia.

Carter ended his Bulldog career missing five of the team's final six games of 2000 because of a supposed injury, although rumors abound that it was instead due to drug use. Nevertheless, the junior quarterback was a second-round selection in the 2001 NFL Draft as an early entrant.

I'm sure you're aware of the remaining sad, alcohol and drug-filled saga of Quincy Carter, consisting of failed attempts with several professional football teams and arrests and landings in jail.

I find it somewhat depressing that a very pleased, cheering mother of Quincy's is shown towards the end of the LSU victory... Not too long ago, a lawyer friend of mine told me that he had just witnessed the mother again observing her son. This time, however, the once proud Ms. Carter was looking on from a courtroom as Quincy, without a car and having a suspended license, needed a ride from his mom to court for a sentencing hearing.

It goes without saying that I certainly hope Quincy is attempting to turn his life around, but something his experiences can instill is that it can be difficult getting off a "bad path" in life once one begins heading down it, and whether in football or life itself, there is certainly no such thing as a sure thing.

Fall Practice Parables

2011-08-09T09:32:00.003-04:00

On a Friday night at Sanford Stadium in 1943, Georgia easily defeats
heavily-favored Presbyterian in a game, and a season, that nearly didn't transpire.

I generally don't scrutinize Georgia's annual fall practice; simply, my only hope is that no Bulldog gets hurt. I can recall several times when the Bulldogs apparently had sub-par fall workouts on the whole, but wound up having an excellent season. Also, there have certainly been examples of the team "looking good" in fall practice but it not being evident come September.

An inconclusive, uneventful preseason practice is just fine by me. However, there have been examples of unusual incidents or developments at a Georgia fall football practice - most of which from long ago - which reflected somewhat (if not, had a tremendous impact) on the impending season.

Off the top of my head, I can think of few examples which are rather interesting, and far from uneventful:

HELL WEEK: After losing only six of 34 games from 1910 through 1913 and with the departure of legendary All-American Bob McWhorter, the Red and Black quickly fell on hard times, winning just eight of 18 games in the 1914-1915 seasons combined. Head coach Alex Cunningham felt there needed to be an immediate change with his team and it needed to start with Georgia's preseason training.

A few weeks prior to the 1916 season opener, fall practice began with the team venturing to White Sulphur Springs near the Blue Ridge Mountains for a strenuous, full week of training like the Red and Black had never endured. Every morning, the squad was awake by 6:00 AM, hiked for 10 miles, and then ate breakfast. At one morning sitting, starting guard Russell Petrie, a 6-5, 195-pounder (Kwame Geathers-like size for those days), reportedly ate an entire fried chicken, 11 fried eggs, 12 biscuits, and drank a quart of milk.

The daily after-breakfast schedule was as follows: study rules of the game, practice until lunch, practice after lunch, punting and kicking drills, and a five-mile run until dinner. After dinner, the team would practice again for a few hours until lights out at 10:00 PM.

Even when the team needed its sleep, the day could be far from over. One night, junior center "Bull" Garmany was instructed to "crank up the Dodge" and drive into Atlanta to pick up two highly-recruited newcomers - both of whom were ends from Chattanooga - and immediately return to the training grounds. On the drive back, the speeding Dodge began being chased by a patrolman. Aimed at promptly bringing the freshmen to White Sulfur Springs as instructed, and getting as much sleep as possible, the Bull eluded the police.

That year, the vastly-improved Red and Black would go on to achieve a surprising 6-3 record. In the process, they set a good example, and what we hope for the upcoming 2011 season, that a change in training and conditioning can often translate to a change in attitude and end results.

GREEN TEAM: I've marveled before about Georgia's 1943 football team but it cannot be reiterated enough what a true group of miracle workers those particular Bulldogs were. Whereas World War II and its draft aided certain teams (like rival Georgia Tech), it decimated Georgia's, taking 82 players from the Rose Bowl championship roster from the year before while just one letterman returned - starting fullback Pearce Barrett.

In the final week of fall practice, Barrett was lost to injury and six other players, who were enrolled in the university's advanced ROTC program, were declared ineligible by the U.S. Army.  Two days before the season opener against Presbyterian, only 38 players remained on the team, 31 of which were either 16 or 17 years old.

That season, eight of the 12 SEC teams decided to put football on hold for a season or so and Coach Wally Butts believed his Bulldogs should follow suit. However, he wanted the team to decide for itself and just two days before the first game, the squad voted to stick it out. So began what the Atlanta Constitution declared "what looms as [Georgia's] most dismal gridiron campaign in history."

A month into the season, the dismal Bulldogs were 3-1 and ranked 20th in the nation en route to a miraculous 6-4 year. By season's end, a preseason player's vote which was believed to be senseless at the time was instead described as "what will go down in history as the University's shining hour."

JUNKYARD DOGS: Like the previous story, I've also blogged before regarding my admiration of Erk's Junkyard Dogs. Allowing 24 points and 357 yards per game, Georgia's 1974 defense was the worst at the school in a long time and it appeared the '75 defensive unit would actually be inferior.

The Bulldogs had lost nine of 11 starters on defense, including its two All-SEC performers from '74, and were also switching to the unfamiliar "Split-60" formation. As fall practice began just three weeks prior to the season opener against Pittsburgh and its heralded back, Tony Dorsett, seven of Georgia's starting defensive positions were unsettled.

Because of the defense's new faces and formation, defensive coordinator Erk Russell felt the unit needed a nickname. For what the defense lacked in experience and raw ability, it more than made up for it with intensity and an aggressive style of play demonstrated during fall drills. Plus, as Erk stated, "there isn't anything meaner than a junkyard dog," and a moniker was formed.

Although suffering a 19-9 loss, the Junkyard Dogs held Pittsburgh's vaunted offense in check for the majority of the game. A stunned Dorsett, who rarely praised anyone but himself, said "Georgia's defense really surprised me...they were beating our offensive line off the ball. And man, were those Georgia linebackers aggressive." The loss to the Panthers would be one of only two suffered by the overachieving Bulldogs the entire regular season as the team just missed out on an SEC championship.

Particularly, the Junkyard Dogs' no-name defense yielded just 15 points and 307 yards per game for the season while proving that it's not always how quick the feet and size of the body that counts the most, but rather how quick the mind and size of the heart.

After an unceremonious start, it didn't take
Herschel long to make an impression on the
field and around campus, even when incognito.

BIG, STIFF FULLBACK: Before he even toted the ball in practice at Georgia, Herschel Walker was already being touted as a "savior" for the Bulldogs. At his first Picture Day, which announced the start of fall practice, the longest line was for Herschel who, according to the freshman tailback, "never held so many babies in my life."

On his first carry of fall drills, Herschel was hit by junior defensive guard Eddie "Meat Cleaver" Weaver with such a thunderous wallop that some say it can still be heard echoing at Woodruff Field. From there, the most highly recruited freshman in the history of Georgia high school sports would only "tiptoe around" in preseason practices, running tentatively with the football.

"Anybody who thought that guy was going to be our savior for the season," said linebackers coach Chip Wisdom, "would have to have had his head examined."

As Bill at the Junkyard Blawg noted a little over a week ago, Vince Dooley soon fretted that what the head coach might have had on his hands at the time was merely a "big, stiff fullback." However, as we all know, things aren't always as they seem.

As it turned out, Herschel was indeed big, but certainly not stiff, and seemingly able to do just about anything he wanted during his brilliant Bulldog career. And if that included playing fullback, or any other position for that matter, I'm sure Herschel could've done that as well.

Biggest Bulldog Season Opener Ever?

2011-08-02T09:09:00.010-04:00

1982 Georgia-Clemson: Perhaps the only "bigger" season-opening football
game in Bulldog history than this year's?

While recently listening to the radio of the increasing pregame chatter and hype of the Georgia-Boise State game, it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps the biggest season-opening game in UGA football history will kickoff less than five weeks from now.

If how big is determined by the amount of anticipation, buildup, how evenly matched the teams are perceived to be, and, simply put, a season-opening victory for Georgia is highly desired, there have been few first games in Bulldog history that can quite compare to the upcoming affair with the Broncos.

However, after some deep reminiscing and pouring over notes I've made in my past research, I've compiled my opinion of Georgia's "biggest" season openers in its rich football history, a portion of which are at least comparable to the upcoming opener.

The fact my entire top 10 is of games from more than 20 years ago is no coincidence as Georgia has often began its season with a patsy over the last two decades; 12 of the Bulldogs' 20 season openers from 1991 to 2010 were against non-BCS schools. In a way, this recent trend of facing a "sure-win" makes the season-opening game of 2011 even that much bigger; so big that the Boise game would certainly crack the top half of my rankings, if not possess the top spot.

10) 1978 vs. Baylor: Georgia was coming off what would be its only losing season of the Coach Dooley era, and things looked even bleaker as the Bulldogs had lost their all-time leading rusher (Kevin McLee) and eight starting "Junkyard Dogs" on defense. Baylor was forecasted to be one of the favorites in the SWC and, like only one other visiting team to Athens over the previous decade, was actually favored to defeat Georgia in Sanford Stadium. In the Bulldogs' first televised season opener in 10 years, the seemingly dismal Dawgs needed a victory in the worst way in a critical (what would now be called) "statement game"...Georgia makes a statement, 16-14.

9) 1903 vs. Clemson: In 1902, Coach Billy Reynolds had guided the Red and Black to one of its best seasons in the program's short history and even better was expected in '03, especially considering the return of Georgia's great center and captain Harold "War Eagle" Ketron. Soon-to-be legend John Heisman had coached Clemson to a 15-2-1 record in three seasons, including three wins over Georgia by a combined 104-to-10 score. Nevertheless, the 1903 Red and Black appeared to be every bit as good as Clemson, especially since the foe had to travel to Athens...Just over a week prior to the game, Reynolds leaves for a business opportunity in Canada, leaving a halfback - Marvin Dickinson - as head coach, plus, much of the team is handicapped by smallpox vaccinations only a few days beforehand. Clemson routs Georgia again, 29-0.

8) 1988 vs. Tennessee: In Coach Dooley's final and silver anniversary season, the 12th-ranked Bulldogs opened against No. 18 Tennessee on ESPN in a game some believed pitted the conference's two best teams. Georgia's "Four Horsemen" backfield of quarterback Wayne Johnson, tailbacks Rodney Hampton and Tim Worley, and fullback Keith Henderson - the latter two missing the previous season due to academics - gave the Bulldogs what was considered arguably the best ground game in the nation. However, Tennessee was regarded as just as lethal on offense and the "experts" recognized the Vols as only four-point underdogs in Athens...Vol QB Jeff Francis passes for 354 yards but the Horsemen rush for 414 in a 28-17 Georgia win.

7) 1955 vs. Ole Miss: In a time when Georgia hosting on "The Flats" was considered more of an attraction than the Bulldogs in their own stadium, the 1955 football season began in unique fashion as organized was a day-night doubleheader at Grant Field: Georgia Tech-Miami (Fla) in the first game - televised nationally in rare color - and Georgia-Ole Miss at night. Coach Johnny Vaught's Rebels had won the SEC the season before and entered ranked 15th in the nation. Georgia, forecasted as most likely exceeding its 6-3-1 record of 1954, was considered a darkhorse to win the conference and just a one-point underdog in the night-time affair. The TV cameras would be turned off following Tech-Miami, but the following Bulldogs-Rebels contest was anticipated with just as much excitement...Ole Miss wins, 26-13.

6) 1927 vs. Virginia: In the 1910s-1920s, there may have been no bigger football rival of Georgia's than the University of Virginia, while few teams in the South were as good as the acclaimed Wahoos of Coach Earle Neale. Back when Homecoming was a big deal, it was the first (and last) time the annual event was held on a season opener. Georgia coach George Woodruff addressed a large crowd just prior to the game, indicating that 1927 would his fifth and final year at UGA as he would be leaving for business opportunities in Columbus. Little was expected of the Bulldogs against Virginia that day, while many students were likely looking more forward to that night when Kike Kyser's Orchestra was playing at the Homecoming dance; nevertheless, the game was billed as one of the most anticipated in all of college football...Georgia shockingly wins with ease, 32-0.

5) 1985 vs. Alabama: For the second time in four years, a Bulldog football game was moved back to Labor Day night to accommodate ABC-TV and its nationally-televised audience. Both the Dawgs and Tide were looking to rebound from disappointing '84 campaigns and, by all indications, each would be vastly improved. Georgia entered ranked 19th in the coaches poll and was playing at home in Sanford Stadium, yet the game was set at even odds. Whether freshman Wayne Johnson or sophomore James Jackson, the Bulldogs would be starting their first black quarterback in history, while the greatest college football player of all time, Herschel Walker, was joining three others and having his jersey retired at halftime...The Bell tolls and the Bulldogs lose a tough one, 16-13.

4) 1919 vs. The Citadel: Imagine nearly three entire years without Georgia football and replaced by a World War. That's what the Red and Black faithful experienced leading up to the season opener of 1919 along with the unfortunate death of five 1916 players in wartime battle. Just prior to the Citadel game, no one could figure how good (or bad) Georgia would be after the long hiatus, only that football had finally returned to Athens and along with it, Georgia Tech's "Bum" Day. Bum wanted to attend UGA until the school decided not to field a team during war, forcing Day to go to Tech, where he earned All-American honors in 1918. As soon as football was back at Georgia, Bum transferred to where he wanted to go all along...With Day playing center and kicking on the opening kickoff, Georgia prevails 28-0 in its return to the gridiron.

Dan Davis catches a touchdown from Fran Tarkenton
for Georgia's lone score vs. Alabama in '60

3) 1960 vs. Alabama: With nearly all of the 1959 SEC championship team returning, there were high expectations for the 13th-ranked Bulldogs in 1960 (the only time Georgia was preseason ranked in the first 17 years of the preseason AP Poll - 1950 through 1966). After a decade of mediocrity, Alabama was steadily improving under the direction of third-year coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and had been to its first bowl game in six years the season before. Like most of the Tide's "important" games back then, the season opener with Georgia was played in Birmingham and for the first time in Bulldog history for a regular-season contest, the game was televised nationally. It was advertised as college football's biggest game of the week, if not the entire year, and the odds were set at dead even...'Bama handles the Dogs 21-6 and remarkably moves from being unranked in the AP prior to the victory to No. 5 in the nation immediately afterwards.

2) 1968 vs. Tennessee: Georgia had been disappointing in '67, losing four games after being preseason ranked 6th, while the Vols won the SEC and finished No. 2 in the nation. In the offseason, Tennessee had installed state-of-the-art Tartan Turf at Neyland Stadium without the SEC's permission and the Bulldogs were quite infuriated by the underhanded move. Televised nationally by ABC, 9th-ranked Tennessee would have a homefield advantage like no other, and against a Bulldog team that was predicted to finish in the middle of the pack in the SEC. The Vols were near-touchdown favorites, but in four seasons at Georgia, a young Coach Dooley had proven a knack for pulling an upset every so often...In what should've been a Bulldog victory, the game ends in a 17-17 tie but Georgia goes from previously unranked to 18th after the draw.

1) 1982 vs. Clemson: The buildup for the '82 season opener between No. 7 Georgia and 11th-ranked Clemson was likely greater than any Bulldog regular-season game before and maybe since. It was a battle between the two previous season's national champions in a bitter rivalry that had been escalating in recent years. Previously scheduled for 12 days later, the game was moved back to a 9:11 PM kickoff on Labor Day night so that ABC could broadcast the highly anticipated opener, and even though Georgia would be hosting a high-flying BYU team just four-and-a-half days later on Saturday. Sanford Stadium had no lights at the time, so nearly $1 million was spent on permanent lighting after temporary lights were first considered. Despite Heisman-favorite Herschel Walker suffering a broken thumb and declared out for the game, Vegas set the Dawgs as a half-point favorite...Herschel did play a little, but he was hardly needed in a 13-7 Georgia victory.

HONORABLE MENTION: 1892 (Mercer) - for obvious reasons, 1900 (Georgia Tech), 1950 (Maryland), 1965 (Alabama), 1975 (Pittsburgh), 1976 (California), 1980 (Tennessee), 1983 (UCLA), 1990 (LSU), and 2003 (Clemson).

SPECIAL MENTION - 1953 vs. Villanova: Coming off a 7-1-1 season, the Wildcats were deemed the "best of the east" and would host Georgia at Philadelphia's giant Municipal Stadium. The game's attendance would be nearly 100,000 strong and the largest crowd Georgia would play in front over the next 44 years, in what was being called the "Supermarket Bowl," and for good reason.

Go You Several Britches!

2011-07-26T09:40:00.003-04:00

The colorful 1978 Georgia-Auburn game: the Tigers in orange tops, Dawgs in red bottoms

When I heard last week that Georgia would be wearing new uniforms for the season opener against Boise State, I recalled the last time the Bulldogs tried for a new look. Notice I said "tried," as Georgia, looking more like Grambling State or a team from the now-defunct XFL, presented itself nearly as badly in appearance as it did in performance as the Bulldogs were soundly defeated in their new attire in 2009 by No. 1-ranked Florida.

Personally, I don't mind a little alteration in uniform every once in a while by the Bulldogs; however, if the change is to something on the order of what has been rumored, my only hope is Georgia plays much better than it looks (and the new unis are retired before the following Saturday vs. South Carolina).

Being a Bulldog history buff, I'm very much a traditionalist; couple that with the fact Georgia has seldom changed its look over the years compared to other football programs (whether helmets, or otherwise), and a drastic change in appearance can be difficult for some old-school fans to swallow.

With Coach Wally Butts' arrival in 1939 came the silver helmet-red jersey-silver pants look which would nearly go unchanged for a quarter-century until Vince Dooley came to UGA. Later, Coach Ray Goff kept the then-existing look over his entire seven seasons, except when he darkened the helmet a bit for a single game.

Prior to apparently monkeying around with other coaches' money, Coach Jim Donnan often did the same with the Bulldogs' appearance in a short period of time, promptly adding a black stripe to the helmet in 1996, which would only last as long as the coach's tenure at UGA. Donnan also introduced black pants in the 1998 Outback Bowl, which Georgia wore again the following season in yet again, another dismantling by the Gators. Admirably, Donnan reintroduced white pants in 1999 after a 20-year hiatus in memory of deceased assistant coach Pat Watson.

In addition, and in no particular order, here is my opinion of the most notable uniform changes in the modern era of Georgia football:

Vince Revamps Uniform: With the arrival of 31-year-old Coach Dooley and athletic director Joel Eaves in 1963, changes needed to be immediately made to Georgia's, at the time, losing image and for Vince, that included to the uniform. Believing there was too much emphasis on silver - the color of both the team's helmet and pants, but not even an official color of the school - Dooley introduced red helmets and white pants. Reportedly, some alumni were very skeptical of the change, citing that it could "hurt the team in some way." In the process, Georgia also lost its rallying cry, Go You Silver Britches, at least for a little while. However, added (to the helmet) was the distinguished "G" logo that so many would become familiar with over the following decades.

Red Britches: Many Georgia fans identify the Bulldogs' old red pants with Herschel Walker's first game at Tennessee in 1980 but the britches actually debuted two years earlier at South Carolina. Over a period of 11 seasons from 1978 to 1988, Georgia wore the pants a combined 15 times in six different seasons. From 1978 through the 1980 season opener, the Bulldogs donned the red britches in all eight of their games in which they wore road white jerseys. They wouldn't be seen again until the 1985 Clemson game in Death Valley after being suggested by equipment manager Howard Beavers to Coach Dooley. Although Georgia lost only three times it sported the red pants, the unusual britches were retired in 1988 just like they had been unveiled 10 years earlier - with a loss in Columbia by double digits.

A Short-Term Solution: The most unusual of all Georgia football uniform changes has to be when the Bulldogs added a red square-style "G" to both sides of their helmets during the 1962 season. For nearly 25 years, Georgia had worn a plain silver helmet but suddenly, evidently in the middle of Coach Johnny Griffith's second of three seasons, the very first UGA football helmet decal in history was unveiled. Why the change and why during the season? I have no clue...maybe Georgia was hoping the "G" would help reverse its bad fortune as the Bulldogs were enduring their ninth non-winning campaign in 14 years. Reportedly, Georgia displayed the decal for three games that season: Florida State (5th game of season), Auburn (9th game and likely Griffith's biggest win in his three seasons), and Georgia Tech (10th and final game). As curiously as it came, the "G" disappeared in 1963 for Griffith's third and final year.

Back In Black?: I've been to few Georgia football games that had as much buzz and excitement than when the Bulldogs ran out in black jerseys against Auburn in 2007. Nearly as stirring was the debate on whether or not Georgia had worn black before. Initially, the black jerseys were considered a first but then a photo (or two) surfaced depicting Frank Sinkwich in a black jersey (noticed the arm stripes) apparently while at Georgia during the early-40s. However, in all my research, I had never read of or seen in any game photo (or two) the Bulldogs wearing black jerseys (notice no arm stripes). After the Auburn victory, Dan Magill declared the black jerseys were a UGA football first while Charley Trippi told me prior to the 2008 Alabama game that the Dogs in his day never wore any colored top except red and white. In my opinion, case closed. Speaking of Alabama... Wearing the black jerseys for a third time in nine games (2007-2008), the Bulldogs were throttled by the Tide and the dark-colored tops haven't been seen since.

Go You Silver Britches II: On Picture Day of 1980, Coach Dooley brought back the tradition he had halted 16 years earlier with the second coming of the silver britches. Revealed at Woodruff Field, the team’s practice grounds, in front of approximately 2,000 fans, the new pants were met with varying opinions. When asked if he liked the new tradition, eventual All-American Scott Woerner responded, "That remains to be seen." While Leroy Dukes, a member of the last Georgia team to wear silver britches in 1963, was present passing out hats that declared, “Go You Silver Britches," and distributing bumper stickers with the same slogan. For the second game of the season against Texas A&M, the Bulldogs wore their new pants, which soon became such a sensation that the red was discarded as the team's road pants and the silver was worn for every game. Fittingly, Georgia would go on to win its first undisputed national championship donned in its new silver britches.

It's All About the 'O' Line

2011-07-13T09:33:00.004-04:00

Entering 1983, Georgia was inexperienced at running back but returned a ton
along the offensive line. The result were holes opened large enough for even
quarterback John Lastinger to run through.

I was asked over the weekend about Georgia's returning experience at the running back position, or lack thereof, since Caleb King's recent dismissal. I quipped that there had been only one other time in history that the Bulldogs' running backs were more inexperienced (1943), and that was only because the war's draft had depleted the entire team, leaving it without a single returning letterman from the year before.

Although I was trying to be somewhat humorous (but likely unsuccessful in my attempt), as it turns out, if "experience" can be measured by the total number of returning rushes as a Bulldog, the 2011 Georgia backs are the greenest since at least the early-70s.

Beginning with the 1973 season (since the year before was the first season freshmen were eligible to play), I figured the total number of returning rushes for Bulldog running backs while at Georgia and entering each season through 2011. Whether a half-, tail-, full-, or scat-, only rushes by running backs were tallied; no quarterbacks, receivers, etc.

In 2011, Georgia returns a mere 89 career carries by Bulldogs currently listed at a running back position (Carlton Thomas- 86, Alexander Ogletree- 2, Wes Van Dyk- 1), or the fewest amount of all 39 seasons since 1973. Even if Richard Samuel's 114 career carries are considered, the total for 2011 would still rank as the 8th lowest.

Listed are Georgia's bottom- and top-five seasons of returning carries (notably, the average of the 39 seasons was 373 returning carries):

BOTTOM

2011 (89 carries)

1990 (92)

2009 (115)

2003 (120)

1995 (145)

TOP

1982 (929 carries)

2007 (788)

2006 (770)

1981 (755)

1986 (648)

Admittedly, this doesn't indicate much besides maybe Georgia has entered two of the last three seasons with inexperience at the running back position and, primarily because of Herschel Walker, apparently the opposite was true in the early-80s.

I doubted it, but wondered if there was any significant correlation between the number of returning carries for Georgia entering a season and its year-end rushing totals?

Listed are Georgia's bottom and top seasons of returning carries with the team's yards-per-game rushing average for each year (yards-per-rush average in parenthesis):

BOTTOM

2011: To be determined, and hopeful

1990: 152 ypg (3.6 ypr)

2009: 161 (4.7)

2003: 135 (3.4)

1995: 149 (3.9)

TOP

1982: 275 ypg (4.7 ypr)

2007: 177 (4.5)

2006: 127 (3.9)

1981: 282 (4.7)

1986: 255 (4.7)

There appears to be very little, if any, relationship between Georgia's returning experience at the running back position and its year-ending rushing results.

The 2006 season is a good example of when the Dogs returned a heap of carries (primarily from Thomas Brown, Danny Ware, and Kregg Lumpkin) but had minimal rushing success. On the contrary, three years later, Georgia returned little experience at the running back position, but the team would have its best yards-per-rush average (4.68) in 15 years.

A friend of mine mentioned the other day that he didn't mind losing King; Georgia losing Justin Anderson, or some other offensive lineman, would be much more detrimental. I couldn't agree with my friend more. Glancing over the rushing figures and digging a little further, a trend seemed to exist between rushing results and not necessarily returning experience in the offensive backfield, but rather along the offensive line.

For every football season in which Georgia had success running the football, the Bulldogs entered nearly all of those with an experienced offensive line. Whether the team entered with experience at running back or not didn't seem to matter.

Georgia's enters this season similarly to how it did in 2009:
green in the backfield but some experience up front.

Two years ago in 2009, Georgia might have returned only 115 career carries, but the Bulldogs also returned eight different offensive lineman with starting experience, totaling 99 career starts.

In both 1974 (208 returning carries) and 1983 (176) - two seasons which nearly made the "bottom" five list - Georgia had little experience at running back entering the seasons. Heck, in 1983, the Bulldogs had just lost the greatest college running back of all time. However, each team returned experience along the offensive line and, in both instances, it paved the way for successful rushing results:

1974- 237 ypg (4.6 ypr); 1983- 230 ypg (4.4 ypr)*

*In 1983, Georgia's offensive line returned six players, including four starters from '82, who totaled a combined 11 seasons at Georgia as a full- or part-time starter. There was so much depth that junior guard Mike Weaver, a part-time starter in '81 and full-time in '82, was moved over to defense.

In 2003, Georgia returned little at running back (135) and, more importantly, were extremely inexperienced along the offensive line (no returning starters; just two with starting experience, totaling only four career starts). Inexperience was certainly evident as the Bulldogs' 3.36 rushing average at the end of the season was a team low since 1970 while the 47 sacks Georgia yielded (an obvious major contributor to the meager per-rush average) remains the most allowed on record for a single year.

So, to those Dawg fans who are crying and moaning about the losses of Ealey and/or King, there appears to be a more important offensive unit at Georgia to worry about.

In 1990, Georgia returned a next-to-lowest 92 carries but had a relatively experienced line (three returning starters; seven with starting experience). Confident of their strength, the offensive linemen even nicknamed themselves "The Georgia Power Company." By mid-season, a few linemen had endured injuries, players were forced to move positions, and the company's power was turned off as the Bulldogs lost their final four games, finishing with sub-par rushing totals and a 4-7 record.

Twenty years later in 2010, much of the same was evident as Georgia, which entered with supposedly one of the best and most experienced offensive lines in the nation, struggled to run the ball against adequate competition.

The Bulldogs' offensive line enters 2011 with little depth but is seemingly one of the most experienced in the SEC (two returning starters; four with starting experience, totaling 86 career starts); one which is certainly capable of opening holes, even for the most inexperienced group of backs.

However, as history has taught, if hardship takes its toll along the all-important offensive line (or its members can't get through summer school), experienced can quickly turn to ineptness, and another seemingly bright season can suffer a power outage.

The Last "Neutral-Sited" Season Opener

2011-07-06T09:13:00.002-04:00

McKnight ends any hope for an upset in Jackson.

Yesterday, I received an email from a radio station inquiring, prior to this upcoming year, when was the last time Georgia opened up a football season at a neutral site. Although my reply was rather simple - 1966: Miss. State at Jackson, MS - the Bulldogs' season-opening game of 45 years ago was everything but, as it was rather eventful and truly one of a kind.

Since the NCAA considers, in most cases, a game not being played on either of the two participating teams' home fields to be a "neutral site" game, the Georgia-Miss. State affair in Jackson to open the 1966 season, like the upcoming game against Boise State in the Georgia Dome, was considered a neutral-sited game, although it was far from "neutral" for the Bulldogs from Georgia as they endured the constant clanging of cowbells throughout the road contest.

In those days, because of stadium size and profitability, Miss. State and Ole Miss often hosted "selected important games" at Jackson's Memorial Stadium even if it meant a 125-mile trip for State from Starkville. In comparison, the trip from Athens to Jackson is approximately 450 miles, or 100 miles longer than it takes Georgia to get to Starkville.

Nevertheless, there was a time when if Georgia played either State or Ole Miss on the road, it was usually in Jackson. In fact, from 1952, or shortly after Jackson Memorial Stadium opened, through 1974, Georgia faced MSU and Ole Miss a combined seven times in Jackson, compared to no meetings at either Starkville or Oxford.

Entering the season opener, both Georgia and State were forecasted by most to rank in the bottom half of the conference. In 1965, the Bulldogs from Athens had started their season with a perfect 4-0 record and were ranked as high as 4th in the country before losing four of their final six games to finish a disappointing 6 and 4. State had also started 4-0 but would go on to drop its final six games to end its campaign with a losing mark. A repeat of records looming around .500 were expected from the two teams in 1966.

Despite his opponent's low expectations, a 34-year-old Coach Vince Dooley had told the media all week to look out for State and, in true Dooley form, had said that they could very well be one of the most underrated teams in all of college football.

The experts didn't heed much warning from the coach and set the long-distant visiting Bulldogs as a five-point favorite for the night game, kicking off at 7:30 local time in front of roughly 35,000 in attendance (many with cowbell in hand).

After a State field goal in the first quarter, Georgia soon faced 3rd and goal from the opponent's 4-yard line. There, the Bulldogs pulled off a play that has not been executed by Georgia since or likely before.

Lined up as a guard-eligible receiver, starting left guard Don Hayes drifted all alone over the middle into the end zone, where he caught a pass for a touchdown from quarterback Kirby Moore. The junior Hayes had caught passes before at Georgia but it was when he was a reserve fullback in 1965 prior to switching over to the guard position.

Interestingly, later that very same year, the NCAA ruled that any player on offense wearing jersey numbers between 50 and 79 were ineligible, in any circumstances, to catch a pass. Hayes wore No. 67.

In the second quarter, State regained the lead on a short scoring run by quarterback Don Saget. Saget had actually been State's starting split end the year before and the team's leading receiver. In his first varsity game at quarterback, he performed quite well against the visiting Bulldogs, rushing for 50 yards and the aforementioned touchdown while completing 10 of 19 passes for 98 yards, but suffering two costly interceptions.

Bob Etter, Georgia's diminutive 150-pound placekicker, knotted the score just before halftime with a 29-yard field goal.

Georgia's Kent Lawrence rushed for a score late in the third quarter, but once again State answered when wingback Marcus Rhoden, who ran wild on Georgia all night, scored a touchdown early in the final stanza.

Later in the quarter, Rhoden was handed the ball and sprinted down the field to what seemed to be another State touchdown until he was taken out at Georgia's 8-yard line after a 53-yard gain. Two plays later, Erk Russell's Georgia defense hunkered down when Saget's pass in the end zone was deflected by safety Lynn Hughes into the awaiting arms of linebacker Happy Dicks for an interception.

Whenever the odds are the longest, then the brave come to the fore.
When we're up against the strongest, you're a battler - Kirby Moore!

Starting at its own 20 and with the game tied 17-17, Georgia moved 78 yards in 11 plays (Moore rushing for 69 of the yards) to State's 2-yard line. Etter was called upon again and didn't disappoint as he drilled a seemingly winning 18-yard field goal with 2:08 remaining. However, State and Saget were far from finished.

Saget moved his Bulldogs down the field, but all hopes for a last-minute victory or tie were dashed when backup cornerback David McKnight intercepted a pass to secure a thrilling 20-17 Georgia victory. Notably, McKnight was playing in his first game ever on UGA's varsity and would later star in 1968 and 1969 for the Bulldogs at defensive end.

For Georgia, the win was only its third season-opening victory in 12 years and the third consecutive win over State by exactly three points. Assistant coach Bill Dooley, brother of Vince and a former State player and assistant, was given the game ball.

Following the game, Vince Dooley said he'd "probably have a heart attack" thinking about his team's numerous mistakes and how close it came to dropping another season opener. For State, the losing effort might have been the highlight of its season as the Bulldogs were downright dismal the rest of the year.

Miss. State, once thought of as underrated, finished 1966 with just a 2-8 record with wins coming over lowly Richmond and Southern Miss. Rhoden, who starred against Georgia with 121 rushing yards on 20 carries and 6 catches for 55 yards, would rush for just 174 yards the rest of the season, averaging only just over three yards per carry.

Quarterback Saget would never be the same either as he went from the team's leading receiver as a sophomore, to State's starting signal caller, to merely the second-string quarterback as a senior in 1967. At end of the 1966 season, head coach Paul Davis was fired after five seasons at State and would never head coach again in college football.

Regarding Georgia, the win jump-started the undervalued Bulldogs to an eventual 10-win season, a Cotton Bowl victory, and Dooley's first of six SEC titles.

As for "neutral-sited" games, the Bulldogs had another one the very next week against the Virginia Military Institute, who needed to travel just 50 miles from Lexington, VA, to face the Bulldogs at Roanoke's Victory Stadium for the 10th annual "Harvest Bowl."

Dawg-Gone Goal Posts

2011-06-24T09:53:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure exactly how, but yesterday my wife and I got on the subject of the 2000 Tennessee game - the night the goal posts went down in Georgia. Certain of my response, she jokingly asked if I had been one of the celebratory fans to run onto the field after (or even during) the game (we didn't know one another at the time).

After I incessantly went on and on about the total disregard and disrespect displayed by fans that night for our stadium, players, and tradition, I asked "Why?!? Did you run onto the field?"

My wife promptly replied that she had actually helped bring down one of the goal posts...she was kidding.

"No," she answered sincerely, "but if I had been a few years younger and still a student...maybe I would have gone out there."

Until I viewed the 2000 Georgia-Tennessee game this morning for the first time in nearly 11 years, I had forgotten how frenzied and electric Sanford Stadium was that night... (and that an official got hit in the head by a football):

Recalling the past, I could almost see how a jubilant UGA student might have had the urge to tear down a goal post, or two... He or she had probably been in elementary school the last time Georgia had not only defeated Tennessee (1988), but also beat a ranked team in Sanford Stadium (1991- Clemson).

Furthermore, it seemed the rage in college football at that time was to tear down goal posts. The local newspapers didn't help the stadium's cause the week of the game, running stories in wonder if the goal posts would come down upon a Georgia victory.

The teardown of 2000 was the first (and last) time goal posts had been brought down in Sanford Stadium. Apparently, it nearly had initially happened after the Bulldogs' momentous 21-0 win over Alabama in 1976, but as Coach Dooley said years later, "[Some fans] got one [post] part of the way down and we asked them to stop. They did."

Before 2000, Georgia enthusiasts had somewhat a history of bringing down goal posts; however, they simply just didn't do it, or allow it, in their own house.

Gator Bowl teardown of '76

Five weeks following the failed Alabama attempt, The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party spilled into the Gator Bowl's end zones as Dog fans tore down both goal posts after Georgia's 41-27 comeback victory over Florida in 1976. It was thought to be the first time the Jacksonville stadium's posts had ever been dismantled and would eventually cost the Gator Bowl $2,695 for a couple new ones.

A high school football game played at the stadium following the Bulldogs' victory over the Gators was forced to use a single makeshift structure as a goal post.

Nine years later after Georgia defeated No. 1-ranked Florida in 1985, Dawg fans attempted to do the very same destruction to the Gator Bowl but were met by approximately 250 of Jacksonville's finest wielding night sticks.

The police arrested six on the field attempting to bring down the goal posts - four of the six, according to the Jacksonville police, were "highly intoxicated." What were the other two thinking?!?

In 1931, Georgia upset New York University 7-6 at Yankee Stadium in front of 63,000 spectators. Although the Bulldog supporters might have been small in number, they were colossal in spirit as they tore down both goal posts in the home team's own backyard.

Following the victory, parts of the Yankee Stadium posts actually rode back with the Georgia players on the team train. In addition (and so the story goes), pieces of the goal posts had made their way out onto the street outside the stadium. A particular UGA student struggled to carry one of these pieces, which was longer than he was, through the Bronx and back to his hotel.

Has it really been more than 30 years?

Suddenly, a New York taxicab pulled up beside him and the passenger inside offered the student a ride to wherever he needed to go. From there, the taxi, the student, the prized piece of post, and the generous passenger - none other than UGA's Dr. Steadman Sanford - all somehow, as a newspaper reported, "rode in style to the hotel."

Then there's the most famous goal-post demolishing of all time in Georgia football history (and the only other one I can think of off the top of my head): the one which followed the capturing of the 1980 national championship. I'm not aware of any specific details - just that the memorable moment is captured in one of my most favorite photographs.

Back to my wife's and my conversation... She suddenly piped up, and again in jest, "What if Georgia won a national title? Would you then attempt to run onto the field and maybe try to bring down a goal post?"

In attempt to be humorous, I said, "No, security would be too tight." Seriously, considering it would be evident that it only happens every three to four decades, "if I was a few years younger and still a student..."

There Were Five of Us

2011-06-22T09:50:00.002-04:00

Four of Georgia's "Five Pioneers" from the 1971 freshman team: No. 32 Larry West, No. 35 Horace King, No. 51 Clarence Pope, and Chuck Kinnebrew at the top right. Richard Appleby was ineligible.

Continued from Five Pioneers and Black Bulldog Quarterbacks...

Over UGA's Christmas break of 1970, the Bulldogs' football team, coming off a 5-5 season, carried out what was described as "the best move the 'Dogs have made lately," when the first group of black football players - Horace King, Clarence Pope, and Richard Appleby from Athens, Chuck Kinnebrew from Rome, and Larry West from Albany - signed with Georgia.

Seemingly, the school had come a long way since its segregated past.

Only 10 years before had U.S. District Court judge William A. Bootle ordered that the first two African Americans - Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter - be admitted into UGA. That day in 1961, approximately 200 students had gathered at the Arch and there, while hanging a black-faced Holmes in effigy, chanted "Two, four, six, eight, we don't want to integrate." Later that night, students flocked to the home of President O.C. Aderhold in an attempt to burn a fifteen foot high cross in his front yard.

Only a decade following this racist chaos, when interviewed, all five black football signees agreed they were "happy" at the university. However, Kinnebrew (the outspoken one of the bunch) interestingly added that his attending college had been his parents' dream and "when my parents are happy, I'm happy."

As I indicated in an earlier post, the actual signing of the five players is well-documented in the annals of Georgia football history, however, any difficulties and hardships they encountered at the school is hardly discussed.

Prior to the group's arrival on campus and only a month after their signing, the Bulldogs had been shaken by allegations that three football players - Mayo Tucker, Bill Forehand, and Robert Honeycutt (eventual team captain of '72) - all upcoming juniors or seniors for the 1971 season and soon-to-be teammates of the five black recruits, had followed and attacked two African-American students at the Russell Hall dormitory parking lot and later "around the city."

That spring, the two black students testified against the three players in magistrate court, which referred the case to state court. When the case was called in August of 1971, according to the Solicitor General for Athens-Clarke County, the two black students mysteriously "couldn't be found" and the case was dismissed.

In an interview with King, Pope, and Kinnebrew in the fall of 1971 (West couldn't make the interview while Appleby had been declared ineligible for the season), The Red and Black asked the three players if they specifically had encountered any problems since their arrival on campus; they all shook their heads while Kinnebrew added, "I didn't come here to be the first."

The black players always claimed they were treated fairly by the Georgia coaches; however, according to King in a 1984 interview, there were some teammates who were "rotten apples" - juniors and seniors, who would be leaving the school soon and "didn't have to face it."

In 2007, Pope recalled the group's arrival to campus in '71 when they were welcomed on the front steps at McWhorter Hall by a group of upperclassmen dressed in Ku Klux Klan attire, including a "Grand Dragon" holding a shotgun. "It was something we didn't like," said Pope.

King has stated that he never thought of himself as a "pioneer" just because he signed to play football at Georgia - "there were five of us," he declared.

In handling the long process of adjustment and getting comfortable at UGA, each of the five signees benefited from what the previous black football players - James Hurley and John King - could not: a university in close proximity to their family and, perhaps more importantly, four others going through very similar circumstances.

"Our people usually keep pretty close," said Kinnebrew in November of 1971, "and if a prospective black recruitee asks me what it's like up here, I'll tell him like it is."

Bulldog Freshman Phenoms

2011-06-14T09:58:00.004-04:00

HERSCHEL WALKER - the most impactful true freshman ever to play football at Georgia?
One would think so...

I was discussing with a friend the other day how much impact Isaiah Crowell could truly have in the upcoming football season. The conversation soon turned to Bulldog freshmen – first-year or redshirt – that had made an impression over the years. The discussion started to grow rather lengthy, so we dropped the talk of redshirts.

Based on our chat, I decided to rank my opinion of the top 10 Bulldog true freshmen of all time.

Keep in mind, prior to World War II, few freshmen played football for Georgia's varsity and from after the Korean War through 1971, freshmen were ineligible to play. Once this eligibility was restored in 1972 through 1988 – the final 17 seasons of the Coach Vince Dooley regime – just one non-specialist true freshman (cornerback Tony Flack in 1982) ever started a season-opening game while only a handful saw considerable playing time.

My selections and their rankings are not only based on how distinguished or outstanding each player was in their very first season at UGA, but also the significance of the true freshman playing over what would have been his replacement or the "average" player.

As my friend pointed out, notice what position or two most of these phenomenal true freshmen played. Citing player development from high school straight into the potential of seeing significant playing time as a Bulldog, the friend – a player during the Coach Donnan era – indicated he certainly wasn't surprised that most of Georgia's most impactful true freshmen played on the offensive side of the ball, primarily at running back.

Looks like Isaiah may already have a little something going for him before the 2011 season has even started.

10) RANDALL GODFREY (1992)

By the third game of his true freshman season, Godfrey had supplanted senior Torrey Evans as the Bulldogs' starting Will linebacker...Finished the year with a team-leading 114 tackles, 4 for loss, and 3 pass breakups...Besides Nate Taylor (see Special Mention), is the only freshman to lead Georgia in tackles for a season...Named the SEC's defensive Freshman of the Year for 1992 and along with Butler, Cook, Herschel, McWhorter, Green, and St. John (see below), is one of only a handful of Bulldogs recognized as first-team all-conference as true freshman.

9) PLACEKICKERS (1970s-1980s)
The only Bulldog true freshman considered a starter the first six seasons (1972-1977) of freshmen being eligible was placekicker Allan Leavitt in 1973. Leavitt, Georgia's first scholarship kicker and the team's initial starting soccer-style kicker, would also be the first of four consecutive Bulldog kickers to be the team's primary placekicker as a true freshman...Leavitt was followed by Rex Robinson (1977), Kevin Butler (1981), and Steve Crumley (1985)...In their freshman seasons combined, the four converted nearly 97 percent of their PATs, made an average of 12.3 field goals per season, and connected on seven field goals of 50+ yards during a time when similar kicking results were hard to come by in college football.

8) GARRISON HEARST (1990)

While running behind a constantly banged up and ever-changing offensive line, tailback Hearst led the Bulldogs with 717 rushing yards for the season while averaging 4.4 yards per carry...Had three 100-yard rushing performances in his first seven games and would eventually be named the SEC's offensive Freshman of the Year over such frosh stars as RB Errict Rhett of Florida and Auburn's QB Stan White...Georgia's dismal 4-7 season would have likely been on the order of 2-9 without the services of newcomer Hearst.

The Black Blur

7) SYLVESTER BOLER (1973)
Nicknamed "The Black Blur," linebacker Sylvester Boler hardly played the first half of his freshman season because of two injuries but once he entered the Tennessee game in early November, as one writer stated, he became "THE defense"...Hit Tennessee quarterback Conredge Holloway so hard, Boler "literally tore [Holloway's] head off"...Recorded 18 tackles in win over Auburn and later was named the Peach Bowl's most outstanding defensive player primarily because of bone-crushing tackles that forced two fumbles...After a 3-3-1 start, Georgia went 4-1 down the stretch with Boler in lineup...Assistant coach indicated 4-1 record might have been 0-5 without Boler and declares that the freshman, after just five games of play, was perhaps already the greatest linebacker in Bulldog history.

6) LINDSAY SCOTT (1978)

One of the major reasons for Georgia's tremendous improvement from its 5-6 season in 1977 to the 9-1-1 regular season of 1978 was the fact the Wonderdogs, thanks in large part to the arrival of true freshman Scott, had suddenly become somewhat of a passing threat...Scott's 484 receiving yards that season were more than twice as many as any other teammate while his 36 catches were more than three times...Scott's 26.5-yard kickoff-return average was, at the time, the second-best ever in the SEC of those with at least 20 returns...His 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at LSU was the Dogs' biggest play in a 24-17 upset over the 11th-ranked Tigers...Named a first-team Freshman All-American by Football News.

5) QUINCY CARTER (1998)

It's difficult to think of Carter without acknowledging a regressing Bulldog career and what might have been, but as the Bulldogs' starting freshman quarterback in '98, his play was simply spectacular...Near perfect in an upset at No. 6 LSU, completing first 15 passes and finishing 27 of 34...For season, passed for 2,484 yards, 12 TDs, and only 9 interceptions, while completing better than 60 percent of passes...Rushed for 284 yards, including 114 vs. Kentucky – one of just two 100-yard rushing performances by a Georgia quarterback over the last 35 seasons...Capped year – a season during which Carter turned 21 years old – by leading a furious comeback victory over Virginia in the Peach Bowl...Named by the Knoxville News Sentinel and Associated Press as SEC Freshman of the Year.

4) JOHNNY COOK (1943)

Granted, because of World War II, Georgia's 1943 team was made up primarily of newcomers, so obviously it wouldn't be as difficult for a true freshman to make significant impact; however, what tailback Cook accomplished in his first season at Georgia was absolutely remarkable...At 17 years old (and 5-foot-8 and 152 pounds), led the nation in passing with 1,007 yards on 73 completions, including 8 TDs, and second on team with 361 rushing yards...Scored 13 touchdowns: 10 rushing, 2 on punt returns, 1 via kickoff return...Bulldogs' primary punter and punt returner, averaging nearly 20 yards per punt return...In first game at UGA, a win over Presbyterian in season opener, intercepted four passes on defense – a single-game SEC record which still stands nearly 70 years later.

3) ERIC ZEIER (1991)

For the first five games of his freshman year, Zeier came off the bench in relief of the experienced Greg Talley; however, as soon as Talley struggled to move the Bulldog offense early on against 6th-ranked Clemson, Zeier came on, defeated the Tigers, and would hardly leave the field for the next 3½ seasons...Passed for just under 2,000 yards while throwing only 4 interceptions in 286 pass attempts...Interception ratio of 1-to-71.5 attempts was an SEC record until broken by David Greene in 2004...Recognized as the SEC's Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American by Football News...Primarily responsible for Georgia's prompt 9-win turnaround after back-to-back non-winning seasons by the Bulldogs...With senior Talley or junior Preston Jones taking the majority of the snaps instead, '91 team likely struggles to achieve a winning record.

2) HERSCHEL WALKER (1980)

It all began on a sweltering night in Knoxville when a true freshman from Wrightsville ran over Tennessee's Bill Bates...1,616 rushing yards, nearly 6 yards per carry, seven rushes of 48 yards or more, and 15 touchdowns later, Herschel had arguably become the greatest Bulldog football player ever in just a single season...Finished third in Heisman Trophy voting despite 205-yard, three-touchdown effort against Georgia Tech not considered...If Tech game is recognized, Herschel very well becomes the only freshman to ever win Heisman...Almost single-handedly defeats Notre Dame in Sugar Bowl for national title, gaining 150 yards on 36 carries and 2 touchdowns (rest of team nets minus-23 yards in 29 plays)...Herschel had perhaps the greatest freshman season in the history of college football, however, it's a close second in my book regarding the impact it made on a Georgia team.

1) BOB McWHORTER (1910)

I've said for some time that Herschel is the most outstanding UGA football player of all time, Charley Trippi the best all-around, but it was halfback Bob McWhorter who, in my opinion, was the program's most valuable...and McWhorter's best season was his first at Georgia in 1910. Prior to McWhorter's arrival, the Red and Black had won just 47 of 109 combined games from 1892-1909...Nearly by himself, but with a lot of influence from head coach Alex Cunningham, McWhorter transformed Georgia football from a substandard program into one of the most respected in the South...He scored 20 touchdowns, including a single-game school-record seven against the Gordon Institute, for a Georgia team that achieved a 6-2-1 record (and losers of just six of 34 games from 1910-1913)...Without freshman McWhorter, Georgia, like the season before in 1909, probably wins just one or two games.

HONORABLE MENTION

Fred Gibson (2001)- Leads Georgia in receiving (772 yards) and kickoff returns (14-375), while averaging more than 23 yards every time he touches the ball
Charles Grant (1999)- During a season where he earns SEC first-team All-Freshman, Grant records 5 tackles and 3 sacks vs. Kentucky at defensive end, while rushing 3 times for 44 yards and 2 TDs as a running back.
A.J. Green (2008)- In leading SEC in receiving, excellent compliment to Mohamed Massaquoi (and with similar numbers), catching 56 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns
Jimmy Payne (1978)- Makes 45 tackles and 8 sacks for the year as a BACKUP at defensive guard
John Rauch (1945)- In a new offense for Bulldogs – the "T" formation – freshman Rauch becomes Georgia's first pure passing quarterback...Does a little of everything: passes for 566 yards and 5 TDs, rushes for a touchdown, averages 43.7 yards per kickoff return, punts 14 times, catches two passes, and intercepts a pass on defense.
Herb St. John (1944)- Immediately starts at left guard position for Georgia and eventually is the only Bulldog in '44 to earn first-team All-SEC honors
Matthew Stafford (2006)- Although freshman numbers were far from flashy, Stafford proved he was undoubtedly talented...Guides Bulldogs to three victories in final three games, all against ranked teams...With Joe T. III or Joe Cox playing instead, Georgia maybe wins one of three.
Trinton Sturdivant (2007)- Becomes first Bulldog true freshman since 1989 to start a season opener at the all-important left tackle position...Named to several first-team Freshman All-American teams
Hines Ward (1994)- Quarterback turned scatback starts over senior Terrell Davis beginning with third game of season...Has two 100-yard rushing performances in first five games as a Bulldog, including 137 yards on 22 carries vs. Alabama

the Ty Ty Termite

SPECIAL MENTION: Nate Taylor (1979)

Before he was known as the "Ty Ty Termite" and prior to the arrival of his son Tony – an excellent Bulldog linebacker in his own right – Nate Taylor was a 5-foot-10, 198-pound walk-on linebacker from Tift County who wanted to be a Bulldog all his life. Taylor was only recruited by two small colleges in Alabama and offered a scholarship by Vanderbilt. However, and get this, when Taylor arrived in Nashville to look at the campus upon the school's request, he was told by the Commodores they no longer had a scholarship for him.

Taylor made the '79 Bulldogs team and, as one would expect, didn't play the first two games of the season. When injuries sidelined two linebackers in the third game against South Carolina, Taylor was thrust into action in the second quarter. In a little over two quarters of play, Taylor made 18 tackles and caused two fumbles against the Gamecocks. A few days later, Taylor was awarded a scholarship by Coach Dooley in the middle of a practice and became a Bulldog starting linebacker.

The once-irrelevant Taylor ended his freshman season as the team's leader in tackles with 120, including 80 solo tackles...not bad for someone excluded from Georgia's 1979 media guide; not even listed in the Football Walk-ons section amongst 39 other names.

Operation Turnaround II

2011-06-09T09:44:00.001-04:00

Twenty years ago, "Operation Turnaround" culminated with a win over Arkansas in the Independence Bowl and a 4.5-game improvement from 1990.

At this time exactly two decades ago, Georgia was likely coming off its worst football season of the modern era. The 1990 team finished its dismal year with a 4-7 record... and the Bulldogs were fortunate to have won that many games.

Of course, unlike the latest edition, the '90 squad had somewhat of a legitimate excuse for its poor play as numerous injuries, players quitting, and suspensions took its toll on the team, leaving it, on the whole, extremely young and inexperienced (and with quarterback Joe Dupree - a guy who couldn't even start at Georgia Southern - starting for the Bulldogs at the end of the year).

As the 1991 season loomed, a hopeful Coach Ray Goff and the Bulldogs deemed their upcoming campaign as "Operation Turnaround."

Rebounding from a seven-loss year while returning eight starters on offense (not including Andre Hastings, Shannon Mitchell, Mack Strong, and true freshman Eric Zeier) and 10 starters on defense, it certainly appeared a turnaround was in order. However, the so-called preseason experts didn't necessarily see it that way as no one predicted the Bulldogs would finish in the top half of the 10-team SEC.

Regardless, the Dogs proved any doubters wrong as Operation Turnaround was an absolute success. Georgia achieved a 9-3 mark, including victories over 6th-ranked Clemson, LSU, Auburn, Georgia Tech, a ranked Ole Miss team, Arkansas in the Independence Bowl, and finished its vastly improved season ranked 17th in the final AP Poll.

Presently in 2011, the Bulldogs are coming off their first seven-loss year since the aforementioned '90 team. Nevertheless, don't fret as it appears another Operation Turnaround could very well be in store for the UGA football program.

Unlike in '91, Georgia is forecasted to rebound in a major way. The college football previews, namely Athlon, Lindy, and Phil Steele's, all have the Bulldogs ranked 16th or higher in the nation. Heck, even the esteemed Beano Cook believes Georgia will be playing for the national championship come January.

The BCS title game? Following a losing season?!? Perhaps never before, in the history of college football, has there been so much expected from a team that lost more games than it won the previous year.

More or less, the preseason forecasts all point to the same things for a quick turnabout in 2011: a manageable schedule, a defense that should improve in its second year under Todd Grantham, an experienced offensive line that cannot be any worse, and Aaron Murray developing into one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.

Maybe add a new strength and conditioning program and a head coach on the hot seat, and all of these considerations appear to be a recipe for a legitimate shot at a championship, whether it's of the BCS type or merely a divisional title.

Notwithstanding, uncovered is an intangible reason - one you won't find mentioned in many preseason previews - why Georgia will unquestionably have an Operation Turnaround, Part II: History has shown the Bulldog Nation, when Georgia has stunk it up in football one year, the Dawgs have always responded in full force the next.

Since Coach Vince Dooley came to UGA nearly 50 years ago, the Bulldogs have endured just six losing seasons, and none of those have come in consecutive years. Only Ohio State, Alabama, Southern California, Nebraska, and Tennessee can also claim not posting back-to-back losing seasons during the same time period.

Furthermore, Georgia differs somewhat historically from those five traditional football powers in that when coming off a losing year, not only have the Bulldogs improved but they have bounced back significantly:

1963-1964: 4-5-1 to 7-3-1
1977-1978: 5-6 to 9-2-1
1990-1991: 4-7 to 9-3
1993-1994: 5-6 to 6-4-1
1996-1997: 5-6 to 10-2

In Georgia's five prompt turnarounds, the team averaged a whopping 3.4-game improvement from one year to the next, including 4.5-game improvements in both 1991 and 1997. The least improvement came in 1994, when the Bulldogs were 1.5 games better than the season before. (However, I'd like to point out, the 6-4-1 team of '94 was evidently a damn fine team, finishing ranked 13th in the entire nation according to the Billingsley Report - one of the BCS computer rankings.)

Obviously I'm being rather light-hearted. The fact Georgia had significant improvement from one year to the next decades ago shouldn't have any bearing on the 2011 season. However, there must be something in the water (or Powerade, according to Coach T.) the UGA football program has been drinking... One must admire how Georgia hasn't been a back-to-back loser since 1963 and, more notably, how the Bulldogs have responded after suffering through the rare losing campaign.

For the upcoming season, it's difficult to agree with Beano but I undoubtedly see a significant upswing for the Bulldogs. Being the history enthusiast and believing it quite often repeats itself, I acknowledge the 3.4-game average of improvement and forecast Georgia going 9-3 this upcoming regular season.

Moreover, Operation Turnaround II, like the one from 20 years ago, should be a successful one. And also like the first "operation" in 1991, it will remove a Bulldog head coach from the hot seat... at least, for the time being.

My Personal Despise For Clemson...

2011-06-01T08:26:00.007-04:00

I was fortunate to grow up in Athens during the 1980s with a father – a faculty member at UGA passionate about his university's athletic program – first encouraging my interest in Georgia football when the two of us sat down in front of an old radio at my grandmother's in North Carolina and listened while "my God, a freshman" ran over Tennessee in Knoxville.

In other words, I was lucky enough to be introduced to UGA football during the program's greatest period.

So, maybe you can imagine, after so many consecutive wins, enduring your team's first defeat. For me, it was when Georgia fell to Clemson 13-3 in 1981 at Death Valley – the Bulldogs' lone loss in 43 straight regular-season games from 1979 to 1983.

From that very moment, at six years old, listening to the very same radio in the same house in North Carolina (now that I think about it), I grew to despise the Clemson Tigers, for they had dealt my Bulldogs, in my mind, their first loss of all time.

With the recent announcement of the scheduled games for Georgia and Clemson in 2013 and 2014, I was reminded of my opinion of the Bulldogs' biggest football rivalry for more than a decade; a one-time rivalry that perhaps some newer Dawg fans are unfamiliar with, particularly, the venom that once existed between the two schools.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, if Georgia and Georgia Tech is recognized as clean, old-fashioned hate, the Georgia-Clemson football rivalry was simply plain hatred. (As one Georgia banner read in the '82 season opener vs. Clemson, alluding to the Tigers' national championship from the year before, "You might be Number One but you smell like Number Two.")

With Clemson's radio broadcast in the background, here's some footage of Georgia facing the eventual "Number One" team of 1981. Besides a great performance from the Bulldogs' defense and a few good runs by my God, a sophomore, there wasn't much to choose from...

I have indicated for quite some time that, in my opinion, the 1981 Bulldogs, despite two losses, on paper are perhaps the greatest UGA football team of all time. If they were to play the great 1980, 1982, or 1983 team, let's say 10 times, the '81 Dawgs would win at least seven games against each. Nevertheless, the 1981 Clemson contest is the perfect example of how turnovers are detrimental to even the best of the best teams, especially when you have nine of them.

Georgia held a good Clemson offense to a season-low 236 total yards and a strong running game to a mere 2.0 yards per rush (and that excludes any sacks on Homer). However, the Bulldog offense, especially its quarterback, must have been experiencing the heebie-jeebies in the Valley.

Inexplicably, Buck Belue threw five interceptions in 26 pass attempts (he was intercepted just 4 times in 162 attempts in the 10 other regular-season games) and had an ugly, blooper-like lost fumble, which literally dropped out of his hand while in mid-throwing motion.

Herschel, who had lost just one fumble in his 14 previous games as a Bulldog, surrendered two while Steve Kelly added a fourth on a punt return. Georgia lost just 10 combined fumbles in its 10 other regular-season games.

Four years earlier, the Bulldogs had been shocked at home, losing for the first time to Clemson in 18 games played in Athens since 1914. For other Georgia followers, true hostility for the Tigers might have started two years later when the Bulldogs, playing on the road as more than a field-goal favorite and donned in red britches, suffered a 12-7 setback in 1979. Little older Dog fans may remember 1974 when Georgia had not lost to Clemson in 10 consecutive games, but were stunned with a 4-point loss as a 10-point favorite.

Personally, I recall 1981 when I was first introduced to this one-time bitter rivalry while learning a valuable life lesson: You can't win 'em all (but it sure does stink when you lose).

Jake's Finally in the Hall, but How?

2011-05-18T08:25:00.003-04:00

Upon hearing the news that legendary Bulldog defensive back-punt returner-man of mystery Jake Scott had finally been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, my initial thought was that it was about time. My second: Hell must have just frozen over for many believed, including perhaps the great Scott himself, that because of the powers that be, he would never be headed to the Hall.

As I mentioned in a post of mine just over a year ago following Scott's nomination for the 2010 class, my intrigue with the man began when I was a youngster. As we drove by the Georgia Coliseum one day, my father pointed and told me of the Bulldog football player that drove his motorcycle up one end of the arena and back down the other. I was instantly captivated.

My interest continued to heighten just a few years ago after reading Dave Hyde's sensational piece on the fascinating yet evasive Scott, whose life, history, and even whereabouts seemed to be surrounded by mystery.

The true mystery is why it took so long for arguably the greatest defensive player ever at Georgia to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

The reason is the same as to why there are many other deserving players not included, yet Coach Jim Donnan, who was at Division I-AA Marshall for just six seasons and had a sub-par five years at Georgia, was inducted less than a decade after his coaching career ended.

The reason is also the same as to why the first criterion of Hall of Fame eligibility is "FIRST AND FOREMOST, A PLAYER MUST HAVE RECEIVED MAJOR FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA RECOGNITION," yet inductees like Archie Manning and our own Fran Tarkenton were never first-team All-Americans as chosen by a major selector.

Simply put, the reason is political, and as mentioned in my post from March 2010, there can be a lot of politics involved when the National Football Foundation's (NFF) Honors Court actually selects the class.

So, how did Jake Scott finally get chosen this year by the Honors Court when he should have been inducted decades ago? Why this particular class and not last year when Scott was also nominated? What was the difference?

I spoke with a contact of mine, who works closely with the NFF, and he said (off the record) that the Honors Court, with some nudging from a higher up (I won't mention the name) at the College Football Hall of Fame, "is trying to undo some of the earlier committee oversights and left-offs such as Billy Cannon, Gene Washington [of Michigan State], Ed Dyas (just before he died), and Jake Scott."

Although as many as three decades late, I guess the most important thing is not how, but the fact that Scott is now in the Hall of Fame where he belongs, even if undeservingly left out in the past.

Of course, from what we know of Jake Scott, he could probably care less...

CHECK OUT out Jake Scott's 90-yard punt return vs. Tennessee in 1968 (beginning of video clip)

CHECK OUT out a Scott interception vs. Tennessee in '68 (towards end of clip)

All-Time Transfers

2011-05-16T14:23:00.004-04:00

Cleveland Gary's struggles to hold onto the football would continue at Miami (Fla) and the NFL; however, his decision to transfer from Georgia turned out to be a wise one.

Over the weekend, a friend of mine asked me if an ex-Georgia football player had ever later played against the Bulldogs, mentioning the intriguing possibility of transferring Washaun Ealey and/or Zach Mettenberger, who transferred to LSU a year ago, possibly facing their old team down the road.

The first prominent transfer, so to speak, to leave UGA and then later play against Georgia in football was halfback Dan Sage. Sage was voted the Red and Black's team captain as only a junior in 1905 when, of the 11 projected starters for the year, he was the only one to have played at all during the season before.

By 1908, Sage had graduated from school and was playing football for an Atlanta club team - the Olympians. Georgia opened its 1908 season by soundly defeating the Olympians and their captain Sage by a score of 29-to-5.

Since then, although there have been a few more ex-Bulldog vs. Georgia meetings, I think it is just as meaningful to mention some of the distinguishable players that transferred from UGA, whether they went on to play against the Bulldogs or not.

During the 1940s, Georgia had several players begin their collegiate careers in Athens, join the military because of World War II, and then resume their schooling and football elsewhere during or following the war.

The most well-known of this bunch was George Young, who made such an impression at the end position on Georgia's 1942 freshman team that he was allowed to travel with the varsity to the Rose Bowl. Young entered the Navy during wartime and earned a spot on the acclaimed 1944 Great Lakes NTS (Navy Training Station in Illinois) team that competed against major college competition and reached as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll. One of Great Lakes' victories was a 12-10 decision over the Third Air Force Gremlins, led by a former teammate of Young's - legendary Charley Trippi.

Young would eventually attend and play for Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio and then the NFL's Cleveland Browns for eight seasons from 1946-1953.

Much-heralded quarterback Rick Arrington (you might be more familiar with his daughter) is perhaps the most highly-recruited player to transfer from Georgia. After backing up Kirby Moore on the Bulldogs' 1966 SEC title team, Arrington decided to transfer to Tulsa, where he was the team's starting signal caller in 1969. From 1970-1972, he played for the Philadelphia Eagles.

In the early 1980s, Georgia had a couple of players turned turncoats - quarterback John Dewberry and Tyrone Sorrells - transfer to The Eternal Enemy. After excelling on the Bulldogs' 1981 JV squad, Dewberry departed for Georgia Tech, where he was the Jackets' starting quarterback from 1983 through 1985 (and winner of two out of three against Georgia, I'm reluctant to mention).

Sorrells caught one pass while at Georgia during the 1982 and 1983 seasons, had some trouble in the classroom, and transferred to Tech. Later, it was revealed he had little trouble accepting help when a UGA alum admitted to arranging a loan for Sorrells of $900 for a Buick Electra. Sorrells started at left tackle for the Yellow Jackets in 1986 (and lost to Georgia in his final collegiate game, I'm happy to mention).

Cleveland Gary, from Indian Town, FL, was a Parade All-American in high school and rushed for 240 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman at Georgia in 1984. With stiff competition from fellow tailbacks Lars Tate, Tron Jackson, and freshmen Tim Worley and Keith Henderson in 1985 (someone please remind me how the heck we averaged only 7 wins from 1984-1986 with that stable of backs...), Gary went from the Bulldogs' top tailback in the spring, to third-string in the summer, to the fifth tailback when the season opened.

In the opening-game against Alabama, Gary dressed out but didn't play, and within days decided to transfer to Miami (Fla). With the Hurricanes, Gary was on a national championship team in 1987, led the team in rushing and receiving as a first-team All-American in 1988, and was a first-round pick of the 1989 NFL Draft. Gary played five seasons in the pros and, last I heard, currently is the owner of several businesses.

BRENT COLLINS

Brent and Todd Collins, brothers from New Market, TN, each arrived at Georgia (Brent in 1986, Todd two years later) regarded as the best linebacker recruit out of high school. After playing a reserve role his first two seasons, Brent was leading the 1988 Bulldogs in tackles until suffering a groin injury in the seventh game of the year. In his first day of practice that same season, Todd had suffered an arch injury, was redshirted, and later contracted mononucleosis and infected sinuses.

In mid-December, both Brent and Todd announced they were transferring, citing their frustrations with the injuries, which reportedly triggered depression in each brother. At Carson-Newman (Jefferson City, TN), Brent was the team's leading tackler in 1989, an NAIA All-American, and was drafted in the seventh round of the '90 NFL Draft, but never played in the league. Todd first transferred to Tennessee, and then again to Carson-Newman, where he followed a similar path as his brother: leading tackler in 1991, an NAIA All-American, and was drafted in the third round of the '92 NFL Draft, playing eight seasons in the league.

Torin Kirtsey was Georgia's leading rusher as a freshman in 1995 and in two seasons rushed for a combined 890 yards and 7 touchdowns. Following a string of disciplinary and academic problems, Kirtsey quit the team and appeared to be headed to rival South Carolina. However, once the Gamecocks learned of Kirtsey's issues, they rescinded their invitation.

By 1998, Kirtsey had enrolled at Middle Tennessee State. In his first game as a Blue Raider against Tennessee State, Kirtsey broke the school single-game records for rushing (251) and all-purpose (331) yardage and would lead the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing eight games into the season. However, in early November, Kirtsey quit the team - the second in less than two years - because of "personal reasons." After declaring early, Kirtsey was not selected in the 1999 NFL Draft. A few months ago, I heard that Kirtsey had been recently arrested in Jacksonville for trespassing.

Other notable Bulldog transfers of recent memory:

Defensive back DAVID ARCHER might have participated in only a few plays as a Bulldog, but his final play at Georgia is one of the most memorable in the Georgia Tech series. At West Georgia, Archer would guide the Braves to a Division III National Championship in 1982 as the team's starting quarterback.
After leading Georgia in punt returns in 1987 with nearly a 14-yard average, NATE LEWIS was dismissed from the team because of academic reasons. Lewis transferred to Oregon Tech and would be selected in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft. Lewis had a solid six-year career in the pros, including being named All-Pro in 1991.
From what I gather, JOE DUPREE is the only ex-Bulldog in the modern era to start at quarterback for Georgia (1990) and then for another school (Georgia Southern, 1992-1994).
From what I gather, MICHAEL GREER is the only ex-Bulldog in the modern era to catch a touchdown pass at Georgia (1997-1999) and then for another school (Valdosta State, 2001).
Much-heralded quarterbacks DANIEL COBB and NATE HYBL both arrived at Georgia during the late-90s and transferred following the 1998 season. Although both started during the 2001 and 2002 seasons (Cobb at Auburn, Hybl at Oklahoma), Cobb ended his career backing up Jason Campbell while Hybl led the Sooners to a Rose Bowl victory.
KAWIKA MITCHELL returned to his native Florida after redshirting at Georgia in 1998. At South Florida, the linebacker was eventually the team's defensive MVP for 2002 and a 2nd-round pick of the 2003 NFL Draft. The 2010 season marked Mitchell's eighth in the league and his fourth NFL team.
After catching a combined two passes in two seasons at Georgia (1999-2000), tight end JASON RADER decided to return home to his native West Virginia. At Marshall, Radar caught a combined 60 passes in 2002 and 2003 and would eventually play in the NFL for two seasons.
Like Kirtsey and Ealey, MICHAEL COOPER led the Bulldogs in rushing as a mere freshman but following his sophomore season, decided to transfer. Because of the presence of Kregg Lumpkin, Danny Ware, and Thomas Brown, Cooper headed to Southwest Missouri State after a combined 798 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns in 2003-2004. With the Bears in 2005-2006, similarly to his output at Georgia, Cooper rushed for a combined 691 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns.

So, to answer my friend's question, Ealey and/or Mettenberger would be part of only a few one-time varsity Dawgs to later be pitted against their old team, along with Sage, Sorrells, Dupree, and Cobb. Perhaps as interesting is the fact that Ealey is likely the most noteworthy player - in terms of his accomplishments as a Bulldog - Georgia football has ever had transfer out of the program.

Nearly all of the players I mentioned had distinguishable careers after they had transferred from Georgia, whether at the following school and/or the professional level. Ealey, on the other hand, led the Bulldogs in rushing for each of his first two seasons, gaining a combined 1,528 yards while breaking the school's modern-day record for most rushing touchdowns in a game.

Only six other Bulldogs in history gained more yards rushing in their first two varsity seasons than Ealey: Kevin McLee, Herschel Walker, Rodney Hampton, Garrison Hearst, Thomas Brown, and Knowshon Moreno. That's some good company... Of course, more telling is the number of Bulldog fans, including myself, who believe the Ealey transfer is actually a good thing for the UGA football program.

Whether it's good for Ealey or not - does he end up more like a Cleveland Gary or a Torin Kirtsey - is all up to Washaun.

Black Bulldog Quarterbacks

2011-05-06T11:25:00.002-04:00

Shortly after my last post on the first black football players at UGA, I received an email from a reader asking if I knew who Georgia's first African-American quarterback was and (what number) black quarterback in Bulldog history is newcomer Christian LeMay...

Notably, while African Americans started playing major college football in the Northeast and Midwest shorty after the sport's inception, for the most part, black quarterbacks at traditionally white schools did not emerge until much later.

For example, not until the early 1950s did a black quarterback appear in the Big Ten and NFL when Michigan State and the Chicago Bears' Willie Thrower was the first for both. In 1890, Michigan's George Jewett was the Big Ten's first African-American football player; however, it would be more than 80 years later before the Wolverines featured a black quarterback (Dennis Franklin, 1972-1974).

When southern college athletics finally integrated, the black quarterback was a major part of the movement. At Georgia, just a little over four years after the first African Americans saw varsity action versus Baylor in 1972, the first black Bulldog quarterback appeared in a game when third-stringer Tony Flanagan was inserted late in a 41-0 blowout win at Clemson in 1976.

Flanagan promptly guided the Bulldogs on an 11-play, 66-yard drive, running 6:04 off the clock, capped by a Willie McClendon touchdown run. Four weeks later against Vanderbilt, Flanagan was placed under center for Georgia's final two possessions and each, like before against Clemson, resulted in a touchdown.

Flanagan's third and final game where he saw significant action came in the 1977 Sugar Bowl against top-ranked Pittsburgh. As I mentioned in a piece I wrote about a year ago following Zach Mettenberger's dismisal, Flanagan's performance versus the Panthers was forgettable (albeit just four plays); of course, besides perhaps the punting of Bucky Dilts, the entire team played rather horribly. However, even amidst the embarrassing loss, at the time, the game was of the most significance for Georgia, and not just because Farrah Fawcett was in attendance...

As Pitt coach Johnny Majors was still having his MVP quarterback Matt Cavanaugh throw bombs with a 24-point lead late in the game, while Tony Dorsett appeared focused on a Sugar Bowl rushing record and complaining about Bulldog fans "aggrevating" him all week, Georgia football was planning for its future and, in the process, experiencing somewhat of a transformation.

When departing senior and No. 2-quarterback Matt Robinson came off the field midway through the final quarter (senior and first-stringer Ray Goff had been removed earlier) and sophomore Flanagan entered the game, it was an indication for the first time the Bulldogs' historical move to an African American as their primary quarterback, as Flanagan would undoubtedly be the front-runner the following season.

"Whether I'm on the first string, the second string, the third string or even no string at all," said Flanagan following the Sugar Bowl loss and looking ahead to the next season. "I just want to make some contribution."

Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my Flanagan-Mettenberger piece, during the summer of 1977, Flanagan was ruled academically ineligible and would never play again for the Bulldogs (but would eventually persevere).

Over the next eight years, Georgia featured only two black quarterbacks but neither started a game until redshirt freshman Wayne Johnson (photo) did so in the 1985 season opener against Alabama on Labor Day night.

In one of the most exciting but heart-breaking Bulldog games I can remember, Johnson was benched for James Jackson - another black quarterback - but then returned to jump start a sluggish offense. Johnson finished with 82 yards on 8 of 13 passing, one touchdown and no interceptions. He would start Georgia's next two games - victories over Baylor and Clemson - only to be benched again for Jackson.

As far as what number African-American quarterback Christian LeMay is in Georgia football history, that's difficult to determine as, we all know, many players have arrived at UGA as a "quarterback" only to promptly switch positions and never play a down under center.

However, I do figure that there have been 10 black Bulldog varsity players beginning with Flanagan, playing solely the quarterback position at the time (excludes Terrence Edwards under Coach Donnan, Washaun Ealey in a "Wild Dog" formation, etc.), who have taken at least one snap as a Georgia signal caller:

TONY FLANAGAN (1976)

Rushed 8 times for 73 yards and a touchdown and completed only pass attempt for 16 yards as Bulldogs' No. 3 quarterback in 1976...Dismissed from team just prior to '77 season.

DARYLL JONES (1980)

Played in 3 games as Georgia's No. 3 quarterback in 1980, rushing for 6 times for 26 yards and throwing an incomplete pass...Moved to defensive backfield in '81 and intercepted 5 passes from 1981-1983.

JAMES JACKSON (1984-1987)

19-9-2 career record as starter...Passing: 3,416 yards, 19 TDs...Rushing: 1,359 yards, 15 TDs.

WAYNE JOHNSON (1985-1988)

14-4 career record as starter...Passing: 1,550 yards, 6 TDs...Rushing: 341 yards, 7 TDs.

DERRICK HARRIS (1988)

As Georgia's No. 3 quarterback, saw action in only blowout win over William & Mary, rushing twice for 11 yards...After openly complaining about his playing time, transferred to Western Carolina, where he was the team's starter for one season.

JOE DUPREE (1990)

Played in last 5 games of '90 season as a freshman (started in season finale vs. eventual national champion Georgia Tech - a 17-point loss), passing for 202 yards, rushing for 186, and responsible for 2 TDs...Is one of just two Georgia quarterbacks since 1976 (Quincy Carter being the other) to rush for 100+ yards in a single game...Transferred to Georgia Southern, where he played against Georgia in 1992 and was the Eagles' starter in 1993.

HINES WARD (1995)

In the 6 games where Ward played only the quarterback position, including '95 Peach Bowl, started 5 times (1-4 record as starter)...Passing: 1,285 yards, 2 TDs...Rushing: 186 yards, 2 TDs.

QUINCY CARTER (1998-2000)

22-9 career record as starter...Passing: 6,447 yards, 35 TDs...Rushing: 606 yards, 11 TDs.

LABRONE MITCHELL (1999)

Georgia's No. 2 quarterback behind Carter in '99 as a sophomore, passing for 30 yards on 3 of 7 passing...Permanently moved to flanker in 2000 and caught a combined 25 passes his final two seasons.

D.J. SHOCKLEY (2002-2005)

10-2 career record as starter...Passing: 3,555 yards, 34 TDs...Rushing: 643 yards, 7 TDs.

Five Pioneers

2011-04-28T11:29:00.002-04:00

Before there was Horace King, Chuck Kinnebrew, Clarence Pope, Larry West, and Richard Appleby, James Hurley had become the first African American to play football at Georgia.

"Dad, why don't the Bulldogs have a black assistant coach," I recall asking something on that order some time during the early '80s. My father answered by indicating that it hadn't been that long before that blacks didn't even play football for Georgia.

I remember like it was yesterday, envisioning a Georgia team without a Lindsay Scott, "Meat Cleaver" Weaver, Jimmy Payne, Freddie Gilbert, Clarence Kay and, of course, Herschel Walker. My father - a sociology professor at UGA since 1968, who had been on campus when the first black athletes arrived at the school - dolefully added, "Pat, that's just how it was back then."

I struggled to visualize "it" - no African Americans playing football for Georgia - and particularly since "back then" had only been approximately a decade beforehand. Since that very moment a little less than 30 years ago, I've had a rather keen and building interest in the integration of college football in the South, particularly at UGA.

This fall will mark the 40th anniversary of when Georgia's first group of signed black football players took the field between the hedges for the very first time. You've all likely heard it a number of times before - how these "pioneers" began playing for the Bulldogs in the early '70s and the rest, as they say, is history.

Unfortunately, most of what has been written (including and admittedly by yours truly in a couple of my books) regarding such a historical movement omits (often conveniently) the actual difficulties and hardships these players encountered with their arrival to UGA.

Leading up to this football season, I'll post a few more entries regarding Georgia football's "Five Pioneers" while making an attempt to touch on some of their struggles and the tremendous impact they made on the program.

I'm no longer the appalled young boy who couldn't understand why black players, at any point in time, couldn't play with the whites. As difficult as it is to acknowledge and accept, that is just how it was back then - a slow integration of southern college athletics that mirrored social life in the South at the time.

In the fall of 1972, Georgia was among the last of three (along with Ole Miss and LSU) SEC schools to play black players on their varsity football teams. However, UGA was one of the first in the conference, along with Kentucky (football), Tennessee (track & field), and Vanderbilt (basketball), to feature black athletes of any varsity sport when Harry Sims and James Hurley were part of the Bulldogs' 1968 track team.

Hurley, from Atlanta, had walked-on Georgia's football team earlier that fall, made the junior varsity squad (Photo of '67 JV team), and would start at defensive end. The following season, he was awarded the Bill Mundy Award for having the highest academic average on the entire team.

Hurley was never given a spot on the Bulldogs' varsity because "the competition was too keen," according to freshman coach John Donaldson in November of 1971. Hurley transferred to Vanderbilt, where he was awarded a scholarship and lettered in 1970.

Nearly a year before Horace King, Chuck Kinnebrew, Clarence Pope, Larry West, and Richard Appleby signed with Georgia in December of 1970, fullback-linebacker John King, from Toney, AL, was the initial African American to receive a football scholarship from the school. However, just prior to the start of fall practice in 1970, King suddenly informed the Bulldog coaching staff he had decided to transfer to the University of Minnesota.

Subsequently, King would rush for the 7th-most yards in Golden Gopher history from 1971-1973, including nearly 1,200 as a junior in '72 when he was named the team's MVP. (Photo of John King - a Bulldog for all of a few months.)

When the first group of black freshmen finally signed with the Georgia football team only four decades ago, the question was immediately raised why it took the school so long to recruit African-American athletes. The football coaching staff indicated that it had been trying to do so for years; however, according to The Red and Black, the coaches "just couldn't find any that could get in school."

"It's not that black athletes haven't been approached before," said Donaldson. "They have, but most of them couldn't make the team for academic reasons."

However, around the same time as the coach's reasoning, athletics director Joel Eaves curiously explained, "I think [UGA was] just cautious. We were just not sure how it would work out." Eaves added that the athletic department had been specifically cautious about "the mixing and the fact that we're in a section that was slow in integrating."

Such cautiousness, or unwillingness, ceased with the impactful signing of the five players. The change of the racial composition of Georgia football was promptly reflected in the school's student body, including when the Redcoat Band decided to no longer play "Dixie" by the 1974 season. Still, this was met with much protest as some white students wanted the "song of the South" to be played so badly that they resorted to violence. (Photo of Georgia fans and their flags from 1975 home game)

Notwithstanding, by the 1980 football season, nearly half of Georgia's football team was made up of African Americans. Influential in the Bulldogs' run to a national championship were all the aforementioned black heroes of mine as a child, particularly, the legendary Herschel Walker.

In 1957, Atlanta Journal columnist Jim Minter openly attacked a state bill that proposed a ban of integrated athletics and other social activities. The proposal was even endorsed by Georgia Governor Marvin Griffin, explaining that he was against "Negroes and white folks playing any type of sport together."

Twenty-three years later after the Bulldogs won the 1980 national title, the same Atlanta writer again shared his feelings on integrated athletics in the state. Referring to the Warren Court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling while celebrating Georgia's championship, Minter ironically declared, "Thank God for Earl Warren."

"G" Day I

2011-04-14T08:40:00.001-04:00

From seventy years ago, Walter Maguire - a sophomore blocking back from Athens - is attended to following the very first "G" Day. It was noted that Maguire was getting "his legs in condition for the dance" that followed the spring game.

While the concept of spring football practice originated soon after the inception of the sport in the Northeast, it didn't begin at UGA (or at most southern schools) until nearly two decades after the Red and Black played its first game in 1892.

Alex Cunningham, Georgia's head football coach from 1910-1919, was the first to implement practices in the spring. Like at Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and other traditional powers of the time, Cunningham wanted to take advantage of the preseason period, and not wait until the late summer/early fall, for those players who still needed "to learn the game."

Cunningham's spring practices were far from stringent as there was "no tackling, no charging nor scrimmaging." Instead, it was reserved for merely "forward passing, falling on the ball, punting and the receiving of punts."

Compared to today's standards, Cunningham might have taken it easy on his team during the spring; nevertheless, the innovative coach was undoubtedly effective as he remains one of the most valuable figures (and perhaps the most underappreciated) in Georgia football history.

Whereas the first 18 seasons of Georgia football witnessed 14 different head coaches and endured 11 non-winning seasons, Cunningham's stay at UGA lasted a full decade and suffered just one losing campaign.

Cunningham might have been the first to practice in the spring but a intrasquad game would not come for more than 20 years after the coach's departure.

Prior to Wally Butts' third season as the Bulldogs' head football coach, the university's "G" Club - a group of approximately three dozen athletes honored for outstanding achievement in football, basketball, baseball, and track - sponsored the first "G" Day.

The spring football game kicked off at 3 PM on March 8, 1941, in front of nearly 5,000 spectators in Sanford Stadium, or about one-third the attendance of Georgia's first home game seven months later against South Carolina. The team was split into "Reds" and "Whites" while, according to The Red and Black, "every faction on the Bulldog football squad was divided except the waterboy and trainer."

Young assistants Quinton Lumpkin (Reds) and Bill Hartman (Whites) were the game's head coaches while tackle Tommy Greene and halfback Heyward Allen served as team captains.

"G" Day of 1941 was much more than a game but also served the purpose of "renewing old friendships and feting Georgia's lettermen." The day's main event came that night when the acclaimed Bobby Day, known as "king of the electric steel guitar," and his 14-piece band played at a dance held at Woodruff Hall.

As far as the actual football game, little was reported. In attendance was the well-known Norman Sper, a sports prognosticator for Liberty Magazine, who was far from impressed with what he witnessed from both the Reds and Whites. Sper had observed many practices that spring of the SEC's 12 teams and said that Georgia's talent was definitely inferior to Alabama, LSU, and Tulane's, and maybe a few more.

In 1941, the Bulldogs would be inferior to few teams in the entire nation, recording the best mark (9-1-1) in the conference while winning the Orange Bowl. Just goes to show - as often is the case nowadays - the spring game from 70 years ago evidently wasn't very indicative of Georgia's regular season.

The first "G" Day was such a hit that it was decided to have another the following year. In 1942, there was less talk about a dance and more about football as the "Gigantic G-Day Game" was billed as a "clash" between All-American Frank Sinkwich, playing for the Reds, and the Whites' sophomore Charley Trippi, who had yet to play a down in a varsity game.

At halftime, another Georgia speedster was featured on the gridiron as a greased pig was released at midfield. University freshmen attempted to catch the porker and the winning frosh was thrown a barbeque later that year.

In an annual game that often lacks allure, I say bring back some of the old G-Day traditions. I don't believe a dance would be as widely accepted as before; however, watching freshmen and a greased pig run around at halftime might just do the trick.

Bend But Don't Break

2011-04-06T07:32:00.002-04:00

I was recently reading an early preseason preview on the Bulldogs for the upcoming season and indicated is how the defense might have gotten a "bad rap" the last three years. Mentioned is that during the 2008-2010 seasons, Georgia allowed less than 327 yards and 18 first downs per game, and asked is how can "improvement be expected" from a defensive unit that has been evidently solid to begin with.

Personally, I think total yardage gained/allowed might be the most overrated statistic in all of football. And, first downs?!? They should hardly be acknowledged. The 1980 national champion Bulldogs, for example, actually allowed more first downs than they earned (199 to 207).

A defense can allow a heap of yardage, but as we all are aware, what counts is the number of points given up. This "bend but don't break" mentality was never more evident at Georgia than during defensive coordinator Erk Russell's time and the first few years of his successor, Bill Lewis.

During this era, it was quite commonplace for an offense to seemingly drive up and down the field on the Dogs for an entire game; however, once the opponent threatened to score, it was often turned away with nothing by a stiffening Bulldog defense - something that has been hardly evident by Georgia defenses in recent years.

A prime example was against Ole Miss in 1982. The Rebels kept the ball for a staggering 90 plays, gaining 524 yards and 29 first downs. Nevertheless, Ole Miss' impressive offensive output produced an end result of just 10 points in a 23-point loss.

Here's video of Georgia's '82 win over the Rebels made possible by big defensive stops and creating turnovers (added is a couple of record-setting feats by two of the greatest Bulldogs of all time):

I think it's interesting to point out that Georgia's SEC championship team from nearly 30 years ago - a squad that finished its regular season with a perfect 11-0 record - actually allowed more yards per game (328.6) than the Bulldogs did the last three seasons. However, whereas Georgia yielded just 12 points per contest in '82, the Dogs surrendered TWICE as many (24.2) from 2008-2010.

The difference between then and the last three seasons has been Georgia's inability to, simply put, "stiffen" - to Hold 'em Dawgs, Hold 'em - to make stops on critical plays and/or force turnovers.

The Bulldogs' well-documented turnover-forcing woes certainly improved last season (1.1 gained per game in 2008-2009, 2.0 gained in 2010). However, with this increase of forced turnovers came the defense's failure, like hardly ever before in Georgia football, to stop reputable offenses on critical plays, namely, on third- and fourth-down conversions.

Instead of total yards allowed per game, what should be viewed is something I've discussed ad nauseam since starting this blog two years ago: defensive yards per point (YPP) allowed, or how hard a defense makes opposing offenses "work" to score points - a defense's "efficiency."

Not only were the Bulldogs' defensive YPPs of 12.7 in 2008 and 13.1 in 2009 (the higher, the better) the next to worst and worst in the SEC, respectively, they ranked the next to worst and third-worst in the history of UGA football (since 1946).

There was some improvement in 2010: in allowing a little over 328 yards and 22 points per game, Georgia's defensive YPP of 14.9 was 8th in the SEC; however, that ratio still ranks among the 10 lowest in the last 65 seasons of Bulldog football.

Gone are the days when it was difficult to score on the Dawgs. Instead, for the past three seasons, we've seemingly handed over points without much of a fight, and in the process, have been handed an unthinkable 15 combined losses.

It's not practical to hope for Georgia's return to a day when it gained 4+ turnovers per game; that just doesn't happen in today's college football. However, with a season under Todd Grantham's defense's belt, there should be some sort of improvement. As was the case with the forced turnovers increasing a year ago, so should Georgia's stops on big plays in 2011.

One should expect less breaking by the defense this upcoming season; whether it bends or not really doesn't matter.

If this is accomplished, Georgia can make a run at a divisional title instead of consecutive losing seasons. Anything else, as an astute Buck Belue informs us at the end of the video clip, would be "all academic."

Old School Scoreboard

2011-03-31T08:41:00.003-04:00

The final seconds tick off Sanford Stadium's old scoreboard of a 29-28 victory over Georgia Tech in 1978, while a Bulldog brandishing a board with a nail keeps watch.

I was checking out what Sanford Stadium's new H-D scoreboard is going to look like and I instantly recalled an article I read not too long ago. The piece, written just prior to the Bulldogs' home opener of the 1980 season, was on stadium improvements made in anticipation of the venue's expansion for 1981.

The most "obvious change in the appearance of the stadium," the article stated, was the relocation of the scoreboard from the east to the west end zone overlooking Sanford Bridge. It seems the old scoreboard was going to get in the way of an additional 18,000 seats.

In addition, no longer would "Georgia" and "Visitors" be painted on the scoreboard. Instead, each team's name would be featured "in lights" - an innovative improvement at the time but seems somewhat humorous when compared to today's "high-def."

I'm too young to remember the old Sanford Stadium scoreboard that was perched in the east end zone but have certainly heard the legend of its board-toting Bulldog. There have been several accounts on how the Bulldog-and-board emblem came about, including a good post by Bill King just prior to the 2009 LSU game. Here is what I know:

A near-perfect LSU Tiger team came to Athens in mid-November of 1935 along with 2,000 of its supporters (a total of 20,000 would be in attendance for the game), 1,200 of which were ROTC cadets from the school.

The visiting throng would not be disappointed as LSU blanked the Bulldogs 13-0; the first touchdown scored on a 95-yard run by Jess Fatherree "on a variation of the old 'Statue of Liberty' play." Reportedly, the margin should have been much worse as the Tigers had a 358-61 advantage in total yardage and 15-2 in first downs.

As the legend goes, more than 1,000 LSU cadets stormed the field as soon as the game ended with intent to tear down one, maybe even both, of the goal posts. This action was certainly not welcomed nor anticipated by Sanford Stadium. When the stadium had been built more than six years earlier, based on good behavior by spectators in the past, expensive metal goal posts were constructed instead of ones made of wood, assuming they would not soon be destroyed and needing to be replaced.

Nonetheless, the UGA students protected their uprights and chased the cadets all the way to the train station on College Avenue. Legend has it that the Bulldog backers grabbed boards from a nearby construction site in defense of the goal posts... thus, the logo of a Bulldog holding a board atop of the old scoreboard.

However, UGA icon and historian Dan Magill has written that the unruly Tigers were chased to the station with not boards, but miniature Hanna baseball bats given away at the game. Magill adds that he, at 14 years old, was even along for the chase, brandishing a bat himself.

Personally, I like the version featuring the boards better; it seems a little more "blue collar."

I found that soon after the skirmish, LSU's student newspaper - The Daily Ravielle - declared that not only had some of its cadets suffered "split open" heads, but it was also evident UGA students had "used knives" in the fight.

I certainly don't doubt Magill's version of the story, but I wonder if those "knives" were actually nails protruding from boards carried by some Bulldog students, who were only doing what most of us would in similar circumstances - protecting their "house"...and its goal posts.

It only takes One or Two...

2011-03-17T11:17:00.000-04:00

On the eve of only the 11th NCAA Tournament appearance (and just the 9th that is actually acknowledged) in Georgia history, I thought I'd compose a rare historical-based basketball post, looking forward to what a portion of Bulldog basketball fans seemingly fear: the future.

After Georgia, yet again, lost another big lead and, in the process, lost another big game in its loss to Alabama in the SEC Tourney, the majority of our fan base was up in arms...and understandably so.

However, some seemed to take their criticism a little too far, questioning the coaching of Mark Fox and stressing that if one cannot win with this year's edition (a team that only goes seven deep, I'd like to emphasize), you likely won't win in the future, especially if Trey Thompkins and/or Travis Leslie decide to go pro early.

As one disgruntled fan posted at another blog: Honestly, Mark Fox might-as-well be fired on the court...This will be the most talented UGA team he will ever have...and he may not make the tourney.

I really hope that "fan" was exaggerating for surely he understands one of college basketball's most prominent tendencies: unlike football, just one or two exceptional incoming players can vastly improve or even completely turnaround a basketball program. One season, you might struggle to win 10 games; however, soon thereafter, you could find yourself in the Final Four. Case in point: LSU a couple times the last decade or so and - a little closer to home - Georgia upon the arrival of Hugh Durham in the late 1970s.

I grew up on Hugh Durham basketball at Georgia and have always held the coach in rather high regard. Consider that in the 27 seasons of the three combined coaching regimes prior to Durham, the Bulldogs won more than 14 games just once (in 27 seasons!) and had an overall winning percentage of only .363.

Upon his arrival to Athens in 1978, Durham inherited the worst basketball program in the SEC and one of the more dreadful in the nation. Nevertheless, Durham's Dogs earned the school's first postseason basketball appearance within three years and miraculously reached the Final Four in just season five.

One of the primary reasons why Coach Durham was able to completely turn around a dismal basketball program was because he immediately attracted a handful of the best-of-the-best recruits in the entire nation, namely McDonald's All-Americans.

Since their inception in 1977, McDonald's All-Americans have been considered, for the most part, the annual top 20-to-24 high school basketball seniors.

Want to know which college basketball programs had the most McDonald's All-Americans over a certain stretch of time? Just take a look at the most successful programs over the same period.

Most of these top-notch recruits are can't-miss quality players; there are very few that turn out to be complete "busts" while approximately 70 percent of them go on to play in the NBA.

From 1979-1982, Durham signed five of these first-rate talents: Terry Fair and Dominique Wilkins in 1979, James Banks and Vern Fleming a year later, and Donald Hartry in 1982. During that same four-year period - and this absolutely blows my mind - only four schools had as many or more McDonald's All-Americans than Georgia: powerhouses North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA, and Notre Dame. (Remember, this was a Bulldog basketball program that had won only about one-third of its games for more than a quarter-century.)

Wilkins is still considered likely the greatest basketball player ever at Georgia. Fair, Banks, and Fleming were three of the five starters on the '83 Final Four team. And Hartry, as a true freshman, was one of the 1982-83 team's top reserves and would finish his Bulldog career with the second-most assists in school history.

In the 10 years from 1983-1992, Durham signed five more McDonald's All-Americans, although just two succeeded as Bulldogs. Melvin "Hollywood" Howard (1983) was regarded as a defensive specialist in a reserve role for two-and-a-half years before transferring and starting at Georgia State. Elmore Spencer (1987) averaged about 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks as a redshirt freshman during the first half of the 1988-89 season before breaking his foot. He transferred to UNLV and would eventually be a first-round pick in the '92 NBA Draft.

Litterial Green (1989) became one the greatest Bulldog basketball players of all time and one of the few to play in the NBA. Shaun Golden followed Green a year later and never quite lived up to the hype, playing as a reserve his entire career. Durham's final McDonald's All-American, Athens' own Carlos Strong (1992), was a four-year starter, departed Georgia as the school's 10th all-time leading scorer and 7th in career rebounds, and played on the Bulldogs' second (and last) Sweet Sixteen team as a senior.

With the firing of Durham came Georgia's apparent inability to recruit the best-of-the-best talent. Until Coach Fox lured Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (photo) this year, the Bulldogs had not signed a McDonald's All-American in nearly two entire decades (although Damien Wilkins, a 1999 McDonald's All-American, transferred from NC State and ended his collegiate career at Georgia).

To go from landing 10 of the country's very best players in a 14-year span to none over the next 18 years is hard to comprehend. Even more difficult to understand is that after signing 4 of the 5 McDonald's All-Americans from the state of Georgia from 1979-1983 (while Georgia Tech signed none of the 5), and 6 of the 14 from the state from 1979-1992 (Tech 2 of 14), the Bulldogs did not sign a single one of the state's 16 from 1993-2010 (Tech 4 of 16).

Whether Georgia wins tomorrow against Washington in the opening round or loses, or keeps Thompkins and Leslie or loses them early to the NBA, to assume this year's team is the most talented Fox will have is near senseless (assuming the coach doesn't bolt for another school anytime soon).

The Bulldog Basketball Nation should be thrilled we finally got a coach who, like Durham, can evidently recruit top talent. I realize that the signing of merely one McDonald's All-American shouldn't completely sway the opinions of those that feel Fox is in for an up-hill battle beginning with next season.

However, history has shown that the signing of one top-notch recruit often leads to enticing even more, while the foundation of a reputable basketball program is built.

On March 30th, you might want to watch this year's McDonald's All-American Game and checkout soon-to-be Bulldog - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. I have a feeling we're going to see a lot of him in 2011-12...

Happy Belated...

2011-03-05T10:41:00.007-05:00

...Birthday to the greatest college football player of all time. Checking out the latest blog posts, I was reminded by Bernie that Herschel's birthday was a couple of days ago, and I thought I'd acknowledge the Goal Line Stalker's special day.

Although I was only seven years old when Herschel played his final game as a Bulldog, I'm rather confident that I've researched, written, and blogged enough on him to have a good idea of what he meant to UGA football; simply put, his impact was immeasurable.

Following an all-out recruiting war, like none ever before (or maybe since) in college football, and Georgia landing the big-time recruit, all Herschel did for UGA was be the Bulldogs' primary contributor to a national title, three straight SEC championship seasons, and give the school just its second Heisman Trophy.

And, if it wasn't for the award's ballots having to be submitted prematurely in 1980 and a 2,300-yard season by Southern Cal's Marcus Allen the following year, Herschel would have most likely walked away from Athens with three Heismans.

However, what is as intriguing as his distinguished Bulldog football career and one of the more underappreciated stints in professional football was what Herschel could do off the field. Even today, at nearly 50 years old, Walker continues to demonstrate his non-football related skills.

Add MMA fighting to a long list that includes a two-time All-American in track, an Olympic bobsledder, a successful businessman, a black belt in karate, his high school's valedictorian, a poet (From more than 30 years ago: I wish they could see, The real person in me), and - one of my favorites - quite a dancer.

The night before the '81 Sugar Bowl - a game where Herschel nearly single-handedly defeated Notre Dame for the national championship - the freshman phenom won a disco contest staged by bowl officials.

"They tell me that he jumped up in the air and came down and did splits," said Coach Dooley about the contest following the Sugar Bowl win. "Splits! With boots on!"

The man could do seemingly everything.

According to Auburn fans, Herschel also ate quiche. I agree with Bill Hartman...I don't know if he indeed ate quiche, but I bet Herschel could make a pretty good one.

He did win a blue ribbon for a chef's salad made in high school as a Future Homemaker of America...

Injury-Bitten Bulldogs from Yesteryear

2011-02-28T09:10:00.002-05:00

My delayed reaction to the news that Aaron Murray's injury should be nothing to fret over is (like I'm sure everyone else's) a huge relief. When I first heard that our quarterback was on crutches - after I suffered a minor stroke - I couldn't help but to think back to a little over 15 years ago when another young Bulldog signal caller was on the mend.

For the Winter Quarter of 1996 at the University of Georgia, I was in a marketing class with Mike Bobo. The times Bobo would show up for class, which wasn't very often, he'd normally be late and hobble up the steps of the "classroom" (it was one of those 300-student classes in an auditorium) to a seat with the aid of crutches.

Every time I saw the wounded quarterback, I (like I'm sure many other students in the class) was reminded of a 1995 football season that could have been a success if injuries to skilled players hadn't decimated the team. Instead, the end result was a bunch of crippled canines, a fired head coach, and a .500 record.

Georgia's parade of injuries during that time actually first began in the 1994 season finale against Georgia Tech, when quarterback Eric Zeier went down with a sprained knee. Bobo filled in admirably in a 48-10 Bulldogs' romp; however, with the All-American Zeier going down, Georgia was suddenly less attractive to the bowl scouts and the Bulldogs were forced to sit home during the postseason despite a respectable 6-4-1 record.

Rumor had it that if Zeier had been healthy, Georgia, not South Carolina, would have been extended a bid from the Carquest Bowl. Instead, the Gamecocks, who had a worse record (6-5) than the Bulldogs and had lost to Georgia in the season opener, went bowling.

Projected starting defensive end Derrick Byrd tore an ACL in spring practice of 1995. Next, Georgia football endured arguably one of its most devastating injuries in its history when scatback Robert Edwards (photo) broke his foot in the second game of the season against Tennessee. In just 1 1/2 games, Edwards had rushed for 325 yards and scored seven touchdowns, but he was lost for the rest of the season.

Edwards' injury was only the beginning of a rash of ailments suffered by the Bulldogs at their scatback position. Hines Ward started the third game but sustained a bruised thigh and ribs and, two games later, Larry Bowie got the starting nod against Alabama but would pull a groin in the third quarter after gaining nearly 100 yards against the Tide.

Not even halfway through the season and the starting scatback position was already on a game-time-decision basis. "It wouldn't surprise me if [true freshman] Torin (Kirtsey) started back there," Coach Ray Goff declared before the sixth game at Clemson.

Kirtsey did start and rushed for 195 yards on 38 carries in a 19-17 upset over the Tigers. However, a week later at Vanderbilt, Kirtsey sprained an ankle on the third play of the game and would be out for two weeks. In game number eight against Kentucky, another true freshman - Robert Arnuad, who had carried the ball just seven times all season - started at scatback and rushed 37 times for 120 yards in a win over the Wildcats.

In Georgia's first eight games of the season, the Bulldogs started six different scatbacks. In addition, the low point of the scatback injury epidemic occurred when reserve Odell Collins pulled a hamstring in late October while doing his laundry and missed the remainder of the year.

Other fallen Dogs included the aforementioned Bobo, who fractured his knee early in the second quarter of the fourth game and was finished for the year. Ward, playing his third different position in three games, started at quarterback for the first time since high school against Alabama and it was evident in a 31-0 Bulldog loss - the last time Georgia was shutout in a game to date.

Brian Smith started under center for three consecutive wins - Clemson, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky - but he too was lost for the year with a separated shoulder against the Wildcats. Ward was back at quarterback for the Florida game, aggravated a fractured wrist against the Gators, and would play hurt with a broken bone in his wrist in a near upset versus Auburn and a upset victory at Georgia Tech.

By the way, the Bulldogs had their fair share of injuries on the defensive side of the ball as well. Besides Byrd, All-SEC candidate nose guard Travis Stroud endured a hyperextended elbow in the third game of the year and played sparingly the rest of the season. Most damaging, senior Randall Godfrey suffered a strained hamstring early in the Alabama game; one of the greatest linebackers in school history would hardly play the final seven games of his last season at Georgia.

Whew! There you have it...a decade's worth of injuries all rolled into one season for the ill-fated Bulldogs of 1995.

Five days prior to Georgia's game against Georgia Tech and with the Bulldogs' record at 5-5, Goff gave his "negotiated resignation" and was finished as head coach. Although many questioned the timing of the forced resignation by Vince Dooley, who had given Goff a mandate of "significant improvement" prior to the season, few challenged the athletic director's decision.

I, for one, remember being all for the resignation and, looking back on it, definitely believe it was for the good of the program. In all honesty, Goff was in way over his head to begin with when he was hired in 1989. Even Ray himself might admit to that today...

However, whether Pop Warner or Bear Bryant (or even Vince Dooley), any coach would have had a difficult time coaching that Georgia team to "significant improvement" from an 11-10-1 combined record in 1993 and 1994. All poor Goff was able to do was win six games, two coming as a road underdog (Clemson, Georgia Tech), while having a few near upsets against much superior competition (Tennessee, Auburn, Virginia).

An injury or two (or nearly a dozen, like in '95) can ruin a team's football season; they certainly devastated Georgia's 1995 campaign.

Come to think of it, I'm reminded that the Coach Richt regime has had the good fortune of hardly having to deal with major injuries, particularly during the recent three-season slide.

Whereas it is evident Coach Goff had a legitimate reason for a mere six-win season, what was Coach Richt's excuse for one 15 years later?

A Former Tradition Not Forgotten

2011-02-16T06:56:00.003-05:00

I've been absolutely swamped at work recently, thus, the reason why this is my first post in more than two weeks. Nevertheless, a friend sent me a site featuring an old photo of Sanford Stadium's The Track People (also check out the letter from the late great Erk Russell), and I couldn't resist posting my somewhat "experience" with the one-time tradition.

When Sanford Stadium's east end zone was enclosed prior to the 1981 season, enlarging the stadium from around 60,000 to just under 80,000, it certainly was unfortunate for those that once watched free of charge from the railroad tracks and an end to a tradition.

However, with the stadium's new addition, came the option for some faculty members, like my father, to order four season tickets instead of just two like previous seasons. So, when the defending national champion Bulldogs kicked off their '81 season against Tennessee 30 years ago come this September, they did so in front of nearly 20,000 fresh faces, including yours truly - six years old at the time, attending his very first Georgia football game.

Taken from a video courtesy of the University of Tennessee and narrated by the Volunteers' legendary John Ward, here are some highlights from a memorable game for me:

Personally, it never gets old watching highlights from Georgia football's heyday of the early 1980s. In particular, the 1981 Bulldogs "on paper" might have been the best Georgia football team of all time despite two losses suffered during their season.

The above video is some evidence of the talented bunch: players like Herschel Walker, Terry Hoage, seniors Buck Belue and Lindsay Scott, true freshman Kevin Butler, junior college-transfer Ronnie Harris, and... Jeff Paulk.

In case you're wondering, Paulk was Georgia's second- or third-string quarterback from 1979-1982. For his entire Bulldog career, he accounted for only approximately 250 yards of total offense and scored one touchdown - the one shown in the video.

My favorite players from the first Bulldog team I witnessed in person were Herschel and Hoage, for obvious reasons, and Jeff Paulk, simply because he was one of my coaches at the Athens YMCA and I also thought he had a neat sounding last name.

For these reasons, I had to include Paulk's touchdown in the highlights from my first Bulldog game.

One of my favorite stories from that Georgia-Tennessee meeting begins with the dozen or so dedicated Track People, who still turned out that afternoon to sit on the railroad tracks. Of course, they couldn't see the Bulldogs from where they sat but an enormous side of concrete instead.

Still, as one track fan declared, as long as there was whiskey to drink and Larry Munson on his radio, he didn't mind the obstructed view.

However, another ticketless fan, Rick, did mind after the whiskey wore off and was going to do all he could to see his Bulldogs. He and a few friends tried several different ways to catch a glimpse of the game from both east and west sides of the stadium without any luck.

After many unsuccessful attempts, a friend said, “Looks like we ain’t gonna get in.”

“Heck,” said a dejected Rick, “I gotta be at my wedding rehearsal at four o’ clock anyway.”