Georgia Tech 45 - Georgia 42

To the victor belong the spoils. Tear off all the hedge clippings you want. You defeated an under-achieving, undisciplined, poorly coached Red clad football team. Believe me, as a long-time, traditional Georgia fan, a loss to Tech always is the worse. And it feels much worse than the three point margin, I assure you. But to be very honest, I was not caught off guard on this one. The Bulldogs have digressed as a football team this year and I really didn't think that was going to change Saturday. It did not. The 9-3 record that Georgia now sports is no indication of the caliber of this team whatsoever. We are not as good as 9-3 would lead one to believe. The Dawgs do not play very good fundamental football. They do not play with any sense of urgency, thus the absence of anything resembling a 'killer instinct'. They routinely hurt themselves ,while aiding their opponents, with missed assignments, penalties, and turnovers. They always seem to 'play down' to an inferior opponent, but seldom 'play up' to an equal or superior opponent. Georgia has games, and several times this season, halves ,when they just fail to show up and play. It's problematic across the board, but primarily on defense and special teams. The Bulldogs have to be the worst kick return and kick coverage teams in the entire country. They have to be one of the worst tackling teams in the country. These deficiencies have been recurrences over several weeks. They have not been 'fixed' or even improved upon as the weeks and games have gone by. Georgia has settled into a style of play that is very alarming if you are a Bulldog fan. We have a man who is paid upwards of $2 million dollars per year to diagnose and then nurture this program back to health. Get to work Dr. Richt. You've got one hell of an off-season ahead of you.

A Rainy "Wreck Tech" Saturday

It's Gameday in the 'Classic City'. Georgia versus Georgia Tech. And it's a very wet Gameday. It's often said in football that bad weather conditions favor the underdog. Only trouble with that is, this game is rated a virtual toss-up. I would think the rainy day would tend to help the Jackets because of their ground attack, except for the fact that handling the triple option with a slippery football can't be conducive to extended success. There are just too many tosses to trailing backs in that option set. Not to mention the fact that Tech is prone to putting it on the ground anyway. But from a Georgia offensive perspective, quarterback Matthew Stafford and his corp of receivers can't be overjoyed with a forecast of steady rain. With all of that said, it is entirely possible that the weather will do what the defenses are so concerned about being able to do: Stop the opposing offense. Now it becomes a game of turnovers; who will commit the least, and who will be able to take advantage of them the most. Special teams will come into play in a significant way, because field position will be especially important. But isn't it important in every game? Who knows, a punter and/or a kicker might turn out to the the hero of the game. Or the 'goat'. But the bottom line is that it's still football, and it's raining on both sides of the line of scrimmage. May the team wearing the 'Red and Black' reign victorious!

Oh Sanford, Wherefore Art Thou?

When Georgia plays Georgia Tech tomorrow in Athens, it will have been an incredible 42 days since the Bulldogs last played at home "Between the Hedges" in beautiful Sanford Stadium. That is the longest 'away' streak for any major college football team in the country this year. There was much talk about how tough Georgia's schedule was before the season started, but that conjecture centered around the Bulldog's opponents, not necessarily where the game was to be played. Now looking back at who the Dawgs played, where they played them, and when they played them, it 's pretty impressive that our record stands at 9-2 with one to play. For example, I wondered early on how the late return from Arizona State would affect our preparation for Alabama. You know the result of the 'Bama game. I also pondered how Georgia would get "up" for Florida in Jacksonville after just returning from the hostile environment of LSU's Death Valley. You know the result of the Florida game. On the other hand, I have contemplated how the off week before Tech might aid the Bulldogs in getting prepared for the much ballyhooed triple option offense of the Yellow Jackets. No, you do not know the result of the Tech game...yet.

Cheerleader of the Week

Georgia's "Dana" (left) was named 'Cheerleader of the Week' by SI Vault. Hairy Dawg says it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Way to take one for the team Hairy!

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who stops by An Opinion On Sports from time to time! One of my annual Thanksgiving rituals has been to read Furman Bisher's column on this day each year in the Atlanta Constitution and see just what it is that he's thankful for. Try it yourself this year and then take a moment to realize all the things you have to be thankful for. Even for most of us on this Thanksgiving as we gather with family and friends, our cups truly do runneth over. But at the same time, we should always be mindful of those who will go without. May God bless those people, as well as each of you and yours.

Jocks Giving Back

After hearing about all the negative things that seem to surround many professional athletes, it's kind of nice to be reminded of all the good things a lot of them do. SI Galleries has a great section on the charities that the Pros are involved in. The one pictured above is called PeyBack Foundation, which focuses on disadvantaged and at-risk youth. I'm somewhat partial to Kyle Petty's Victory Junction because I was in Atlanta once when the 'Charity Ride Across America' came through there. I learned all about this charity, and saw how all those bikers were really 'sold-out' for that cause. Kyle himself was very accommodating, even willing to stop for a photo with my wife. The SI Vault highlights more than a dozen charities, with names such as Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, Derek Jeter and Warrick Dunn. Check it out. You'll be impressed!

No Tiger in This GM Tank!

General Motors has announced that it will end its endorsement package with golfer Tiger Woods at the conclusion of 2008. Woods has represented GM, and more specifically Buick, for the past nine years. General Motors claims these separation talks have been ongoing for most of the year, and are not related to the car maker's recent loan request from the federal government. They further state that this agreement is two-fold: Tiger wants more time to spend with his expanding family. and GM wants to cut costs. Yea right General Motors. The real deal is you need the money you're paying Tiger (which was too much to begin with), and you need the money you're seeking from Uncle Sam. This move would have to be considered a positive one in the eyes of the government committee. Now all you have to do is get rid of those corporate jets and all of those inflated management salaries. Good luck...

"Eight Would Be Great" in '08

We are less than a week away. Saturday, 'high noon', in Athens town. The Bulldogs versus the Yellow Jackets. Georgia going for their eighth consecutive victory over Georgia Tech. Mark Richt has never lost to the pesky insects from Atlanta. However, Paul Johnson's triple option offense is cookin'. Georgia's defense is not. The Jackets are hungry for victory "Between the Hedges". The Dawgs have not played 'hungry' in quite some time now. Tech is a better team than the one that started the season. Georgia is not a better all-around team than the one that started the season. Tech is a disciplined team. Georgia is out of control. Based on the two teams last two games, if Tech plays Georgia like they did Miami, they will win. If Georgia plays Tech like they did Auburn, they will lose. But always remember: "If 'ifs and buts' were candy and nuts, what a Merry Christmas it would be". Go Dawgs!

Tech Runs Miami Into Submission

As an avid Georgia fan, I must pause and give Georgia Tech their due and congratulate them on a very impressive 41-23 thrashing of the Miami Hurricanes Thursday night (You know those Jackets like those Thursday night tilts!). Even though in my heart of hearts I would have much preferred to see the 'Canes prevail, I do think it was best for Georgia that Tech won this contest. Now they will come to Athens next week so confident and full of themselves they they will almost be foolishly cocky. And on the flip side, the Bulldogs got to see first hand how impressive the triple option offense can be when run so well. And the Bees did run it exceptionally well last night. With that in mind, now Georgia knows they cannot take Tech lightly. 472 rushing yards is no fluke, and while Miami isn't Alabama, they aren't Susie Dasher Elementary either. Tech raised Georgia's sense of urgency a lot last night. It will take a supreme defensive effort for the Dawgs to slow up Tech's offense. They will have to play the option better than they did against Georgia Southern and Kentucky, and neither of those teams runs it as efficiently as does Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets. Georgia must play disciplined, assignment football, they must tackle well, and they cannot commit penalties to help Tech sustain drives. These are all things Mark Richt's Bulldogs have not done a good job of in any recent games. Having said all of that, I do anticipate Georgia playing very well in their first game back "Between the Hedges" in more that four weeks! Tech will not have it so easy next Saturday as they did on 'Amateur Night' in Atlanta. I do not anticipate ever offering congratulations to a Georgia Tech football team again. I certainly have not enjoyed trying to be so 'politically correct' with them today. Perhaps last night will be end up being their final victory of the 2008 season. Now that feels much better. Go Dawgs, WRECK TECH!

The SEC Holds All the Cards

It has already been determined that the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators will face off in this year's SEC Championship Game. There is no doubt that this year the two best teams in the conference will indeed play for the title. Heck, they might even be the two best teams in the country for that matter. Alabama is already ranked number one, and Florida is sitting in the third spot of the AP poll. If Oklahoma were to defeat Texas Tech this week, the Tide and the Gators could come to Atlanta ranked 1 and 2 in the nation. Wow, the conference would have the entire college football country in the palm of its hand. Barring any regular season upsets for the two teams, the winner in Atlanta will definitely play for the National Championship. Maybe you can spell it without SEC, but you sure can't play for it without the SEC! You'll read much more about this game between now and December 6, both here and everywhere else. Stay tuned...

Will Muschamp: Patience Personified

The title "Head Coach-In-Waiting" is gaining popularity around the college football ranks. Florida State has one, as does Kentucky ( now why would anyone hang around and wait for the Kentucky job to come open?). And now the University of Texas has one. Will Muschamp, arguably the most sought after assistant coach in Division 1 football, will apparently continue to be the Longhorn's defensive coordinator until Head Coach Mack Brown decides to ride off into the Texas sunset. Although Muschamp has only been on the scene one year, Texas has cloned him their chosen one for the future. He also gets a raise which doubles his current salary to $900,000 per year. Muschamp feels he isn't ready to be a head coach yet, and he's content to learn all he can from Brown while he's there. He also believes being the head football coach at the University of Texas is the ultimate job for him. Mack Brown is 57 years old, which is still considered young in the coaching profession. Texas wants him around a lot longer, and he wants to coach a lot longer. He has eight years remaining on his current contract. The Longhorns feel this announcement makes that transition day so much less traumatic for its program. They will not have to deal with such issues as speculation, rumors, coaching searches, nor recruiting problems. Since they feel Muschamp is their man, the speculation that he was receiving interest from Tennessee, Clemson and Washington might have stepped up this announcement. My only question is, how long is an assistant willing to remain an assistant when he realizes 'his time' might already be there? If Mack Brown finishes out his contract with Texas, will Muschamp remain content as an assistant for the next eight years? One would expect that a lot of really good jobs at some top universities will open up between now and the next eight years. Even now, being named the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers would not be that much below Texas. Clemson would not be paying "chump change" either. And oh yea, what if Auburn is really fed up with Tommy Tubberville this time, there aren't many coaches who would turn down that job on the Plains and a chance to compete in the SEC. But on the other hand, I'm sure Will Muschamp knows all of this, having played at Georgia and coached at Auburn. Perhaps this "tie-up" would be easier to understand if he wasn't so sought after, or even if there was a specific date out there that he would assume control. Good luck, Will, in staying the course!

Let's Get it Started...

Football teams have rituals that they go through before games. At Clemson, all the players touch "Howard's Rock". At Notre Dame, players touch a sign that reads "Play Like Champions Today". At Georgia, all the players touch the huge cement Bulldog just before they run out onto the Sanford Stadium turf. The traditional nuances run on and on, but I think you get the drift here. I have a great idea for a potential motivational sign for the football coaching staff at Georgia. They could have this sign in all their offices and meeting rooms for the next nine months in hopes of never letting this be true of them again:

* "Never has so little been accomplished by so few with so much" *