UGA blog finds new home
Morning all. As I’ve said a couple of times this week, we’re converting this blog over to a WordPress platform and it will be a permanent move the first of next week.
Those of you who are regulars probably know that I’m not what you’d call techno-wizard when it comes to these things. But from what I understand the technology offered in this new format should make the blogging and commenting experience better for all. Of course, I’ll be learning as we go along, too. But I’m hoping to provide more pictures and video and things like that which should bring the blog more to life.
Of course, this blog is nothing without all you guys so I want to heartily invite (read: beg) you to come over to the new site by CLICKING HERE ON THE NEW ADDRESS and save it in your browsers. As of Monday, Feb. 23rd, this will be the permanent home of the UGA blog you so love or, in the case of some of you, love to loathe. If you’d prefer to copy and paste or just memorize, the new address is: http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/.
See at the new place!
AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 30
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Dogs best be motivated for Troy, too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia doesn’t have a chance against Troy on Saturday.
OK, that might be a bit of a stretch but, after listening to coach Mark Richt at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, you’d think the Bulldogs were going to be a two-touchdown underdog this week. Never mind that Georgia will be playing a non-conference game sandwiched between two bitter SEC rivals. The Trojans, as Richt pointed out with meticulous detail, feature SEC caliber athletes, including 25 players from Georgia. They beat Oklahoma State worse than Georgia did — the final score was 41-23 but the Trojans were ahead 41-7 at one point — and their only two losses were to SEC opponents (Arkansas 46-26 and Florida 59-31 in the first two games of the season).
“Troy is a game you just kind of wish wasn’t on your schedule to be honest with you,” Richt said. “They’re a very talented team, a team that won their league [Sun Belt conference] last year and one that’s on their way to winning it this year. They’re undefeated in league play. They haven’t scored less than 24 points in a game and they just had a shutout last week. We better be ready to play.”
Part of being a good coach is the ability identify the strengths in an opponent and making sure that your team fully respects them. Vince Dooley was always the best at that, once famously pointing out that a dreadful Oregon State team due to visit Sanford Stadium that weak had “the best onsides kicking team in the country.”
This, however, is no smoke screen being sent up by Richt. The Trojans are the real deal and, as such, are real dangerous. They will provide an intriguing test for Georgia coming on the heels of a game against Florida in which Richt was so concerned about his team playing with enough fire and passion that he ordered the players to get a celebration penalty after the first score.
Georgia players interviewed at Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday said Richt got his point across and such tactics won’t be necessary the rest of the year. But, at the same time, quarterback Matthew Stafford admitted “you can’t have the same excitement 12 weeks in a row.”
Georgia may get a break. There’s a good chance Troy will play without their slightly-injured starting quarterback Omar Haugabook. He has a pulled hamstring but the Trojans are actually more concerned about their remaining Sun Belt games than they are about upsetting the Bulldogs. And they’re also without defensive end Brandon Lang. The former Tucker High star and one-time Georgia signee tore his ACL against Oklahoma State in the third game and will miss the game.
So are you buying what Richt is selling, that Troy is the real deal and a real threat on Saturday. And how about the motivation angle? Is it unrealistic to expect the Bulldogs to be fired up for this game? Do you expect it to even matter?
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