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 > 2008 > September > 27
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Bulldogs rolled as blackout backfires
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is why a lot of coaches wouldn’t consider hyping up a game the way Georgia did Alabama on Saturday.
It was already a big game just based on the the No. 3 and 8, rankings, respectively, and the national television audience and all that. Then coach Mark Richt added the blackout element at the behest of his senior players. Can’t fault him for that as he traditionally listens to his seniors and it worked well the two other times they did it, most notably the first time last year against Auburn (45-20).
But Saturday it blew up in the Bulldogs’ collective faces as Alabama came in blitzed them with a 31-0 first half en route to a 41-30 victory. Tide coach Nick Saban made no secret of his ploy to use the whole concept as motivation for his team, as the early-week “dressing for a funeral” comment his strength coach made.
That said, let’s be clear about this: Georgia’s decision to have a blackout didn’t lose it the game. Alabama’s offensive and defensive fronts and the Bulldogs’ penalties, mistakes, dropped passes, etc., is why the Bulldogs lost this game and lost it the way it did.
Richt was asked if we’d seen the last of the black jerseys:
“It didn’t work this time. If your looking at the atmosphere, we had atmosphere. That’s as loud as it gets anywhere… But I’m not going to make any statements about it I might have to take back later.”
No, this was about the lines of scrimmage, and the Dogs got whipped on both. I asked CMR if Bama just got hot or it exposed some fundamental flaws.
“I don’t think we got exposed per se,” Richt said. “I think we’ve got a bunch of young pups up there fighting like mad… . We’re young up front and it showed.”
Based on what I’m seeing in the polls and who won and lost Saturday, I think Georgia will fall significantly. It’d be seventh at best, maybe out of the Top 10. I’d put Bama way up there after seeing who it played against the Dogs. They should go up to at least 5th but might even climb as high as second. There was some talk in the press box of first. Why not? Two big road wins. See anything you didn’t like about them?
The final numbers don’t reflect the whipping we witnessed: Total offense — Alabama 334, Georgia 324; first downs — Bama 21, Georgia 18. This one pops out: Rushing — Alabama 45-129, Georgia 16-50.
Thirty-one to zip first half — that one says it all.
Permalink | Comments (591) | Post your comment | Categories: Football
Can Dogs blackout Bama for W?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings once again from the press box at Sanford Stadium. An absolutely gorgeous night for football. I’m not sure you could pack many more elements into this game. Georgia-Alabama. The nation’s No. 3 and No. 8-ranked teams. National television. ESPN GameDay in the house. And, of course, The Blackout.
Looks like they have another 99.5 percent participation rate. That’s about what it was the first time they tried this last year against Auburn. Nearly everybody in black other than a few stragglers in red or white.
Alabama, obviously aware of the whole blackout plan — at least their strength coach seemed to know — is countering with all their fans in white shirts, or at least most of them. So no problem looking into the stands and knowing who is for whom.
Players are clearly fired up for this one as well. Several of them — including tailback Knowshon Moreno — decided to get Mohawk haircuts this week. Not sure what that’s all about but, like always, we’ll try to find out after the game.
Obviously Georgia can put some distance between itself and the rest of the SEC pack with a win here tonight. When Florida went down 31-30 to Ole Miss earlier today, roars went up simultaneously all over campus. I even saw an Alabama fan and a Georgia fan exchange high fives. Guess there’s at least one thing everybody in the league can agree on.
Going to be late before this one is finished but we’ll know a lot more when the game is over. Hang here with us all night and I’ll be providing updates and insights throughout the game.
Here’s a couple of links to checkout: CMR dropped by the GameDay set and presented Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso with a couple of personalized black Georgia jerseys… . Also, CMR was calling on Dogs’ fans to make a difference Saturday and the Marck Richt Blog.
Permalink | Comments (329) | Post your comment | Categories: Football
Services »
