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AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2008 > September > 04 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTime for the D to step up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Saturday the Dawgs face another high-octane spread offense led by a non-BCS conference quarterback with incredibly gaudy statistics that have Georgia’s players comparing him with Heisman winner Tim Tebow.
Good, I’m glad the UGA coaches have made sure Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour has the Bulldogs’ attention. There’s always the danger of not taking these early games against a team from a lesser conference seriously enough.
Last time Georgia tangled with one of these statistical supermen, he wound up sitting slackjawed on the sideline as his team was completely demolished by a relentless Dawg rush in the Sugar Bowl.
Something tells me LeFevour, who ran for over a thousand yards last season in addition to passing for more than 3,600 yards, might be a bit tougher to handle than the more highly publicized Colt Brennan, who pretty much just stood back there and slung the ball on every play.
I don’t have any doubt Georgia can score on Central Michigan, but it would be nice (especially considering how slippery it is up there near the top of the polls) not to get into a shootout with these guys. As Coach Richt said after last week’s game, Georgia’s down linemen will need to do a better job of bringing pressure against a veteran quarterback this week. Because of the heat and humidity, some of the Dawgs defense appeared to check out early during the Georgia Southern game. Here’s a chance for them to make up for it and live up to their preseason billing by shutting down the Chippewas’ Mr. Everything decisively for an entire four quarters.
BETWEEN THE HEDGES: Nicest thing about walking into the stadium for last week’s season opener in Athens was finding the price of something actually had gone down! The game programs, which had been going for $6 in recent years, are now just $5. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has taken over UGA program sales, which had been slipping, and my brother Jon, who’s involved in the FCA, tells me the organization will get some of the proceeds that it plans to apply to scholarships for athletic camps. With all the new faces showing up in the lineup, a program comes in handy, and now there’s more reason to buy one. … One change at Sanford Stadium wasn’t an improvement. Instead of following up the increasingly popular “Saturday Night’s Alright” video highlights reel (which the crowd has really started getting into) with the usual classy “Baba O’Riley” kickoff lead-in, they went for a forgettably generic heavy-metal approach that pretty much dissipated the excitement. “Baba” instead was used in abbreviated form before the fourth quarter. Not a good move. … Fans driving home after the game now have a choice of UGA call-in programs. The WSB-led Georgia Bulldog Radio Network has incorporated a “Dog Talk” feature into the post-game show, leading Athens affiliate WNGC (106.1 FM) to cut out early and move up the start of its traditional “Fifth Quarter Show” with David Johnston and UGA kicking legend Kevin Butler. Flipping back and forth between the two during the first week, I found the somewhat more loose-cannon comments by Butler more entertaining, but it’s nice to be able to switch from one to the other during the many commercial breaks.
Comments
By jaja
September 4, 2008 10:11 AM | Link to this
LeFevour will be a handful, but I’m confident the defense can slow him down enough to make this a comfortable win. Remember, Clempson scored 70 on them last year.
By GeoffDawg
September 4, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
If the heat and humidity was tough on us, imagine how a team from Michigan will respond to it. Does anyone know the forecast for Saturday at 3:30?
By NewnanDawgCF
September 4, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
I think the Dawgs will be fired up and fine against CM. It seems that the later the game, the better they play sometimes.
I like the little tidbits about the non game stuff. I really like the “Saturday Night’s Alright” song and clips. Just think of the whole stadium screaming/singing “Saturday, Saturday….” before the Alabama night game. I would like to hear “The Devil went down to Georgia” when Fulmer steps on the field also. And I’ll definately buy a few extra programs this season to support FCA.
Go Dawgs!
By gdawginkalamazoo
September 4, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this
FYI from CMU couple of interesting notes:
Dating back to last season, the Chippewas have scored at least 30 points in seven straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in the nation Something for the D to look at correcting.
Current head coach Butch Jones was an assistant at CMU from 1998-2004. Current Georgia assistants Willie Martinez (1998-2000) and John Jancek (2003-04) served on the same staffs as Jones at CMU
Jones coached receivers at West Virginia during the 2005 and 2006 seasons and was a member of the coaching staff that led the Mountaineers to a 38-25 win over Georgia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl
Make no mistake about it. He knows what works against UGA. So look out Willie.
By GW
September 4, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this
Defense was very vanilla 2-deep zone vs. Southern. We let them catch the short stuff. Let’s not get in the habit of sitting back like the first half of 2006.
By Mikey in Sav
September 4, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
Dawgs 48 Chippewas 14
By tiltman
September 4, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this
good research kalamazoo — I’m a dawg fan and don’t think we’ll cover; this will be a tough bout — especially if we don’t put up at least 30 ourselves … quick correction — dawgs lost to WVU in the sugar bowl 38-35. Shockley brought us back from a 21 pt deficit; D made a great stop but west VA fooled us on a fake punt to ensure we wouldn’t get the ball back. Great coaching by Rodgriguez and a great team. Live and Learn. Go Dawgs!!!!
By Thirsty Dawg
September 4, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this
One very bad thing in the stadium was the $4 water. I saw people dropping like flies from the heat. Not the drunks either, most of the people I saw were women who just looked spent. I got my son a water but skipped it myself at that price, I paid a higher price on the way home with a pounding dehydration headache. $4.00 water, shame on them.
By HomeDawg
September 4, 2008 3:32 PM | Link to this
Mikey: My God! Can you imagine how far we’ll fall in the polls if we give a 2-time defending Div. I conference champion with a legit Heisman candidate 14 points at home, and score only 48 ourselves?! We’ll be 2-0, and dropping like a rock.
By MoDawg
September 4, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this
kalamazoo, the WV score was 38-35. Doesn’t change the fact that we lost, just making sure we were factually accurate since you did such a good job with the rest of your post.
By EMRBG
September 4, 2008 5:16 PM | Link to this
Zoo is entitled to at least one mistake per year. It is in his contract as Far Northern Scout for the DawgNation.
$4 water. What a joke. I used to be a Regional Sales Manager for a water company. The wholesale cost to the stadium is probably around 5 to 6 dollars per case. No wonder we run the most profitable athletic program in the NCAA. Two bottles pays for the case and the other twenty two give you a $88 profit per case. Man give me some of that action.
By Pago Flyer
September 5, 2008 12:42 AM | Link to this
Water is $3.00 at the Big House, and there is water company that gives away cups of water also. CMU may score a few points on the DAWGS. And now, Vandy and the ‘Cocks look pretty good.
By gdawginkalamazoo
September 5, 2008 9:04 AM | Link to this
MoDawg, tiltman and Homedawg, wasn’t my mistake that was a cut and paste job from the CMU website, didn’t notice they cut our score till too late. So my bad I guess. Cut and paste is easier than me typing my 35 wpm.
By Rick
September 5, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
I have a question: Has there been any official communication from UGA Administration regarding enclosing the end zone and rennovating/widening the corridors at Sanford Stadium? It’s time!
By AltamahaDawg
September 5, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this
Could they screen those incoming calls to that show a little more???
“uh yea, I just wanted to say if we would run the ball more, we would have more running” “I’m just gonna listen you your answer now”
By Caller #2
September 5, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
“I wuz wandering why we didn’t score mo then the other team and do you think that if wez did, it wud hav changed the outcome. I just gonna listen to your answer now.”
By lynninsavannah
September 5, 2008 2:49 PM | Link to this
Lets all see if we can make more noise this Saturday. That lasr half fan support was awful. Go Dawgs!
By HomeDawg
September 5, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
It is my understanding that Colt Brennan II has said that he figures the noise at Sanford won’t be so bad tomorrow. After all, CMU’s been to Purdue, so they can handle it.
By WV let up....
September 5, 2008 7:12 PM | Link to this
could you not see it?
By D'Marcus Jefferson, Kappa Alpha pledge at UGA
September 7, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this
Are you kidding me about the DEFENSE stepping up? I’m not a DAWG fan, but they could send in the C team defense including some of the girls from your uglier——ehhh not as physically blessed sororities and still become NATIONAL CHAMPS! Be real, the SEC is OVERRATED this year…..
13-0! GOOD LUCK DAWGS—-including the DAWGS from your Uglier—-ehhhhh not as physically blessed sororities!!
By AZDAWG5
September 17, 2008 8:47 PM | Link to this
Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez was asked if he played too conservatively late in the game.
“No, because we bring pressure out of that,” he said. “You ask enough offensive guys, they don’t know where the pressure is going to come from. It’s really a 3-4 defense. There could be eight guys coming or seven guys coming. There’s some illusion to it, too.”
Are you freaking kidding me…the only illusion here is Willie Vanillie…And the scary thing is that CMR is letting this guy call the defense…I hope they bring the A game to the Desert if there is such a thing…I wonder if Vanillie makes these comments so we do not pick on Bozo?? Any idea as to how many fans are travelling to the AZ…