Georgia Bulldogs Appear Liberty Bowl-Bound to Face Conference USA Champ; Is This a Good Thing?
by T Kyle King on Nov 30, 2010 3:30 AM EST
in Football
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PrintIt looks like the Liberty Bowl is about as much of a mortal lock as it can be at this point, short of the Outback Bowl doing something stupid again to throw everything into chaos. Unfortunately, the Tennessee Volunteers’ victory over the Kentucky Wildcats made the Big Orange available as an attractive in-state option for the Nashville-based Music City Bowl, which likely eliminates all hope of a postseason renewal of the rivalry between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Clemson Tigers.
Since it appears pretty clear that the ‘Dawgs are Memphis-bound, we need to do what we can to make the best of a bad season by looking for the silver lining. Why should we love like tolerate receiving a Liberty Bowl bid? Let me count the ways:
- The Liberty Bowl is sponsored by AutoZone. It’s always a plus when you know what product or service the corporate sponsor sells, and it’s an extra added bonus when you’ve actually been to one of their stores and bought something. At least we won’t be wondering, "Who the heck is BBVA Compass?" or, "What the heck is MagicJack?"
- The Liberty Bowl is being played on the afternoon of December 31. Getting to a New Year’s Eve bowl game counts for something.
- Memphis is roughly 450 miles from Athens and a little under 400 miles from Atlanta. That’s not ideal, but it makes for a nice trip, particularly to a city with as much to offer as a tourist destination as Memphis has. (One word: Graceland.)
- The Bulldogs will face the winner of next weekend’s Conference USA title tilt between George O’Leary’s Central Florida Knights and June Jones’s SMU Mustangs. Given Mark Richt’s history with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Mark Richt’s history with Coach Jones’s previous team, I like Georgia’s chances against a gold-and-white-clad club led by Coach O’Leary or a team guided by Coach Jones.
- The Bulldogs have history with both Central Florida and Southern Methodist. In 1999, the winless Golden Knights came into Sanford Stadium and nearly upset eleventh-ranked Georgia between the hedges. Aided by a missed UCF extra point and a debatable pass interference penalty, the Classic City Canines escaped with a 24-23 win. Against the Ponies in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the Bulldogs’ 1966 SEC championship campaign, Georgia cruised to a 24-9 triumph with the help of two future members of the State Bar of Georgia: Kent Lawrence, currently a State Court judge in Athens, broke off a 74-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game, and Billy Payne, a 1973 graduate of the Joseph Henry Lumpkin School of Law, brought in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Kirby Moore.
- Georgia has history in the Liberty Bowl. The Bulldogs fell by a 14-7 margin to an N.C. State Wolfpack club led by quarterback Jim Donnan in 1967. The future Georgia head coach earned most valuable player honors by completing 16 of 24 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. The Red and Black went on to win a 20-17 outing against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Memphis in 1987, in a game that appeared in doubt when the Hogs drove inside the Georgia ten yard line with fewer than 120 seconds remaining in a tie ballgame. A holding call set Arkansas back, and a missed 35-yard field goal try set the stage for John Kasay to close out his freshman year with a game-winning 39-yard field goal as time expired.
- The Liberty Bowl has history, as well. It is the eighth-oldest existing bowl game, behind the Citrus (now Capital One), Cotton, Gator, Orange, Rose, Sugar, and Sun Bowls. While never a major postseason destination, the Liberty Bowl has been around for more than half a century, which carries some cachet in a sport with so many fly-by-night small-time bowl games.
- Since the Liberty Bowl began pitting an SEC representative against a Conference USA squad in 2006, the Southeastern Conference has gone 4-0 in Memphis, but the league’s four victories were decided by margins of eight, seven, six, and three points, respectively. We should expect a good game.
- The likelihood that the Conference USA Championship Game will determine the Red and Black’s bowl opponent spares that contest from the ignominy of being named this week’s national game of disinterest.
- The O’Jays will be providing the halftime entertainment, so those who attend will get to hear "Love Train" performed live.
Is the Liberty Bowl a perfect option for the Bulldogs, or even the best possible option? No, it isn’t, and no Georgia fan should be satisfied with this outcome to a season that ought to have been better than it was. Nevertheless, we are where we are, and, given the reality of our situation, the Athenians could do a lot worse than the Liberty Bowl. If everything plays out as expected, the Liberty Bowl is a tolerable opportunity of which the Red and Black (and their fans) should make the most.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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The blocking on that photo set is amazing. Maybe something we can look into.
"One thing I will never do as long as I’m at Georgia is lose to Florida." - Herschel Walker
I'm pretty sure Bill Dooley was our offensive line coach then.
I’m not sure if he’s a Tennessee fan, too, now that his nephew is coaching for the Vols, but maybe we could get him back.
Go 'Dawgs!
I'd like to point out that I posted the above comment roughly five hours ago, . . .
. . . and no one has yet made a snarky remark to the effect that Michael Adams wouldn’t hire a Dooley.
I’m not saying that’s a good thing or a bad thing; I’m just pointing out that it’s a thing.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Nov 30, 2010 12:30 PM EST up reply actions
Really.
You’ve indicated in the past that you think I and many regular commenters look for every opportunity to take a swipe at Michael Adams, yet I eschewed an obvious opportunity to do so, as did everyone else. I thought it was worth pointing out, so that you would see that you overstate the case considerably; vineyarddawg has one running joke about Dr. Adams in his “countdown” posts, and that’s virtually the only time he’s ever mentioned.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Nov 30, 2010 12:41 PM EST up reply actions
Except, of course, for when some (myself included) reference the reference
In a quest for humor
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't." - Lewis Grizzard
Then why not leave it alone?
Calling attention to the lack of a pot shot, in a shocked manner, is basically a pot shot.
I'm not sure why you thought my previous comment was "in a shocked manner," . . .
. . . but I now get that there is no way to make even a passing reference to Michael Adams in anything other than a 100 per cent complimentary way without drawing a humorless response from you, Muckbeast. Forget I said anything, and forget that I even tried to point out that your concerns are overblown.
Sigh.
Go 'Dawgs!
Well, Kyle,
when you say things like “there is no way to make even a passing reference to Michael Adams in . . . a 100 per cent complimentary way”, how can you expect him to not take offense? :-)
by hailtogeorgia on Dec 1, 2010 9:52 AM EST up reply actions
3 members of the bar?
If I’m not mistaken, Kirby Moore is or was himself a member of the bar as well.
Thanks, JeepDawg.
According to the State Bar of Georgia website linked above, there is indeed a Kirby R. Moore practicing law in Macon who was admitted to the practice of law in 1973, which would be about right, so it’s probably him.
My apologies go out to Kirby Moore and my gratitude goes out to JeepDawg. Good catch.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Nov 30, 2010 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
It is him.
He used to be the attorney for the business where I worked. Probably shouldn’t show my complete ignorance, but I honestly didn’t know if you have to be a member of the state bar to be an attorney. I know, I should know, but I don’t. :)
That depends on what you mean by "to be an attorney"
But yes, to practice law in Georgia, one must be a member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia. If one is not such a member, one may do law-related stuff, but one may not practice law.
Good grief. I’m mere months away from 20 years of membership. I honestly didn’t think I’d still be doing this. I was sure some dean would recognize my talents and sweep me off my feet to an Ivory Tower somewhere by now.
Awesome.
The game will be played while I am at work. Great. Fitting end to a crappy season.
/makes pouty face and storms out of room.
"You can't print what I said, but they have to catch us." - Chipper Jones
At least
Memphis beats Shreveport (your destination last year)! I usually don’t remember these things – I can’t quite remember where Auburn went last year – but you have to admit it is kind of funny that you beat us last year and you STILL went to Shreveport!! I do remember making fun of my “dawg” friend for that. And she did report that Shreveport indeed “sucked”. Perhaps in Memphis you can amuse yourselves with dinner on one of those river boats or at a blues club. I knew this dork at NYU who was from Memphis. His last name is “Crump”. He claimed that his great grandfather or something “ran” Memphis, and was called “Boss Crump”.
I hope that your closing statements are in jest.
If they are not, and you are, indeed, unaware of E.H. “Boss” Crump’s legacy in Memphis and the power he held, then I suggest you google his name and read a bit about him. He was quite powerful in Memphis, as well as in the entire state of Tennessee. If you believe this dork to which you refer was pulling your leg, then it was only in that he wasn’t actually related to Boss Crump. The rest of it is legitimate.
by hailtogeorgia on Nov 30, 2010 9:55 AM EST up reply actions
"Mist' Crump don't 'low no easy riders here..""
or so the song went. An iron-fisted boss, gave them a well-run city, even allowed black people to vote (this was back in the 1920s, 30s, 40s) along with the whites so long as both voted for him and his candidates. A colorful character but assuredly no model of an open democracy.
For people going to the bowl game, Memphis is definitely an improvement over a year ago. Shreveport may be a charming city but I just can’t think of anywhere that ranks lower in the hierarchy of holiday destinations amongst all the bowls, except maybe Detroit. I am kind of disappointed for us not to be playing a BCS Conference opponent, but would be fine with watching us take the field against SMU, hopefully beat them from hell to breakfast while Craig James is forced to watch and announce it. UCF has the George O’Dearie angle which is pretty tepid after almost 10 years, but not much else. Main thing is for our players and coaches to benefit from the extra practices. It’s just been that kind of year. Hopefully this year’s frustrations have laid a foundation for Better Times ahead.
agreed . . .
There are many Crumps still in Memphis and most of them are probably related. Nonetheless, my perception is that the legacy is largely nostalgic and that and 75cents will buy your buddy a coke.
A wayward dawg in Memphis looking for the voice of reason
by esquiredawg on Nov 30, 2010 11:45 AM EST up reply actions
I thought of that infamous Stewart Mandel piece (in one of your many links) early this season
when 2-1 Colorado beat 1-3 Georgia and the fans stormed the field.
Still doesn’t address his ridiculous supposition about people in Montana, but obviously the residents of at least one Rocky Mountain state consider Georgia a national power.
"They've just discovered a new use for sheep over there at Clemson... wool." - Lewis Grizzard
by GwinnettGamecock on Nov 30, 2010 10:50 AM EST reply actions
Good point, GwinnettGamecock.
Yeah, one of the reasons I felt like the Bulldogs weren’t all that bad, despite their record, is that every single one of the six teams that beat Georgia seemed to be more than merely ordinarily enthusiastic about the achievement. Judging by the reaction of the Red and Black’s opponents, and the interest in acquiring Mark Richt’s services expressed by the Buffaloes and the Hurricanes, it would appear that opposing fans and other programs think better of us than we sometimes seem to think of ourselves.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Nov 30, 2010 12:26 PM EST up reply actions
While that’s a good point, I can’t help but say “is that how far we have fallen?”
Being happy about how excited people are when they beat us?
Again, I’m not disagreeing that it does indicate UGA is still respected, but gosh darn if it isn’t really depressing.
At least 11 losses in 2 years. Ugh. :(
I agree with your first, third, fourth, and fifth sentences.
(Well, the fifth was a guttural utterance, but you know what I mean.)
However, I disagree with your second sentence. I never said I was happy about it, and I don’t know anyone who is. I just said it offers some indication that beating the Bulldogs is more of an achievement than it may appear to be when you see that glaring “6” on the right-hand side of the ledger.
Georgia suffered at least one embarrassing blowout loss per season in the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 campaigns, but the Bulldogs were very much in the game heading into the fourth quarter in all six of this year’s losses. Hopefully, now that they have found a way to win a close one, those close losses will turn into wins next season.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Nov 30, 2010 12:46 PM EST up reply actions
This is the biggest point all the doom-and-gloom folks need to recognize--and yes, it's an improvement:
Georgia suffered at least one embarrassing blowout loss per season in the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 campaigns, but the Bulldogs were very much in the game heading into the fourth quarter in all six of this year’s losses.
If you're gonna do it, go ugly early.
This is true.
I was just thinking to myself this morning about what our record could be if literally ONE PLAY changed in three different games. Arkansas: have an underneath route on a 3rd and 5 play with a minute left (or have a RB pick up the very same block that he’d already made earlier in the game) and Blair has the chance to kick a field goal as time expires to win the game. Colorado: we all know…Caleb doesn’t fumble, kick a last second field goal to win the game. Florida: don’t throw the pick to start out overtime and we can score a touchdown or kick a field goal and have a chance to make a stop and win the game. Just with those three games…three possible plays, and our record could be sitting at 9-3 with an SEC East Championship and a rematch with Auburn in Atlanta this weekend for the chance to play in a BCS Bowl, with a New Year’s Day Bowl as the worst scenario.
by hailtogeorgia on Nov 30, 2010 2:14 PM EST up reply actions
looks like better offensive calls and no turnovers in critical momemts would have made a difference
yea, I will buy that.
"One thing I will never do as long as I’m at Georgia is lose to Florida." - Herschel Walker
If we had avoided critical turnovers
against SC and Miss. St. those games could have been different, as well. You could also point to just a few coverage breakdowns against Ark. as being the difference in that game, but Mallet has caused quite a few coverage breakdowns against quality defenses (LSU, anyone?) so maybe those run par for the course.
It really is amazing that the team was better at protecting the ball this year than last, but that most of our losses this year have a turnover you can point to as being one of the critical moments in the game.
(not trying to take anything away from the defenses that caused those turnovers).
I've permanently blocked that from my memory already
Because it happened to me once in 9th grade football.
I was the front and center blocker on kick-return and the other team huddled about 5 yards behind the ball, then all of a sudden the whole huddle ran at me along with the ball and, well, it wasn’t me who came up with the loose ball. That was either at the start of the game or start of the 2nd half too, come to think of it.
I don’t know that there was anything Georgia’s return team could have done on that play though, the ball was kicked perfectly so that only Auburn’s kicker could grab it. I know people hate the luck excuse, but that play was nothing other than dumb, blind luck. Auburn would never kick the ball off if they knew their kicker could kick the ball so that it would bounce to waist level at the spot he was running to.
Yes! And no one is really highlighting the thing most gained from this year's crucible:
These Dawgs never quit! They never gave up in the game(s) or on the season. It is real easy, and tempting, to roll over and die when even the little things are going against you. These kids kept fighting. It’s been an ugly, emotional year, but I’m damn proud of these Dawgs.
If you're gonna do it, go ugly early.
by Inteljumper on Nov 30, 2010 5:42 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I'll drink some of that Kool Aid...
and there were times in ‘08, with a much more talented team across the board, where I saw periods of, for lack of a better word, quit. As hard as it was for our defense on Saturday night, they hung in there. Maybe that’s a good omen for the future.
"If we score, we may win. If they never score, we'll never lose."
-Erk Russell
by DavetheDawg on Nov 30, 2010 7:06 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
“Georgia suffered at least one embarrassing blowout loss per season in the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 campaigns, but the Bulldogs were very much in the game heading into the fourth quarter in all six of this year’s losses. "
That’s actually a very good point. I appreciate you bringing it up as it does make me feel a tad better.
In the other years, we had some great teams that randomly failed to show up. Does that mean this year’s team was snakebit, or does it mean we are playing to the top of our level, but that level is 6-6?
I hope the former not the latter.
I'd like to think it means this team was snakebit.
Improvement in so many areas, coupled with regression in the record, suggests that (as amazing as it seems to imagine) last year’s team was significantly luckier than this year’s team.
After all, only one game demonstrably was lost on turnovers last year (against Kentucky), whereas at least two (against Colorado and Florida) were lost on turnovers this year, and arguably four (against Mississippi State and South Carolina), yet this year’s team was significantly better than last year’s team where turnovers were concerned. Sometimes, there’s just no figuring.
Go 'Dawgs!
SMU
I might make it if we’re playing SMU, but I don’t think I can justify the time/money of driving or price/cost of groping by TSA for UCF. Plus, I pretty much spent every last dime of marriage capital on the all-day COFH.
So, yeah, I ain’t goin’.
"I don't wear no Stetson..."
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Nov 30, 2010 11:10 AM EST reply actions
Just perused Sagarin Ratings...
If we beat UCF (currently #51), it would be our best win of the year.
sigh
"I don't wear no Stetson..."
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Nov 30, 2010 11:59 AM EST up reply actions
UCF is currently #25 in the Coaches Poll this week. I know it’s not great but it’s better than #51. UCF is a much better team than SMU this year and should win this Saturday. http://sports.ap.org/college-football/poll/coaches
I referenced Sagarin rating since it includes all teams.
SMU has a better win (Tulsa) than UCF (ECU, who SMU also beat). But SMU has lost more games and UCF has arguably a better set of results against common opponents. Throw in home-field advantage and I’d agree with you.
Georgia should beat either, but with the way we’ve played who the hell knows.
"I don't wear no Stetson..."
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Nov 30, 2010 6:05 PM EST up reply actions
Memphis will be a good time !
Made the drive from Athens to Memphis just this Sunday after returning home from the Tech game. Little bit of a homer opinion here, but Memphis will be an absolute blast for Dawg fans ! Beale street will appeal to anyone who loves the nightlife in downtown Athens.
Would definitely recommend staying downtown in either (a) the Peabody (the flavor of memphis) (b) Hampton inn & suites at Peabody place (in the middle of everything) © the westin (posh modern hotel used by visiting NBA teams) (d) or the Madison (very nice boutique).
Restaurants to try downtown: Rendezvous (dry ribs), Gus’ Fried chicken (best bird on earth. There is no debate), Spindini (modern Italian fusion), Blue Fin (great sushi and atmosphere), Inn at Hunt Phelan (upscale restaurant in an 1840’s mansion), Itta Bena (speakeasy- delta/southern fusion), McEwans on Monroe (great neighborhood ambience, upscale southern inspired fusion), Flight (delicious tapas), Courthouse Deli (lunch only- best deli sandwiches and cajun soups daily—a local favorite among nearby office workers), Huey’s (best burger in town—pub feel; famous for shooting toothpicks into ceiling)
Best bar on Beale: Silky O’Sullivans—dueling pianos, oyster bar and huge patio—much like Pat O’Brien’s but not a ripoff. Silky’s has been in Memphis for a long time. Right across the street, Rum Boogie Café has the best house blues band I’ve ever seen and damn fine alligator gumbo. If you like late night action, try Ernestine & Hazel’s on South Main st. (bluesy jukebox, best hamburger called a “soul burger”) or more up tempo at Paula Raiford’s disco on Second St. (think: young professionals drinking 40’s in a place with fog machines and disco lights)
Where to tailgate: the brand new "Tiger Lane" on the west side of liberty bowl memorial stadium. About the only thing Memphis football has done right in the last few years. A spot built with the modern tailgater in mind. Each spot fronts a grass strip and has a power hookup to plug in TVs, appliances, etc. You can leave your generator at home. Very well designed and great tailgating atmosphere.
Other Activities:
Tunica casinos (30-45 mins down hwy 61 / 3rd street—can also get there from I-55 via new I-69 which is probably quicker);
FedEx Forum: Grizzlies are in town on the 29th and the much beloved Tigers play on the 30th. I would recommend attending a Tigers game. They serve alcohol at the college games and the tigers and their fans are truly a first class basketball program.
guided Arkansas duck hunt—right over the bridge is some of the best duck hunting in the world and the season will be getting very good by new years; you can literally go duck hunting from your hotel in downtown memphis—there are many good options under an hour away.
Golf—best courses: Galloway (older course in beautiful east memphis neighborhood—$40 weekdays; not necessarily a destination course but a fun, well kept little track in a great neighborhood 10-15 mins from downtown); Mirimichi—Justin Timberlake’s LEED certified masterpiece—probably the best manicured golf course I’ve ever laid eyes on. Its not far from downtown, straight up Hwy 51 in Millington, TN—-if you’re a golf buff and the weather is cooperating, you should absolutly play here.
A wayward dawg in Memphis looking for the voice of reason
Thanks, esquiredawg!
That’s quite helpful. What about those of us who, if we go, will be going with families in tow? I know there’s a zoo and an aquarium, as well as the ducks coming down the elevator at the Peabody, but what else is kid-friendly in Memphis?
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Nov 30, 2010 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
Absolutely hit the Zoo....
The quality of the Memphis zoo cannot be underestimated. Its consistently ranked one of the tops in the country and is always updating / adding exhibits. The Teton Trek is the newest and is mean to be a diarama of yellowstone park—wolves, trout stream, etc…….. very nice.
Take the kids to see Starry Nights at Shelby Farms park. Its a holiday light exposition in Shelby Farms, a 4,500 acre park that is now in the center of the metropolis. Its a drive-thru deal where, if I remember correctly, they give you a CD / tape for the car that guides you as you drive through the park and see all the amazing christmas light features (lots of very innovative and advanced light displays). The experience is enhanced because the large park is otherwise pitch black so its very vivid. The park itself is probably worth seeing—its home to a buffalo/bison herd and is literally a 4500 acres slice of “country” that was preserved and now sits in the middle of the city. The city just added a “Greenline” that connects shelby farms park to neighborhoods in east memphis and is a huge hit for bikers, families, and other exericse enthusiasts.
I guess teenagers like shopping ? Its a shame the peabody place center is on the outs. When the movie theatre shut down many of the other places closed. The most high end shopping is probably at the Village at Carriage Crossing out in Collierville. Very nice modern “lifestyle” mall—-higher end stores but Atlanta undoubtedly blows us away on shopping. Sorry.
A wayward dawg in Memphis looking for the voice of reason
Take 'em to Graceland?
It’s not your typical house tour…but perhaps no kids allowed?
As a barbeque fan I don't have to be sold on a trip to Memphis.
Frankly the only way it could be a better bowl destination in my estimation is if a) it were the site of the BCS National Championship game and b) it were played in May.
Roy Orbison
did a halftime show there once in a driving rainstorm, I believe. Hard to believe they let Roy, whom Elvis believed was a better singer than himself, play in the King’s backyard. Oh, yeah, this gloom and doomer ain’t convinced. The combined record of the 6 victims of the mighty Dawgs is 24 wins and 47 losses, I believe, and none of them has a winning record. Please bring me some of what you positive guys are smoking.
I think my post just set the record for "believe" or derivatives thereof. Why then can I
not believe that Richt can get the job done.
Can you at least consider this may have just been a "rebuilding from scratch" year?
It wasn’t pretty, but beginnings rarely are. And yes, this 2010 Dawg team is a new pup: new QB, new defensive staff, new defensive scheme, and new Uga!
If you're gonna do it, go ugly early.
Here's your silver lining...
15 additional practice days—the importance of which cannot be overstated, are a blessing. After such an abysmal season, we’re lucky to get them.
Three weeks to keep installing the new defense.
Regardless of the bowl game outcome (and I predict we’ll blow the doors off UCF or SMU), we get 3 extra weeks to prepare for next year. We need it. And we need to make the most of it.
Go Dawgs!
My God, he's a freshman!
by Afghan Dawg on Nov 30, 2010 4:51 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Me too...
And IMO, Richt needs to let the entire coaching staff take up the bulk of his recruiting responsibilities this off season, so he can focus on recruiting one person to play football for us: A.J. Green.
My God, he's a freshman!
by Afghan Dawg on Nov 30, 2010 5:40 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I have a one word disagreement with that:
Crowell.
"I don't wear no Stetson..."
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Nov 30, 2010 6:07 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe he could split his time evenly between the two.
My God, he's a freshman!
by Afghan Dawg on Nov 30, 2010 6:25 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Fair enough.
However, I’m pretty sure there are limits on the head coach’s ability to make contact with a recruit, while Mark Richt unquestionably can spend as much time as he likes with his own players.
Personally, I’ve been resigned to A.J. Green’s departure for a year now; the more important “get” to me is convincing Justin Houston to remain in Athens, which is unlikely but not undoable.
Go 'Dawgs!
I’ve read that Richt has made his big goal keeping Houston, on the idea that he’d be on the fringe of the first round this year, but top 5-10 overall next year. I personally think he’s given up hope on AJ, who can’t really improve his standing.
I’d be happy if we manage to keep Houston OR get Crowell.
"It'll only be reviewed because the guys up in the booth want to watch it a few times too." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf16_mw0nxs
I need Houston to stay
and Crowell to come on board.
AJ would have to be crazy to stay. I would welcome him back with tears of joy, but the bottom line is that the sooner he starts getting paid to play, the better off he’s going to be. As a top 5 pick NOW, his signing bonus will insure that he can come back to school anytime and finish. It’s a total no-brainer – provided the NFL gets its labor issues squared away.
If we get Crowell, can we trust the staff to let him be the feature back? We’ve always rotated backs (Lumpkin/Ware/Brown; Brown/Moreno/Lumpkin; Ealey/King) but when we had a primary horse (Musa/Knowshon) we’ve been most successful. Even in ‘07, Moreno really didn’t excel until the others couldn’t play. If Crowell comes to UGA, they have to let him carry the load.
"I don't wear no Stetson..."
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Dec 1, 2010 4:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. The extra practice is always what matters most to me at this point.
I said the same thing last year though, and look where that got us?
Argh. Even when I start to be happy about something, I can’t help but see a dark grey lining.
Last year, however,
the players who most needed the practices didn’t have a defensive coordinator. This year, that situation remains the same with one change, the players who most need the practice (the defense) have a coordinator who will be in Athens next year and can continue to teach them his defense.
by hailtogeorgia on Dec 1, 2010 8:29 AM EST up reply actions
kid stuff
Piggybacking on Mr. Esquiredawg’s comments, here are a couple other options for kid-friendly activities. For younger children, there’s the Children’s Museum of Memphis, which is a short walk from the Liberty Bowl stadium; a few miles east of stadium, the Memphis Botanic Gardens has a My Big Backyard Children’s Garden that I haven’t seen but have read good things about. The zoo has an ice-skating rink set up for the holidays and into January. And a bit of educational fun can be had a various cultural tourism spots: Sun Studio, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum at Gibson Guitar Factory, the National Civil Rights Museum.
If'n we go to the Liberty Bowl, I hope we play The Pony Express.
I’ve always liked SMU. In fact, they’re usually the midmajor team I take to prominence when I get bored of dominating with UGA (I like playing different opponents; years of ostensibly the same schedule gets boring).
Their uniforms are some of the best in the nation (naturally below the Red and Black); I was happy to see them return to them a few years ago.
I love the story of redemption associated with that program: after 25 years of agonizing seasons, they’re finally getting back on track.
Also, once I’m done with law school, there’s a chance I might be going for an LLM in Taxation. SMU has one of the best Tax LLM programs. I would love nothing more than being able to wear a bowl t-shirt proclaiming our victory over them if I somehow wound up in Dallas.
It's All About the Future
I totally agree with Kyle’s assessment of Memphis and the Liberty Bowl—and for that matter, the potential opponents—as being more than satisfactory objectives for a 6-6 Dawg team.
But it’s the extra practices and the potential impact on recruiting that may matter most.
Much as we all hate it, Georgia has now dipped into that treacherous territory—entered a while back by Alabama and Florida (in the Zook years), and more recently by Tennessee and Auburn—of a program one losing season away from a meltdown and reconstitution. Next year is really crucial, and after all the “Dream Team” hype, a top ten recruiting year is crucial as well.
A bowl win isn’t necessarily essential to a 2011 rebound, but it certainly will help in every respect, including a brief respite from “hot seat” speculation. And in general, a big bowl win over SMU or CFU will probably have as much positive impact as a win over a struggling Clemson team in the Old Opry Bowl. And yes, Memphis is a big improvement over Shreveport as a bowl destination; Memphis is to Shreveport as New York is to Newark or Hartford.
A bowl win is vital, imho, because its the only thing that avoids a losing season.
by Muckbeast on Dec 1, 2010 12:43 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
liberty bowl weather
Thanks for the kind words about Memphis. We consider it a compliment when outsiders don’t just haul off and rip us a new one. We’d love nothing better than to be overflowing with Georgia fans on New Year’s Eve, even though you, me and the rest of Bulldawg nation know we’d much prefer being 8-4 and in a Florida bowl or even a virtual home game in the Peach Bowl. Selfishly, I’m loving the opportunity to drive 7 miles to see A.J. Green’s swan song. The Liberty Bowl facility itself is old and tired, but even the cheap seats have pretty good views. It’s got an electric American flag that waves when the lights flicker. Just this year, in a futile attempt to spur the University of Memphis Tigers to victory, the city tore out remnants of a fairground and created a very nice tailgating venue called Tiger Lane. It didn’t help. The team’s first 11-loss season just ended, mercifully, with a loss to UCF.
In Memphis mythology, the Liberty Bowl has a reputation as a meteorologically disadvantaged affair. Late December starts our most brutal weather of the year, and it can be cold and wet. I took the liberty of checking weather records for the last 10 Liberty Bowl game days, however, and came up with some findings that challenged my stereotypes. Average low temperature: 32 degrees. Average high: 54. Three of the days brought precipitation, but the only appreciable amount was three tenths of an inch. For the record, I’m telling my wife that maybe it will be decent weather for a change. Just in case, we’ll probably have ponchos, ski parkas and toasty-toes stowed in the car.
In 2005, my buddy, we’ll call him Bucky Badger, and I went to the Liberty Bowl to see two teams we cared nothing about, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. the Fresno State Bulldogs. I was going to pull for Fresno State for obvious reasons. However, our seats were amid raucous Tulsa fans equipped with an air horn. It didn’t take long for us to take up the refrain: “T.U.! T.U.”
Anyway, weather that day was cool, clear and perfectly tolerable. It wasn’t Orlando or Pasadena, but it wasn’t bad.
the weather can be good . . .
Last year was crazy. Something like 18 degrees and bitter cold. We’ve been lucky, however, with most of them since the SEC returned—-the South Carolina year it was like 70 degrees. The Kentucky year was pretty nice too, if I remember.
A wayward dawg in Memphis looking for the voice of reason
Intel, uh, in a word . . . NO!
Thought LAST YEAR was supposed to be “rebuilding” since we went into that season without an SEC caliber quarterback and where is the SEC caliber running back we were supposed to be rebuilding with this year? I see this year as at least the third straight, if not more, year of underachieving and failure to maximize the supposed talent recruited, although I seriously doubt that UGA has had top ten recruiting classes as often as awarded by the recruiting nerds. But I take comfort in knowing we will have a better record as soon as McGarity and Richt fully implement their plans to replace the Arizona States, Oklahoma States, and Colorados (as if those were perennially strong teams) with the Coastal Carolinas, Directional Louisanas or Michigans, and an occasional game with Ga Southern or maybe Georgia State. Maybe then we can get back to 8-4.
It’s hard to rebuild with a 5th year senior QB and a DC that many thought should have already been fired. I expected a down year, but didn’t expect it to help rebuild anything for the future. This year I feel like the pains have been growing pains. I guess we’ll see over the next few seasons.
"It'll only be reviewed because the guys up in the booth want to watch it a few times too." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf16_mw0nxs
by AdamLilly on Dec 1, 2010 10:37 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Ok, will you not concede CMR kept the kids in the season? If Ray Goff or even Steve Spurrier had his team start out 1-4, would they have finished 5-2?
If you're gonna do it, go ugly early.
Against the same slate that we "finished 5-2" against...
…I would have to say “Yes.” Steve Spurrier could definitely finish 5-2. Ray Goff might have been able to pull this off.
Consider the slate of opponents we picked up the 5 wins against:
Tennessee (6-6)
Vanderbilt (2-10)
Idaho State (1-11)
Kentucky (6-6)
Georgia Tech (6-6)
Our signature win this season was against a Tennessee team that finished 6-6.
Yes, I think Steve Spurrier, who completely dominated the SEC for a decade and won a National Championship could manage that.
I think the coach of my flag-football team could have managed that.
My God, he's a freshman!
This is to both you AD and Jujdawg:
Didn’t we go 1-4 against cupcakes, save SCAR? And keep the debate in perspective: I asked if they could go 5-2 after starting out 1-4. In other words, could they have keep their players focused, improving each week, and with that never-say-die mentality? Prior to this year, Spurrier has actually achieved the opposite (for the past 5 years): he started strong and then his team’s mentality/attitude/focus self-destructed.
Comparing CMR to a flag-football coach is a glaring insight into your cemented judgement on him, Afghan Dawg. I’m disappointed you’ve locked yourself in that position. It makes this otherwise fun and entertaining debate, fruitless.
If you're gonna do it, go ugly early.
I will concede that any semi-decent coach could have finished 5-2 given the cupcakes
on the schedule__Vandy, UT, and Idaho State__2 “500” teams: one dimensional Tech and Ky.
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