Miracles Happen - Why We Play The Games

Georgia is loaded on defense with players every bit as good as LSU’s. There’s a little less depth, but not so much that it should be a factor. On offense Georgia has a better QB, more weapons at receiver and a good but not great offensive line. LSU has an advantage on the offensive line and at running back, and that’s it. I think Georgia’s run defense is too good for their power running game to decide things. Special teams will be the key. If Georgia contains LSU’s return game, I like their chances.

I disagree with the “miracle” concept, but completely agree with the thoughts you convey. It won’t be a miracle if we win, it’s not like we are Tennessee or some other terrible football team. We do have to be determined to fight and win every play. Most importantly, we need to be confident that we can do what we do. We don’t have to come up with some bizarre game plan that is completely different than anything we have done so far, we just need to do the things that work for us and go full speed.

I have heard a lot of talk about our offense needing to scale back and be conservative and not try to do anything that might open up a big play for LSU. I completely disagree with that idea. We got here by running the ball and throwing play action passes to all levels of the field. And we have to do that. If we completely give up on deep balls, we are giving up on a big part of our offense. I am confident Murray can hit King or Mitchell or Charles or Brown or Conley (dadgum we have some weapons!) and they can outjump that short LSU DB for the ball.

My biggest concern is special teams because their return guys are spectacular. Hopefully, Walsh remembers how good he is and puts all the kickoffs through the endzone.

But, I’m at home getting ready for work this AM listening and watching the Tony Barnhardt show on CBS SportsNet. Yesterday, it was ESPN’s “The Experts”. And, it didn’t matter who’s mouth was moving on either show, they all said the same thing – every single one of them. To listen to all of these people who get paid to do that type of work (I know, I’m rolling my eyes too) we happen to be playing in the one of two games that really don’t need to be played this weekend (the other being UCLA/Oregon) nor, deserve any real analysis or preview. To a person their cunning and sharp insight is “Georgia can’t make mistakes”. Wow, regail me with more so I won’t change the channel!

Look, I don’t have illusions of grandeur about this game, but, I believe if we didn’t deserve to be there, we wouldn’t. And THAT gives us as good as an opportunity as Alabama or Arkansas had when they showed up to play these guys as well. Last time I looked Alabama or LSU didn’t play us or the University from Carolina down under either. But somehow, our current ranking had everything to do with scheduling and nothing to do with talent, if you listen to the college football talking heads.

Great Post Tankertoad, it reminds us that we have a new generation of bulldawgs ready to carry on a tradition of not backing down when everyone else smirks and tells us we don’t have a chance. Glory Glory to Ol’ Georgia!

on January 1, 1980 (it was my sophomore year). I never actually asked for permission to “stay up late” but since my parent’s footed my trip to New Orleans, I think that permission was assumed and it was certainly taken. Atlanta is not New Orleans, and my capacity to “stay up late” is somewhat diminished from what it was in the early 80’s, but IF given the opportunity and reason this weekend, I think I can be as good once as I ever was. Go Dawgs! GATA

And I’m damn proud of every single one of them…Just two more simple words, Go Dawgs!

if some of these yo-yo’s at ESPN, CNNSI, Yahoo Sports, etc. even watch the games. It seems like they all spout off the same narrative about EVERY game (not just ours). Very rarely do you see any real dissention or “off message” comments about an upcoming game. I honestly think that one of them comes up with a storyline and then they all pick it up and parrot it out on the different sites.

I am obviously a UGA homer and looking at things through red and black glasses, but I am also a football guy. I have played and coached the game for many years and I try to look at each game from an unbiased stand point.

-The “talking heads” say that LSU’s depth will wear us down. My response: It’s the end of the season, our guys have played a lot of snaps in every game. Their bodies are used to playing. Couple in the marathon TV timeouts every change of possesion and I don’t think that depth is really that big of an issue. Not to mention our depth on defense isn’t exactly chopped liver. We play 6 DL, 6-8 LB’s, the secondary is where we have those guys play just about every down……but so does LSU.

-The only time our defense has been “gashed” all year was Vandy. My response: We weren’t prepared for a running Jordan Rodgers since no one had any film on him. We will be prepared for Jordan Jefferson. Look what we did to the last option QB we played. I am not convinced that Jefferson is any better of a passer either.

-The only thing that gives me pause is the fact that the point spread is 13.5, the guys in the desert do this for a living (manly because they will end up in a shallow grave out in the desert if they are wrong too many times) and they normally aren’t wrong. Remember how surprised we all were at the line on the Auburn game and it turned out to be correct.

Man I hope we win on Saturday so the Dawg Nation can give the collective middle finger to all the jackwagons at ESPN and the like.

Just brilliant. I’m so pumped for this game!!!

This Boise fan can sure relate to all the crap you guys are getting from the four letters.You guys won your way in to the game.I hope you win big , so I can watch Mark Mays and Craig James heads explode. Screw ESPN

Appreciate the sentiments. I was actually an undergrad at UGA in the glory days, had classes with Herschel, Nat Hudson, etc. Great games, good times! And while it did not seem miraculous to me that UGA beat ND, I do remember one, and only one, prognosticator with a mouthpiece or typewriter outright picking UGA to win the Sugar, and that was good ol’ Leonard Postero, aka, “Leonard’s Loser.” Perhaps that’s why it didn’t seem miraculous to me—I had much more confidence in Leonard than I did, say, Jimmy the Greek (who, of course, picked ND to win).

But you do a great job recounting the game itself. I too remember the clock barely moving, half expecting ND to light up the scoreboard any second, so nerve wracked I could hardly breathe. That ‘81 Sugar was classic Dooley—tough in the trenches, mistake free, hard running, tremendous special teams (including a blocked field goal attempt), very opportunistic and, as you say, no let up.

That’s also why we won another game that actually did feel like something of a miracle. In ‘78, at night, in loud, fired up Tiger Stadium, the distinct under-Dawgs (3-1) took on mighty LSU (4-0) and their Heisman Trophy candidate RB Charles Alexander. The Tigers jumped out to an early 17-0 lead, as I recall, but the Dawgs didn’t buckle, coming back to hang a 24-17 defeat on the Tigers, with our RB Willie McClendon outgaining “Alexander the Great” and Lindsay Scott returning a kick return for a TD. This 2011 Dawg team reminds me a lot of that ’78 team—underDawgs who rise to do the unexpected, confounding the prognosticators and, as Coach Dooley said, “finding a way to win SOMEHOW.”

That brings me to this Saturday. I actually think we’re a bigger true underdog in the upcoming game than we were in the ’81 Sugar, maybe even in ’78. But I do agree with you that if we play every down, and are tough in the trenches, play great special teams, seize any opportunity we get and win the turnover battle, just like those great teams from the past, we will win. This is a gutsy, determined team and me, I like their chances.