Georgia Bulldogs

Whew! The Dawgs pulled out of Columbia Sept. 13 with 14-7 win over the game chickens, and game they were! South Carolina’s defense packed their lunches Saturday, but came up a chicken salad sandwich short by the time the fourth quarter ended.

With the Dawgs holding on to a 14-7 lead late in the game, Carolina’s offense — after being stymied most of the game — put together two would-be scoring drives, the first ending in a fumble in the end zone on a monster-Dawg hit by linebacker Rennie Curran as S.C.’s running back attempted a goal line dive. The second and final drive ended when the Dawgs safety, Rashad Jones, nearly intercepted a pass attempt, then, on the next play, got another chance and successfully intercepted quarterback Chris Smelley’s pass on the 3-yard line and took a knee to seal the win.

The good guys took the field at Sanford Stadium last Saturday, taking care of business early in what was another glorified warm-up against an outmanned Central Michigan team.

The Dawgs (i.e. good guys) took a 28-point lead before letting up and giving the Chippewas’ Heisman-advertised, poster-boy quarterback Dan LeFevour his first score with 27 seconds left in the first half. With this spark, poster boy put together another scoring drive after the Chippewas took the second-half kickoff, making it a 28-14 game. The Chippewas also added a field goal late in the third and this ended any chances they had for points.

The chapel bell rang loudly Aug. 30 after the Dawgs beat up on the Georgia Southern Eagles like a big brother picking on his little brother. The Dawgs took a 38-0 lead before calling off the Dawgs, so to speak, and letting their little brothers from Statesboro touch the end zone.

It was a beautiful and very hot opening day in Athens. The atmosphere was electric – you would have thought the Dawgs were taking on an SEC, ranked rival, not their little brother to the south, the Eagles, the team built by the legendary Erk Russell.

Adding to the excitement, was the introduction of Uga VII (Loran’s best), to the 93,000 packing Sanford Stadium and an army of photographers. Uga VII didn’t disappoint. He stood like royalty at midfield while being fitted with a red spiked collar. Uga VII also made the Dawg Nation proud by restraining from doing any of those things a Dawg could do while being introduced to the world, if you know what I mean.
Being new on the job Uga VII stalked the sidelines for nearly three full quarters before retiring to his air-conditioned Dawg House for a quick nap. He will learn to pace himself and stalk the sidelines all four quarters by the time we get into SEC play, hopefully.

If this ain’t hype and great expectations, then I guess you have been living in a cave or on the wrong side of the SEC/(insert your NCAA subdivision of choice) line! If it’s good to be king, then it’s great to be the top dawg! Woof. Woof. Woof.

We all survived winter and sweated through the two-a-days of summer to make it to the finest season of all: football season. News flash for those of you waking from hibernation in your caves: The Dawgs are No. 1 in the land. For me, it’s really nice experiencing this because you just don’t know how much smack I take 365. Not for being a Dawg fan, but for being a hack writer Dawg fan. And it is also really nice to be able to read about my beloved Dawgs in the T-U sports section, usually between pages 3 and 6.

Aloha, from the Superdome. The intrigue created by the mystery surrounding this Hawaiian team was just too much. A New Year's road trip had to happen, so Big Al of T&A Sports and myself packed a cooler, threw some black and a little red in our bags and drove to New Orleans to ring in the New Year and watch the Dawgs play some football.

I have not been here since the football season Before Katrina (BK). The After Katrina (AK) New Orleans 21/2 years later seems to be rebounding and rebuilding steadily in the downtown areas quite well. Lots of restaurants, hotels and retail open, but as you drive out towards I-10 and the levee, there are still thousands of empty homes and lots of road construction into Mississippi, where the damage is still shocking and widespread.

After a crazy and eventful regular season, this down time between the final rivalry games and the bowling season has proven just as exciting. The excitement started with the championship games and all the crazy wins and losses.

But before I get to the part on how it came to be that the Dawgs are playing Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl, lets go over a couple of other things.

Despite the fact that I write this all-powerful syndicated article in this widely-distributed publication, I still haven't received my "Hypesman" ballots or BCS ranking ballots.

What a great Thanksgiving holiday — lots of turkey and fixings and four days of great football.

I haven’t mentioned another team I have been following all season but, since the Dawgs were playing in Atlanta, I’ll take this opportunity to mention my nephew, Dillon, who is playing on a 1-A team in its infancy — the Fellowship Christian School Paladins. FCS has assembled a coaching staff second to none, and it is paying dividends this year, in only their fourth year of play. The staff is made up of coaches who have all coached and/or played in Division 1 college ball and in the pros. They have definitely gotten the most out of their players this year and are hosting a third round playoff game this coming Friday. So Go Big 'D,’ we’re all proud of you.

Back in Black was the song that rocked Sanford Stadium for this 111th showdown between the Dawgs and the War Eagles of Auburn.

The word was out for all Dawg fans to leave their traditional red on the hangers and wear black for this game on a crisp, perfect fall football day.

The fans answered and blacked out Sanford Stadium. The senior Dawgs lobbied all week for the black jerseys for this game, but Coach Richt never would commit and sent his team out for warmups in their traditional red, home-game shirts. After warmups, the team always gathers in the locker room for quiet prayer in the dark. When the lights came on, the staff began passing out the black jerseys — causing an eruption of cheers and firing the Dawgs up into a frenzy. The Dawgs then ran out of the tunnel and blacked-out Sanford Stadium exploded. I’m sure the cheers echoed all the way to the plains of Auburn.

Saturday, a perfect fall day in Athens and a perfect day for a homecoming game.

After last week’s domination of those swamp lizards, I wasn’t sure the young Bulldawgs’ helmets would fit on their heads. The Dawgs invited “that guy Troy” to Sanford Stadium for a fun game between the hedges. But “that guy Troy” had upset on his mind.

The fun came to an end with the Dawgs’ first play from scrimmage, when the usually sure-handed Knowshon Moreno fumbled the ball deep in the Dawgs’ territory. That guy Troy recovered the loose ball and was poised to take a 7-point lead early, but the Dawgs’ tenacious “D” stiffened and forced that guy Troy to a field goal. This small victory was short-lived after the Dawgs’ offense once again coughed up the ball and that guy Troy recovered the fumble again. Two fumbles in five plays. Maybe their helmets were too tight!

Let me go ahead and take an unsportsmanlike penalty for excessive celebrating right here in the first sentence!

I think Coach Mark Richt’s challenge to his team to rush the end zone and take a celebration penalty on the first score will go down as one of the great calls in this colorful and hated rivalry. What a creative way to fire up your team, by deliberately taking a penalty involving the entire team, especially from the man who stresses control, exudes calm always, and is a stickler for obeying the rules. This was a much better call than the time out by Urban Meyer in the final seconds of the Auburn game.