Post-Game Notes: Celebration Flag Sets Up Late Collapse

You can read my game story HERE at Macon.com and Tyler Estep has an additional feature on Washaun Ealey's appearance during the game HERE.

And here are the notes from the game...

The flag was on A.J. Green, but even he had no idea what happened.

The sophomore receiver had just hauled in a go-ahead touchdown with 69 seconds to play, and the celebration that ensued in the end zone was hardly a surprise. But the referees decided a gesture Green made toward the raucous crowd crossed the line of decorum, throwing a flag for excessive celebration.

The 15-yard flag backed up Georgia’s ensuing kickoff, and LSU made the Bulldogs pay – returning the kick 40 yards and scoring two plays later to seal a 20-13 win.

“Obviously there’s a fine line between celebration and excessive celebration, and I guess we crossed it,” quarterback Joe Cox said.

It was one of three flags for excessive celebration thrown in the game, two of which went against Georgia.

The third came following LSU’s final touchdown, a small measure of redemption for the dazed Bulldogs.

Green said he had no idea why the flag was thrown, but said he thought it was fair given the penalty on LSU.

Cox, on the other hand, wasn’t quite so understanding.

“I don’t think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “Football is an emotional game, and a game that’s supposed to be played with passion. I understand there’s a lot of things that should be penalized – taunting and things that are unsportsmanlike. But when you’re celebrating with your teammates after a big play, I don’t see why you’d penalize a team for getting excited about having a successful play.”

With Georgia leading by just a point, the short kickoff and long return put LSU in range for a long field goal before the cheers from the Georgia crowd had even died down following Green’s catch.

As it turned out, it didn’t matter much. Charles Scott, who tallied 95 yards on the ground for LSU, rumbled 33 yards for a score two plays later. Despite the adverse situation, it was Scott’s run, not the flag, that proved to be the difference, cornerback Brandon Boykin said.

“As a defense, it’s our job to defend the field and we went out there with the mind-set that we were going to stop them,” he said.

Georgia was flagged for seven penalties in the game – all in the second half.

THIRD DOWN’S NOT A CHARM

Georgia converted 7-of-17 third-down opportunities in the game, but it was never easy. Problems in the running game left the Bulldogs’ offense sputtering, and nearly every possession seemed to end with a third-and-long.

Georgia mustered just one first down in the first half and trailed at the break 6-0. The Bulldogs didn’t dent the scoreboard until the fourth quarter for the first time since 2006.
The problems began on first and second down, however, as the Bulldogs needed six yards or more on third down on 14 of their 17 chances.

“That’s just not being good on first and second down,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “They kept us in third-and-long, and that’s hard to get. You’re not going to get many first downs when you’re in third-and-long the whole game.”

SACK ATTACK

Georgia entered Saturday’s game with just five sacks on the season – among the worst totals in the SEC. But the Bulldogs’ defense ran roughshod over the LSU offensive line, and when the dust settled, they had racked up six sacks of Tigers’ quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

Defensive end Justin Houston, the reigning SEC lineman of the week, recorded two sacks, while six other players chipped in with at least half-a-sack.

Still, on LSU’s final two possessions, Georgia came up just short, missing tackles on Jefferson as he picked up big chunks of yardage to keep drives alive and eventually secure the victory.

“I thought we got pressure on them,” defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. “That’s why we decided to go with our four-man front a lot of the time. We were playing solid until the second-to-last drive. We had opportunities to get off the field on third down and we didn’t.”

RENNIE WRAPS UP

Linebacker Rennie Curran seemed to be involved in every Georgia defensive play.
When the dust settled, the junior was credited a career-high 16 tackles.

But the one that got away was heavy in Curran’s mind.

Curran said he had the chance to tackle LSU tailback Charles Scott, but couldn’t bring him down on the game clinching 33-yard touchdown run.

“I had him by the legs, just didn’t do a good job of wrapping him and taking him to the ground,” Curran said. “Its all a game of inches you know. If I was a step over or if the safety could have gotten off a block, it’s all about that, the ifs. We’ve got to make those ifs into reality. We’ve got to make that happen.”

Scott officially broke two tackles on the run, but was touched by numerous Georgia defenders.

“Just came down to us not wrapping up, there’s no other way to put it,” Curran said. “He made a great run, not taking anything away from him, but at the same time we had guys that we just have to wrap up, put him on the ground and wrap up.”

Curran’s 16 tackles are the most compiled by an individual in an SEC game this season. He leads the conference with 56 takedowns.

KICKERS, EH!

Sophomore kicker Blair Walsh missed his first field goal of the year in the third quarter versus LSU.

Previously 8-of-8 on the season, Walsh pushed the 32-yard chip shot.

“Yeah I just didn’t want to hit it the way I wanted to hit it,” Walsh said. I sort of tried to aim it through the uprights instead of hitting it the right way.”

Walsh missed a similar kick, again to the right, in pregame warm-ups. But the kicker insisted no correlation between the two misses or fundamental problems. He just missed the kick.

“But that’s all it really is,” he said. “I mean it had to come some time. I guess it’s good to get it out of the way now and I’ll get back on track next week.”

Walsh also didn’t have a successful day kicking off, as LSU averaged 44 yards a return.
On his final kickoff, Walsh was forced to kick from the 15-yard-line after an excessive celebration penalty. LSU return man Trindon Holliday returned a short kick to the Georgia 43.

“It’s not fun kicking off from your own 15-yard-line,” Walsh said. “Obviously it affected us. That’s all I can say right now. It’s disappointing.”

LEADING THE NATION

Georgia punter Drew Butler continued his impressive kicking, averaging 49 yards on seven punts against LSU.

Butler entered the contest leading the nation in average, a title he’ll retain after his performance Saturday.

“He’s been, I hate to say spectacular, but he really has to this point,” said Georgia coach Mark Richt. “I don’t want him to get too pumped up but he’s done a beautiful job.”

Butler, a sophomore, had a long of 53, placing one of his kicks inside the 20. Georgia’s offense struggled for the majority of the contest, relying on Butler to help create field position.

“Even when he has a missed hit, they tend to roll in the right direction,” Richt said.

EXTRA POINTS

-- Fullback Justin Fields got the first start of his career.

-- Senior Kade Weston started over Geno Atkins at defensive tackle for the second straight week.

-- Brandon Boykin hauled in an interception in the first quarter, the second of the season for him and the third of the year for Georgia.

-- Green finished one-yard shy of cracking the 100-yard receiving mark for a third straight game.

-- Georgia’s 18-play drive that was capped with a Shaun Chapas touchdown reception was its longest in terms of plays since 1988.

*Fletcher Page contributed to these notes.

Live Blog: Georgia vs. LSU

PREGAME:

-- We're about 15 minutes away from kickoff. I just spent the past half-hour or so down on the field, where the weather is much nicer than it was a week ago. Unfortunately, however, I did a leg workout at the gym yesterday for the first time in --- well, let's just say a very long time. So walking back up through the stands to the press box was nearly impossible. I'm old.

-- Mark Richt said he expected at least 200 recruits and parents/coaches at today's game, and judging by all the folks on the sideline, that was probably a conservative estimate.

-- Saw Thomas Davis down on the field. He was rocking a Rennie Curran jersey. Seems appropriate.

-- Richard Samuel is slated to start at tailback yet again. That's two weeks in a row I've been wrong.

-- Watching Trindon Holliday stand next to Terrance Toliver was hilarious.

-- A few pregame predictions: Three catches today for Wootendaballcarriah; Caleb gets his first TD of the season; Fewer than three turnovers for Georgia; More than eight penalties for Georgia; A.J. doesn't crack 100 yards, but Mike Moore has a big day; A sack for Cornwallis Washington; Blair Walsh stays perfect on field goals; An interception for Reshad Jones.

OK, we'll be back with more throughout the first quarter...

FIRST QUARTER, 8:23 REMAINING

-- Congrats to Greg Paulus today. Five interceptions. That's almost two hat tricks.

-- Meant to mention this earlier, saw Ricardo Crawford on the field pregame with a cast on his arm. Not sure when that happened, but he wasn't seeing much playing time anyway. Oddly, Damon Evans also had a brace on his wrist. I'm going to assume the two were arm wrestling and that's how they got hurt.

-- Georgia gets the ball first, and LSU boots it deep into the end zone. Dawgs start off at their own 20.

-- Joe Cox's pass on third-and-three was intended for A.J. and was way off target. That was a better break on the ball by the corner away from being his third pick-six of the season. Butler on to punt.

-- Oh, so get this -- I got stung by a bee before the game. I felt something on my shoulder and swatted it away and it stung me. I bet it's been 15 years since I've been stung by a bee. Who gets stung by bees anymore? Bees!

-- Russell Shepard in the game on a keeper and picks up three to take the ball into Georgia territory.

-- Jefferson hits LaFell who is WIDE OPEN at the 15 yard line. Seriously, how does LaFell get left alone? Come on, Willie. This ain't helping your cause any.

-- Two keepers by Jefferson picks up a third-and-four. Jefferson's pass into the end zone is picked off by Brandon Boykin, who brings the ball out of the end zone to the 2. The latter half of the play, not so great, but that was a HUGE play by Boykin. I really wanted to predict Boykin getting the pick rather than Reshad, but I changed my mind at the last second. I'm so dumb.

-- A flag was thrown following Boykin's pick. It was on LSU, but I think everyone in the stadium failed to really celebrate the INT because they were all nervous it was going against Georgia. That's what happens after so many big plays were overturned last year --- you just start expecting it.

-- Caleb King into the game at tailback now. Samuel had runs of minus-1 and 8 on the first drive.

-- Cox had A.J. open down the middle of the field on third-and-seven but overthrew him. This is going to set up good field position for LSU, but a bright note: the O line blocked extremely well on that play. Sign of things to come?

UPDATE, FIRST QUARTER 3:51 REMAINING

-- Third-and-inches for LSU at the Georgia 33 and Charles Scott has no problem picking up the first down.

-- I don't know what Mississippi State did last week to stop Scott, but he is running over people today. Another first down for the Tigers at the Georgia 20.

-- Toliver grabs a pass at the 9 where he looked out of bounds but it was ruled a catch to set up a first-and-goal.

-- Nice tackle by Rennie Curran who brings Scott down for a loss after Justin Houston pressured Jefferson into a quick dump-off. Third-and-goal.

-- Jefferson sails a pass out of the back of the end zone intended for Toliver. The field goal unit trots on to the field, but no A.J. Green for Georgia. The result is a 23-yard field goal. LSU 3, Georgia 0 with 3:51 remaining. (10-37-10:32)

-- So far Georgia has had two three-and-outs. LSU has run 16 plays and all but three have come in Georgia territory.

UPDATE END OF FIRST QUARTER

-- King in at tailback for the second straight drive. Georgia throws on first down to Chapas for a 3-yard gain.

-- Third-and-seven and Cox hits Green for a 27-yard gain to the 50. Green gave the DB a little nudge then spun around and hauled in the pass. I may end up being way off on my A.J. prediction, too.

-- Wooooooooooooot!

-- Cox had A.J. wide open but didn't see him, instead rolling out and tossing the ball away. Brings up a third-and-eight.

-- Cox hits Orson Charles behind the line of scrimmage, and Charles is up-ended after a short gain. Butler on to punt yet again, and this one goes into the end zone.

-- Duke hung with Va Tech today, which puts me off to another awful start on my weekly picks. Love to see Michigan State beating Michigan. Another fraud exposed. I think there might only be like six good teams in the country. Everyone else is a fraud.

-- Shepard in again on a carry, and Dowtin brings him down after 2. Shepard appears to be LSU's Logan Gray so far. That'll do it for the quarter.

UPDATE SECOND QUARTER, 9:11 REMAINING

-- OK, I take back what I said about Shepard. He picks up 18 yards on second down, then runs for six on the next play.

-- Jefferson hits LaFell for a 17-yard gain to the Georgia 30. LSU has lived in Dawgs' territory today.

-- The Tigers have already more than doubled their rushing total of a week ago. Scott has 35 yards on seven carries, Shepard is 4 for 29.

-- Huge tackle by Reshad Jones of Charles Scott for a three-yard loss on third down. Jasper comes in for his second field-goal try.

-- Football would be so much better without TV timeouts.

-- Jasper's kick is good with 10:55 left in the half. LSU 6, Georgia 0. (10-56-3:44)

-- You know, there's been a lot of talk this week about Houston, TCU or Boise State getting a shot at the BCS title. I don't see how that happens. But you know who very well could go undefeated and have a decent case for a title shot? Cincinnati. They're a BCS conference team (albeit barely), they haven't played an awful schedule, and they're probably going to be favored in every game they have remaining.

-- Time of possession so far: LSU 12:37, Georgia 6:28.

-- Nice job by A.J. of keeping Cox from being picked off by Patrick Peterson. And yet another third-and-long looms for Georgia. This has been an ugly offensive performance thus far.

-- They give to Samuel, who runs around end and is stood up at first contact for a gain of a yard. That was a.) an awful effort by Samuel, and b.) an absurd play call by Bobo. And for the third time in four possessions, it's a three-and-out for the Dawgs.

UPDATE, SECOND QUARTER, 4:01 REMAINING

-- I'd been meaning to say this for a while, but having heard it three times already today, I wanted to point out that "That's Not My Name" has got to be the worst song ever written. In fact, I just Googled "That's Not My Name" and "Worst Song Ever" and it came back with 33,700,000 results.

-- Take away the catch by A.J. and Georgia is averaging 1.4 yards per play so far.

-- Jefferson hits Toliver for a big gain to the UGA 30. Toliver ended up matched up with a linebacker, and Jefferson was able to avoid pressure just long enough to get the throw off.

-- Jefferson connects with Richard Dickson on third-and-5 to pick up a first down at the UGA 18. You have to get the feeling that if LSU punches it in here, that might be enough to win the game the way Georgia's offense is playing.

-- LSU has run 20 of its 32 offensive plays in Georgia territory so far. It's amazing this game is only 6-0.

-- Reshad Jones with a big hit on Shepard forces a fumble that bounces around near the sideline. The replay seemed to show that Shepard was down. In either case, it remains LSU's ball.

-- Third-and-10 and Jefferson darts straight up the middle on a keeper and comes up just inches short of the first down. LSU goes for it and doesn't get much. Prince Miller either thinks Jefferson was short or just wanted to do some arm exercises. The sticks come out and Prince was right. LSU turns the ball over on downs. Honestly, I think both of these teams might be terrible.

UPDATE, END OF SECOND QUARTER

-- You'll be shocked by this, but it's another third-and-long for Georgia. And you'll be even more shocked by this: It's another three-and-out. The boos come from the stands, and for good reason. Georgia has run 18 plays. One went for 27 yards. The other 17 have combined for 22.

-- This is the lowest scoring blowout I've ever seen.

-- On third-and-13, Jefferson hits Toliver for 14 to pick up a first down to midfield. Total yards so far: LSU 222, Georgia 49.

-- Nice tackle by Baccari Rambo after Brandon Boykin couldn't wrap up his man. Brings up a third-and-1 for LSU with under a minute to go in the half.

-- Once again, LSU can't pick up the short yardage, with Dowtin stopping Scott's run. Dowtin's got a bunch of tackles already -- of course everyone on D has plenty of tackles. They've been on the field the whole game.

-- We head to the half with LSU leading 6-0. That's 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

HALFTIME NOTES

-- Georgia is 16-16 all-time under Richt when trailing at the half.

-- Take away the completion to A.J. Green for 27 yards and Cox is averaging half-a-yard per attempt.

-- Time of possession so far: LSU 20:42, Georgia 9:18. And LSU gets the ball to start the second half.

-- Georgia went the entire half without a penalty.

-- Total offense for Georgia: 18 plays, 49 yards, 1 first down.

UPDATE, THIRD QUARTER, 8:43 REMAINING

-- Didn't see this coming: Three straight sacks for Georgia setting up a fourth-and-28. LSU punts and Georgia will begin its first drive of the second half at LSU's 44.

-- And the Dawgs begin by going backwards. Wooten takes a handoff and is tackled for a 10-yard loss. That's 18 plays for 12 yards outside of the completion to Green.

-- Cox hits Aron White to get back near the original line of scrimmage. That sets up a third-and-11, the sixth time Georgia's been in third-and-long.

-- Free play, and Cox hits Green who hauls in a one-handed grab at the 13. Where would this team be without A.J.?

-- And we're back to third-and-6. Georgia can get NOTHING on the ground. A false start on Ben Jones moves it back to a third-and-11. That's the first flag of the day for the Dawgs.

-- Cox looks for White in the end zone, but Perry Riley breaks it up. Blair Walsh comes on and shanks a 32-yard field goal. Could this get any uglier?

UPDATE, END OF THE THIRD QUARTER

-- It's time to find out what box of french fried Uga VII is hiding behind.... and it's No. 3!!! Now, where is Georgia's offense hiding?

-- Uh-oh, LSU's band is playing Journey. I have to assume this will energize the Tigers' offense.

-- Georgia has 8 yards on 11 carries on the ground so far today.

-- Great tackle by Branden Smith, bringing down LaFell short of the first down. And LSU sends out its punt team. This game has been the football equivalent of the "That's Not My Name" song.

-- And Logan Gray calls for the fair catch. Never saw that coming. Say what you want, folks, but if there's a guy in this league better at waving his arms as a punt goes up in the air, I haven't seen him.

-- There's always random guys riding the exercise bikes on the sideline during games. There's no real rhyme or reason as to who it is. Cornelius Washington is on one now. I wonder how they decide on who gets bike duty? This is what I'm thinking about now because this game is so awful.

-- Washaun Ealey won't be redshirting, folks. He gets his first carry and it picks up 8 -- the longest rush of the day. Wonder when that decision was made. My guess is about five minutes ago.

-- Back to Ealey, who picks up six more. The kid has breathed new life into things.

-- Caleb King back in the game on third-and-3, and Cox hits Green for a first down. Wow, two first downs on the same drive.

-- Cox threw behind King and Peterson just missed the interception. He'd have had a lot of room to run, too. Third-and-10... again.

-- Cox hits Orson Charles down the middle to the 13 but a flag flies in following the play. They call Orson for unsportsmanlike conduct for circling his finger in the air. Absolutely unbeliveable. The quality of officiating this year has been absolutely brutal.

-- Wait, wait... another flag on Georgia. Too many men in the huddle. And we're now back to where we started, but with a fresh set of downs.

-- Ealey just pushes a pile of LSU defenders for a 6-yard gain. Guess it just took a No. 24 to get the running game going again.

-- Note to Joe Cox: The little dump offs to Chapas aren't accomplishing much. Might wanna look elsewhere.... oh, hey, a third-and-long!

-- Cox hits TK for a 13-yard gain and a first down. Sure looked like a facemask on that, too, but no flag.

-- Cox looks for A.J. in the end zone, but it's incomplete. And guess what... a third-and-long! We should play some sort of third-and-long drinking game.

-- King has a nudge block then turns around to take the dump off from Cox and runs down to the 1-yard line. As aggressive as LSU has been, I'm not sure why they hadn't run that earlier.

And that'll do it for the third quarter, LSU 6, Georgia 0, but knocking on the door.

UPDATE, FOURTH QUARTER, 9:48 REMAINING

-- Cox bobbles the snap, recovers and then looks to Green in the end zone. No flag, but Peterson was all over him. Sets up third-and-goal.

-- Cox hits Moore who gets to the two inch line. Fourth-and-goal and Georgia's going for it. Boy you'd like to have seen something -- anything -- from the running game prior to this.

-- Didn't need it. Cox hits Chapas who falls backwards into the end zone for the touchdown. Sanford is going nuts. Walsh boots the extra point. Georgia 7, LSU 6 with 14:15 left. I feel really weird typing that score. (18-60-7:52)

-- Cox giveth, Fabris taketh away. Trindon Holliday returns the kick to the Georgia 46. A flag comes in following the play, however, with a personal foul on LSU, backing the Tigers up to their own 39.

-- Another big stop by the defense, but LSU's punt is downed inside the 5. Dawgs need Ealey to keep running the football here.

-- Another third-and-long. Take a drink!

-- Cox was about to go down for a safety and chucked the ball sidearmed out of bounds. That was a huge play that will only show up in the box score as an incompletion. Either way, LSU is about to get some good field position yet again.

-- CBS picked up Alabama-Ole Miss for next week's 3:30 game. That means the Dawgs will likely be playing an early one at either noon or 12:20.

-- Another sack for the Dawgs. If I'm not mistaken, that's five for Georgia today. They have dominated the line of scrimmage.

-- And the Dawgs get to Jefferson again on third-and-seven. Dobbs and Houston on the sack. A flag comes in for holding, but the Dawgs decline, and LSU will punt again. Man, I thought LSU's O line was supposed to be solid, but it's been a disaster, and Georgia's front four has dominated. I seem to remember someone calling that the key to the game in his preview of the matchup today. Oh right, that was me.

-- Dawgs get the ball back at their own 14 with 9:48 to play. It'll be interesting to see if they can run the ball enough to run down some clock.

-- If you have Logan Gray in your fair-catch fantasy league, you're having an awfully good week.

UPDATE, FOURTH QUARTER

-- I'll probably have to abandon the blog in a few minutes in order to head down to the field. Just an FYI.

-- Georgia has six sacks today. That's one more than they had all season.

-- Cox hits A.J. up to the 34 for a first down. Washaun follows that up with an 8-yard run. Get ready for a slew of Washaun Ealey stories this week.

-- Holding on Clint Boling brings up a second-and-12.

-- The writer from the weekly paper in Washaun's hometown came to the game last week to do a story on him when he didn't play. Bad timing.

-- And we've got a third-and-13. Take a drink! (I really hope you don't need to drive anywhere later.)

-- Screen pass to King picks up about six, but Butler is back in to punt... and it's a beauty. Holliday calls for the fair catch at the 12, a 50-yard punt. Might Butler be the second most important player for the Bulldogs so far this season?

-- Probably should be noted that, while Caleb has continued to get some action since Washaun emerged, we haven't see Richard Samuel since the first half.

-- After barely seeing the field in the first half, Georgia has a current ToP edge this half of 13:23 to 7:50.

-- Branden Smith just missed an interception after Brandon LaFell couldn't hang on to a pass from Jefferson. That would have just about iced this game.

-- Third-and-10, and it is as loud as it's been all season inside Sanford. Boykin came on a corner blitz but was a split second too late. Jefferson hits Randle for a first down.

-- LSU is marching now. Jefferson hits Scott underneath and takes it for another first down into Georgia territory.

-- Another completion to Toliver who gets down to the Georgia 30 for another first down, but an illegal shift flag negates the gain and moves LSU back to its own 49.

-- Jefferson is getting hit on almost every throw. One of these is going to be off line sooner or later.

-- Justin Houston had Jefferson by his heels, but the QB escaped and darts down the sideline to the 13. Not good.

-- Facemask call on Abry Jones gives LSU a first down at the 4 with 3:06 to play.

-- I was talking to David Ching before the game, and we were saying there's not really many possible outcomes for this game that would surprise us. The one exception, Ching said, would be a 3-2 type of game. Ironic, eh?

-- Richard Samuel is on the exercise bike now. See, I told you. No rhyme or reason.

-- Charles Scott plows into the end zone on second-and-goal to regain the lead for LSU. The Tigers try for two, but Rennie Curran drops Jefferson in the backfield. LSU 12, Georgia 7. I'm heading down to the field for the last drive.

Picking the Winners: Week 5

Well, it's that time of the week for me to embarrass myself, so let's get to the official Bulldogs Blog college football picks. With us as always is Dan, the quasi-knowledgeable counter to my witty yet completely un-insightful prognostication...

Dan: 5-5 last week, which one would call average except for the fact that Dave went 3-7! So I am much better than Dave. But we already knew that. I can pick games better than Dave, I have won many more fantasy football titles than Dave, I am better at sports than Dave, and I have angered more girls with my drunken antics in the past than Dave… oh wait. That last one isn’t a good thing. Scratch that last one. Note to readers: If you want to make good money this year bet against Dave. It is money in the bank! But you owe me 10 percent!

Dave: OK, so I'm doing really poorly at this. But it's like the old question in the NFL -- which is tougher, losing every game or winning every game? I mean, there has to be a real talent to picking so poorly, right? Imagine if people had just faded my picks all season so far. They'd be rolling in cash right now. That's a gift, my friend. So let's see if we can keep it going.

Wisconsin (+2.5) at Minnesota

Dan: Wisconsin was my favorite pick last week as I felt that they were facing a Michigan State team that was getting way too much respect for almost beating an average-at-best Notre Dame team. Well Wisconsin did not disappoint. But look at Wisconsin now. They have beaten a 1-3 Michigan State team, a 1-3 Fresno State team, a 2-2 Northern Illinois team and Wofford. Now they take to the road for their first game away from home. Not buying it.

Speaking of Minnesota, we have a friend who is by far the biggest and scariest drinker you will ever meet. I am not one to brag, but back in the day I could hold my own with pretty much anyone. I could keep going and going and going. Yes, it would result in me hosing down someone’s bed mistakenly thinking it was a toilet, but I could hold my own. Well, this guy made me look like quite the amateur every time I met up with him. He is like the Yankees of drinking. Well, our buddy will be celebrating come Saturday as Minnesota wins a close one… Minnesota 24, Wisconsin 20.


Dave: I'm actually in complete agreement with you on this game, so instead of offering any insight, allow me to recollect five of my favorite stories about our pal from Minnesota. 1.) The time he got way too intoxicated, then came home and lost a bunch of money playing roulette on the Internet and didn't remember it in the morning. 2.) The time he was convinced that doing shots would help the Vikings score, so he got completely bombed at a family restaurant in Syracuse and had to be cut off at 2:30 in the afternoon on a Sunday. 3.) The time he was behaving obnoxiously at a water park and another guest tried to have him thrown out, so he told the security guard that the guy had made a pass at him in the men's room first. 4.) The time one of our mutual friends insulted Kirby Puckett and he didn't speak to him again for six months. 5.) The time he thought it would be funny to fart on his girlfriend, and… well, let's just say he got more than he bargained for… Minnesota 27, Wisconsin 17.

*Note: For his own sake, I left our buddy's name out, but anyone who knows him will immediately know who I'm talking about and have about 50 other great stories.

Alabama (-16) at Kentucky

Dan: Let us try this one again. Kentucky was destroyed last week. Crushed. My double-digit home dog sensors went off and I blindly took them. I think I turned the TV on and the score was 31-0 Florida after the first quarter. So what to do this weekend? Well lets go back to the well one more time. This is Alabama’s first true road game this year, and I think that it will take them a few quarters to get going. I like Kentucky… Alabama 35, Kentucky 21.

Dave: I thought Alabama was a better team last year, and at home they only managed to nip the Wildcats by 3. I do think the Tide cruises here, but 16 seems like an awful lot to give. And seriously, what does it say that a team that has won three straight bowl games is a double-digit dog at home in consecutive weeks? Well, I guess it says they have a seriously tough schedule. On another note, I've got to hand it to Corch Meyers and the Florida folks. As a general rule, I think Meyers is an objectionable person, but it was pretty classy the way he thanked all the folks in Kentucky for how they handled the Tim Tebow concussion. So, never let it be said that I don't give credit where credit is due… Alabama 31, Kentucky 20.

North Carolina State (+2.5) at Wake Forest

Dan: NC State is my pick to win the ACC Atlantic division. I think they have the best QB in the ACC in Russell Wilson. He didn’t disappoint last week as NC State rallied to top Pittsburgh at home. Speaking of NC State, are they not the ugly chick of the Carolina schools? UNC and Duke dominate in hoops and academics. Wake has put together a solid football team the last few years. And what has NC State done? Nothing. Zippo. Just like how the ugly chick of the group hangs out with the cool girls and watches them dominate the scene and goes home and cries in her ice cream every night, NC State year after year has nothing to show for their efforts. Well, I think that changes this year and it starts this week. See dreams can come true for everyone… NC State 31, Wake Forest 14.

Dave: 
I have yet to pick a Wake Forest game correctly all season, which begs the question: Why the heck do we keep picking Wake Forest games? I mean, does anyone care?... Wake Forest 24, NC State 21.

Penn State (-7) at Illinois

Dan: As a Penn State hater, it does not get any better than last Saturday night's game. Watching them self destruct in the fourth quarter, I found myself grinning from ear to ear. Each turnover caused me to unleash a cackle that I wish all Penn State fans could hear. Iowa did not win that game. Penn State lost it. As I have mentioned in past blogs, there is a mutual hate between Virginia Tech and Penn State that dates back to the 1999 season between my VT friends and my Penn State friends. Moving to Philly after college and only hearing about Penn State caused this hate to grow even stronger. Waking up to pictures of Otto the Orange on my fantasy football site after a VT loss caused anger you would not believe. Well, last weekend I felt a small sense of satisfaction. And the rivalry lives on. As for this game, Illinois is one of the worst programs in the nation. I think the love fest with Ron Zook is over… Penn State 23, Illinois 10.

Dave: I just Googled it, and yes, FireRonZook.com is still up and running. I'm thrilled about this, but it leaves me with some questions. Are these still the same folks that ran the site when Zook was at Florida, simply working hard to keep the tradition alive? Did some enterprising Illinois fans purchase the domain name after Zook left the Gators? Is Zook the only coach ever to have a Web site attempt to get him fired from two schools? When he turns up at Southwest Missouri State in like five years, will they resurrect the site there, too, or will they be happy to have a relatively big name coach at a small school? Can Urban Meyer coach Illinois just for fun next year to prove he can once again win with Zook's players? It's all just too much to process. Anyway, I'm so excited by it all that I'm actually going to take the Zooker here… Penn State 28, Illinois 24.

Oklahoma (-8) at Miami

Dan: Another one of my favorite moments of this past weekend: Watching the destruction of the 'Canes at home by my Hokies. Unfortunately it was pouring down rain so there were built in excuses for all 'Canes fans and all Virginia Tech haters. But a win is a win. Well now we get a good number again because of last weekend's performance by Miami. Oklahoma has not been on the road yet his year and now they travel into hostile territory to face a hungry 'Canes team. Speaking of Miami we have a friend who’s name is Tom. He is a huge Canes fan. He also has some other ugly obsessions that we will not dare touch in this column. It was great texting him over and over on Saturday as the points piled up for Tech. I can be a very poor sport… Miami 28, Oklahoma 27.

Dave: There's no way Oklahoma should be giving eight points on the road to a decent Miami team with Sam Bradford still out. I can't see a single reason for it, which is why I think they cover. These are the types of picks that have allowed me to so gracefully go 3-7 each of the past three weeks… Oklahoma 30, Miami 17.

Ole Miss (-9) at Vanderbilt

Dan: Why has Vandy not been kicked out of the SEC? Seriously? What value do they provide to that conference other than allowing teams to rack up easy wins year after year? I guess every conference needs a Vandy when it comes to football. The ACC has Duke. The Big Ten has Indiana. The Big 12 has Baylor. Perhaps all of these teams should leave their respective conference and form a new conference called the loser conference. At least then one of them would finally win. It does not get any easier this week as Vandy faces an angry Ole Miss team… Ole Miss 31, Vanderbilt 20.

Dave: Thank you for not including Syracuse in the "Loser Conference." Although, remember when Temple was in the Big East. Now that was a team that belonged in a Loser Conference. Of course, in 2004 all Syracuse needed to do to earn the Big East title and a trip to the Orange Bowl (despite the fact that they were absolutely awful) was beat Temple on the road. Instead, the Owls notched a 34-24 win in their final season in the conference, Paul Pasqualoni was fired, and the downward spiral into embarrassment began. What does all this have to do with Ole Miss and Vandy though? Absolutely nothing, but I'd kept those feelings bottled up for a while and I needed to get it off my chest… Ole Miss 35, Vanderbilt 14.


Georgia Tech (-6) at Mississippi State

Dan: Poor Mississippi State. How could you not punch it in from the 2-yard line last weekend to beat LSU? You had four opportunities to win. And you blew it. Wow is all I have to say. I just feel bad for that school and the whole state. I think if we had to rank the states I’d least like to live in, Mississippi would be all the way at the bottom narrowly ahead of West Virginia and Idaho. Well get ready for another close loss this weekend but staying within the spread… Georgia Tech 20, Mississippi State 17.

Dave: Really, Idaho? I don't think Idaho would be that bad. At least you'd get access to large quantities of potatoes and a blue field at Boise State. Oh, and by the way, did you notice Georgia added the THIRD best team in Idaho to its schedule for next season? That'll be a hot ticket. Anyway, back to the larger issue here. You can look at last week one of two ways: You either give Mississippi State the Lane Kiffin treatment and call it a moral victory or you think it absolutely crushed their spirits to get so close and not be able to get the job done. For the sake of differing from your pick, I'll take the latter. Oh, and by the way, the state I'd least like to live in is probably North Dakota. It's cold, there's nothing there, and you're 1,000 miles from anywhere even reasonably cool… Georgia Tech 31, Mississippi State 13.

Auburn (+2) at Tennessee

Dan: The Lane train has another big game this weekend as an undefeated Auburn team rolls into the station. Auburn is a team I can’t quite figure out yet. Are they as good as their numbers suggest this year? Well I think this weekend's game is the first real test for them. If you can call Tennessee a test, that is. This game has all the makings of an Auburn team that has pounded everyone all year and the entire public jumping on their bandwagon only to have Tennessee get the win and cover. I can smell it… Tennessee 23, Auburn 20.

Dave: I agree on Auburn. Is there a team in the country we really know less about? Looking back to last season, they were supposed to be pretty good, but couldn't get the offense moving. They canned their head coach, hired a guy everyone thought would be a bum, found their quarterback, beat up on some overmatched opponents and roll into Tennessee undefeated, yet still under the radar. Meanwhile, the Vols have looked bad for three straight weeks, losing to UCLA and Florida (yay moral victories!) and narrowly edging Frank Solich's Ohio Bobcats. But Tennessee does have two things going for it: Monte Kiffin and Eric Berry. If Chris Todd can look good against them, I'll officially become a believer. Until then though, I'm going to stick with my belief that Gene Chizik doesn't belong in the SEC… Tennessee 24, Auburn 17.

Southern Cal (-5.5) at California

Dan: The college football season hasn’t quite started until California has been exposed as a fraud. And boy were they exposed this past weekend as Oregon annihilated then, 42-3. What a complete embarrassment. But we are used to these things from Cal. And what is the best part about this? We now get a good number on them at home this weekend against a team like USC, another huge fraud. It is nice to see that USC finally is getting bad quarterback play. They have had All-Americans at the position dating back to Carson Palmer. FINALLY! Speaking of bad QB play, is it not funny that Mommy Mustain and Mitchy boy are third on the depth chart? I call that karma… Cal 24, USC 19.

Dave: OK, so for the past four weeks, I've made a point of picking opposite of you for the sake of showing both sides in this column. It's sort of like how Skip Bayless asks himself every day, "What is a reasonable point of view to have on things?" then spouts the exact opposite on TV because he likes stirring the pot. Where has that gotten us? Well, Bayless is now the most obnoxious and useless sports writer in the business, and I've gone 3-7 each of the past three weeks with my picks. So I'm done with it. I'm going with my gut feeling, and that is that USC doesn't have the offense this season to keep pace with Cal… Cal 35, USC 24.

Virginia Tech (-16.5) at Duke

Dan:

So last week I picked against my Hokies and they were so angry about this that they went out and crushed the 'Canes. It was not even close. Well now I find my Hokies laying a big number on the road this time and sadly I am going against them again. Even if it is Duke. You have 80 percent of the betting public on them. You have a team coming off a huge win. I just do not see how the Hokies can get up for this game. I think they win, but Virginia Tech is one of those teams you do not quite know what to expect… Virginia Tech 31, Duke 17.


Dave: Yes, my picks were awful last week. But while you bought into the Miami hype and picked against your own team, I had the courage and intellectual fortitude to take the Hokies. That's a man's pick, my friend. You should try it some time. And now, a week later, you're taking the points against VT? Just a sham. What kind of fan are you anyway? It's Duke we're talking about here!

I had a buddy who went to Maryland, and the hoops team there obviously despised Duke. I went down to visit him in College Park for the Maryland-Duke Final Four game in 2001. The liquor store on Route 1 (Town Hall, for those of you who have been there) had the following on their sign out front: "Terps are Good, Duke is Bad, Kegs on Sale." Have truer words ever been uttered? So this week, Tech is Good, Duke is Bad, and, God willing, Kegs will be on Sale… Virginia Tech 40, Duke 10.

Last week: Dan 5-5, Dave 3-7.

Overall: Dan 18-22, Dave 14-26.

Friday Links (10/2)

Happy Friday, folks. It's been a long week, so I figured we could unwind a bit with some non-football talk for a bit.

A couple weeks ago I mentioned the new shows I was looking forward to this TV season, and a few people asked what else I'd be watching beyond the freshman sitcoms. So, I figured why not run through my DVR schedule, and perhaps either a.) you'll find some new shows to check out, or b.) you can refer me to some better viewing options.

If you're one of the many readers who could care less about this little exercise, however, please feel free to skip ahead to the end for some football-only links. Go ahead, I won't hold it against you. Just stop reading right now...

...

...

OK, they're gone. Now, here's the real news about Joe Cox...

Kidding, of course. Although Fridays are getting pretty dull lately without any crazy injuries for Georgia's QB. Anyway, back to the TV slate...

MONDAYS -- I've been relatively happy with the new season of "How I Met Your Mother" so far, highlighted by "Moustache Marshall" last week, which for whatever reason, made me laugh more than any gag the show has done in a while. I must admit though, I have some small concerns about the Robin-Barney relationship. NPH's character using the term "girlfriend" just sounds wierd. At various times I've also tried to give "Big Bang Theory" a chance, but despite the love it gets from critics, it's really just "Friends" for nerds. "Monday Night Football" has been pretty solid this season so far, including the dramatic Dolphins-Colts game last week that turned out to be the deciding factor in a fantasy football thriller for my 3-0 squad. Also, I really like the addition of Jon Gruden, who actually provides really interesting insight rather than slapstick and pointless "analysis." The only thing I don't like is how he sits on his stool. He looks a little constipated, and it weirds me out. STILL WAITING ON... "Chuck" and "24," although last season was the first in about four years I actually made it through all 24 episodes. More than any other show, I wish "24" had been on HBO. It's potential so far exceeds what it actually accomplishes. DITCHED FROM MY DVR... "Heroes."

TUESDAYS -- Perhaps the worst night of TV all week. There's really nothing on, which is fine by me, as I probably need a day off from rotting my brain. My girlfriend has tried to get me into "The Biggest Loser," which is not altogether awful, but we both agree that the show could be boiled down to about 10 minutes plus a weigh-in at the end. Intead, it's stretched out to two hours with the contestants repeating the same things every 8 seconds, as if I was too stupid to remember what happened before a commercial break. "This challenge is really important because if we don't lose nine pounds, someone goes home..." Ummm... yeah, I know, that's the freaking premise of the show! I'll admit though, there's nothing quite like ordering a pizza and stuffing your face on the couch while watching "Biggest Loser." It's a real treat. STILL WAITING ON... Anything reasonable to watch on a Tuesday. DITCHED FROM MY DVR... Nada.

WEDNESDAYS -- Not exactly a stellar night of TV either, but I have gotten into the current season of "Top Chef" which I think is one of the very few reality shows that it's acceptable for a guy to watch. You know, three years ago, I had never watched any sort of reality show, and I was fine with it. But now I've got like four on my regular viewing list, and I think it's just yet another sign that I'm getting old. But at least I'm not watching "American Idol" or any of the dancing shows. That's where I draw the line. I also really enjoyed the premier episode of "Glee" on FOX, if for no other reason that it prominently featured a Journey song. The subsequent episodes, however, have been really disappointing. I'm still a big fan of "South Park," which technically premiers on Wednesday nights, but I usually end up watching it during one of its 3,546 reruns. STILL WAITING ON... "Friday Night Lights" and "Lost." Wednesdays this spring will be great, but the wait is killing me. DITCHED FROM MY DVR... "Glee" is hanging by a thread.

THURSDAYS -- An, the mecca of TV watching. I actually can't record all the shows I want to watch. That's bad, right? I'm watching too much TV. Still, it'd be nice if they could spread some of these shows around so I don't have to gorge myself on quality programming all in one night. I'm still on the fence about the new twist on "The Office," but I'm willing to admit it has some potential. I enjoyed the plotline last year where Michael started his own company, but it was pretty contrived. The show has really gotten away from much of the real-life humor that makes working in an office so humorously inhumane. "Parks and Recreation" has actually been much improved over last season. I had nearly given up on it, but the characters have been toned down a bit and the humor seems less forced. I love Nick Offerman's character, and only partially because of the mustache. Again with the reality programming... I'd happily avoided "Survivor" for its entire existence, but my buddy's wife forced me to watch it when I was staying at their place last year, and now I'm hooked. She's like a crack dealer, and I blame her for any horrifying turns in my life from this point forward. I can't say I'm loving "Flash Forward" so far, but I'm on board. I'm not looking forward to each new episode like I do with "Lost," but there seems to be some potential. My favorite new show of the year, however, is without a doubt "Community." There have been a number of laugh-out-loud moments in the first three episodes, with the "Smoke up, Johnny!" line and the montage of Joel McHale and Chevy Chase's Spanish class project being my two favorite, by far. STILL WAITING ON... "30 Rock." DITCHED FROM MY DVR... "Fringe." I gave it a try last year hoping it would be like an edgier "X Files" but I was bored.

FRIDAY: Friday night television is punishment for people who don't go out. STILL WAITING ON... bowl season before I watch TV on Friday. DITCHED FROM MY DVR... "Law and Order." The glory days of Jerry Orbach are long gone.

SATURDAY -- If I'm home before 2 a.m. from covering football, I'm thrilled. But I'm not watching TV. STILL WAITING ON... A day game to cover. Woo-hoo, LSU! DITCHED FROM MY DVR... "Saturday Night Live." I'll still watch occasionally, but it's hardly appointment viewing.

SUNDAY -- Quickly becoming the second-best night of TV. In addition to the full day's slate of NFL games, there are a surprisingly large number of good shows on at night. I'll generally check out the "Sunday Night Football" matchup, which for the most part this season has featured better games than the Monday version. I loved the first two seasons of "Dexter," on Showtime, and I'm intrigued by this year, but last season started getting me thinking that it was really just the same plotline each year but with new characters. I couldn't be more excited about "Curb Your Enthusiasm" this season. Even without the "Seinfeld" folks during the first two episodes, the show has been top notch, so it can only get better from here. I've enjoyed the first couple episodes of "Bored to Death," but I'd love to see a bit more of Zach Galifianakis. "Entourage" is wrapping up what has been a bit of a down season, but still, the show is always entertaining. I'm still watching "Family Guy," but honestly, the show is really nothing but a dozen or so jokes loosely strung together under only the most esoteric of pretenses. STILL WAITING ON... "The Cleveland Show." I meant to DVR it but I forgot. If it's anything like "American Dad" though, I won't watch more than one episode. DITCHED FROM MY DVR... "The Simpsons." The show is like the Raiders... used to be edgy and great, now just a shell of its former self.

OK, now that I've officially illustrated what a nerd I am for watching so much TV, what shows am I missing out on?

And for those of you who read all of this only to ask yourself, "Why the heck did I waste 8 minutes of my day reading that?" here are some actual football-related links for you...

-- I have a story in today's Telegraph on the development of linebacker Marcus Dowtin, who has all the tools to be a great player, but is working hard on keeping his head in the game.

-- I missed this earlier this week, but the good folks at Catfish and Cornbread didn't... a big thank you to all the UGA fans from some Arizona State travelers who loved their trip to Athens.

-- Check out the publisher of this book... no wonder we haven't seen him on the field much this season. He's been busy! (h/t Amanda D.)

-- I'd always wondered where the heck this came from, and Georgia Sports Blog was kind enough to point readers to the explanation of why LSU fans smell like corn dogs.

-- The Junkyard Blawg looks at some keys to the game this week, but I love his opening line: This is the "Capital One Bowl Elimination Game."

-- I've done five radio shows this week, and all have asked me my prediction for the game. I've told them exactly what Senator Blutarsky told his readers today: I have no idea.

-- Bernie, on the other hand, doesn't mind going out on a limb with a pick. That's why he gets paid the big bucks.

-- Battle Hymn Notes picks a couple of players to watch, and I like their selections.

-- The New Orleans Times-Picayune chimes in with its A.J. Green story o' the week.

-- With Tim Tebow's injury as the starting point, Chris Low looks at the SEC's backup quarterbacks to see who's in the best shape to handle a hurt QB.

-- I love this graph from Hey Jenny Slater that really simplifies a complex topic. (h/t T Kyle King)

-- And finally, guess who might be playing football this season after all. Way to stick to your guns, Ducks.


BONUS LINK: Thanks to reader Scott C., here's the YouTube of the fourth-and-inches play last week in which Arizona State's linebacker shoved the ref into the line of scrimmage.

Behind Enemy Lines: LSU

We're a little later than usual getting to this, but it's time to go behind enemy lines to get a read on what LSU has been up to in the run-up to its game at Sanford Stadium this weekend.

For answers, we went to the New Orleans Times-Picayune's LSU beat writer, James Varney, who gives us the lowdown on the Bayou Bengals.

David Hale: When we got our first real look at Jordan Jefferson last year, he looked like a future star. So far this season, the results have been mixed, at best. Is he failing to develop as planned or has this been the product of a rather lackluster performance by the O line and little help from the running game?

James Varney: I think Jefferson is very good and getting better. He has only thrown one interception and he manages the game well, overall. The o-line has been the team's biggest weakness, and that is true in both the running and passing game.

DH: Speaking of the running game, LSU was supposed to have one of the best backfields in the conference this season. Instead, they've struggled badly, culminating with just 30 net yards on the ground against Mississippi State last week. What gives?

JV: Again, the o-line isn't moving anybody. Both Charles Scott and Keiland Williams have proven they can run in the SEC. The loss of Quinn Johnson at fullback has also been a factor, but I put the lion's share of the blame on the o-line which returns three starters.

DH: If there's one stat that jumps off the page separating these two teams so far, it has to be turnovers. LSU is plus-7, while Georgia is a dreadful minus-9. How much has ball security been talked about so far this week, and do you expect this could be the deciding factor in the game?

JV: After last year LSU is extremely paranoid about interceptions. That's been a factor in Jefferson's development, too, as the team simply doesn't throw over the middle. But LSU's new defensive coach has instilled a risk/reward mentality I think the team lacked last year and that shows in the plus seven. LSU never got interceptions last year, this season they have 7 and have returned two for touchdowns.

DH: The special teams have been none too special for the Tigers so far, save Chad Jones' big return. How have the coaches been addressing these issues?

JV: Well, most of that has been the punting. Prior to the third quarter against Miss. State, kicker Josh Jasper hadn't missed, including a 52-yarder. His kickoffs have been better, too, and so has the team's kickoff returns in general. Again, the punting has been an adventure, with both the long snapper Alex Russian (now apparently replaced by Joey Crappell) and punter Derek Helton getting off to bad starts.

DH: Last week was a struggle for LSU against what we thought was probably a bottom-feeding SEC team in Mississippi State. The next two weeks, however, get tough. With Florida looming, is LSU focused on this week's game or is there some danger of the players looking ahead to that date with the No. 1 team in the country?

JV: For both LSU and Georgia this game strikes me as gigantic so I doubt anyone is looking past it. I had Georgia pegged as the hinge game for LSU all year and nothing has changed my mind. If LSU loses it is looking at back-to-back SEC losses and everything falling like it did last season. If Georgia loses it goes to 3-2 on the year. I expect the intensity level Saturday to reflect such stakes.

DH: It's not often you'll hear about an undefeated coach of the No. 4- ranked team in the country coming under siege, but from the blogs and message boards, it sure sounds like folks aren't too happy with Les Miles right now. How important is this week's game against Georgia for Miles in particular, in terms of regaining some fan support and going into the Florida game with some momentum?

JV: The latter issue, momentum against Florida, is big. A win against Georgia would go a long way there, but it would also give LSU some breathing room that it won't have if they lose. It is true there is grumbling about Miles, which is surprising not only because of current rankings but because he's won four bowl games in a row, including two BCS games. But LSU has gotten spoiled recently and wants to stay there, and Miles himself declared 8-win seasons unacceptable. Thus, everyone knew going in LSU would have beat Georgia, Alabama or Ole Miss on the road, and now this is the first prong of that test.

Great thanks to James for his help on this. You can read his work for the Times-Picayune HERE or check out his LSU blog HERE .

Notebook: Turnovers Remain a Concern for Dawgs

In many ways, Georgia and LSU have had similar seasons. Both teams rank near the bottom of the conference in rushing yards, have seen highly regarded offensive lines struggle and have failed to get a consistent pass rush. But if there’s one statistic that starkly contrasts the Tigers and Bulldogs, it’s the turnover margin.

Through four games, LSU leads the SEC with a plus-seven turnover margin, while Georgia is among the worst teams in the nation with a minus-nine.

While that’s a concern for head coach Mark Richt, he said the past doesn’t have to be prologue to what happens Satuday.

“Turnover ratios are important, but what’s happened in the past I don’t think is very important at all,” Richt said. “I’m more concerned about the turnover ratio Saturday than I am what we’ve had to this point, so hopefully we’ll get that thing turned around and be in a whole lot better shape.”

To ensure that happens, Georgia’s coaching staff has taken a more disciplinarian approach to preventing turnovers during practice this week, but that’s not always a solution.

“We work on that every day at practice,” wide receiver A.J. Green said. “I don’t know what’s the problem. It’s not like we’re not trying, but it’s just happened.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said the team actually enhanced its discipline for fumbles and interceptions during practice last week, making the entire team do calisthenics when one person coughed up the football. The result was yet another three-turnover game.

“This week we (did) a little more ball security at practice,” Bobo said. “But at the same time, I don’t want to talk about it to the team every day. We want to practice it to where they’re consciously doing it in practice. It’s like telling somebody after they drop a ball, ‘Hey, catch it.’ Well, why did they drop it? You’ve got to coach it up.”

Linebacker Rennie Curran hopes the increased focus on protecting the football works because with No. 4 LSU coming to town Saturday, the Bulldogs can’t afford to give away offensive drives and set the Tigers up with easy scores.

“When we play a team like LSU, we have to have a perfect game,” Curran said. “We can’t give them any room to breathe. We have to get ready to play our best game of football. We have to put all the mistakes we made behind us, get ready to have a great game and put it all together.”

MAKING PROGRESS

Freshman defensive end Montez Robinson had seen little action during the first three games of the year, but was on the field for a few extra snaps last week against Arizona State.

That’s a trend that defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said could continue, and if Robinson keeps progressing at the same rate, Georgia’s defensive ends could become a lot more dangerous as the season goes along.

“He’s getting better and better,” Martinez said. “He’s learning the system, and he’s a great athlete. And we need it. We need that push. He did some nice stuff. He’s learning it, and he’s got the ability, so that’s a good thing to see.”

STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Georgia’s big defensive stands in the fourth quarter of last week’s win over Arizona State proved to be crucial in the Bulldogs pulling out a last-second victory, but the effort also helped to rejuvenate the beleaguered defense, too.

“That fourth quarter was huge,” Curran said. “It shows we’re a serious defense. It shows that no matter where we are on the field we’re going to stay positive and we can stop anybody. That was our attitude when we got that sudden-change situation. Before we even hit the field, we were like, ‘Hey, let’s do this. It’s our opportunity to show greatness.’”

FIGURING IT ALL OUT

After four weeks of tough tests against four BCS-conference foes, Georgia’s players admit they still aren’t quite sure how good the team really is, but safety Bryan Evans thinks the hard-fought games are helping to shape the team’s identity.

“We don’t have a true identity yet,” Evans said, “but it’s molding into an identity where we’re fighting through the tough games.”

Of course, the real mark of a good team always comes down to its record, quarterback Joe Cox said, and on that scale, he’s happy with where the Bulldogs are at.

“I know that after Week 1, if you’d asked us where we wanted to be going into the LSU game, we’d have said 3-1,” Cox said. “That’s where we are. We’ve found ways to win, we’ve stuck together. When the defense needed to make plays, we made plays. When the offense needed to make plays, we made plays. So there’s a lot of things in between that we need to correct that could make us a pretty good football team. We’re fully aware of the things we need to work on, but once we correct those things, we could be a good team.”

CAN’T FORGET CARLTON

After racking up 43 yards on 12 touches in Georgia’s first three games, freshman tailback Carlton Thomas disappeared from the offense last week. But offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said the team hasn’t forgotten about him. In fact, with the running game struggling, Georgia’s coaches aren’t crossing off any options from the playbook.

“I would not rule out Carlton Thomas,” Bobo said. “We haven’t ran the ball like we’ve wanted to, so I wouldn’t rule out any running back on our roster getting a chance to run the ball.”

SHORT DRIVES, SHORT RUNS

Georgia’s ground game ranks 11th in the SEC through four games, and while the blame has been shared between the offensive line and the tailbacks thus far, there’s a chance the entire offense is to blame.

Through four games, nearly 70 percent of all of Georgia’s offensive drives have lasted five plays or fewer, meaning few opportunities for the tailbacks to get in a groove running the football.

“It’s hard to get in a groove, and once we are in, we’re pass blocking or don’t get the ball for entire series,” tailback Caleb King said. “But the balls we do get, we have to do better at taking advantage of it.”

Richt said he isn’t going to complain about Georgia’s quick-strike touchdowns, something quarterback Joe Cox has made a habit of so far. But the number of turnovers and three-and-outs has been disturbing, and it’s a trend he hopes will change this week.

LSU also provides an opportunity for Georgia to improve its running numbers, too. King said the Tigers play an aggressive style in their front four, and the best way to counter that is to run the football – meaning he’ll have more chances to make a big play.

“I think we’ll run the ball a lot, so that’s a good thing,” King said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Former Dawgs Invade the Bookstores

If you're as avid about reading books about the Bulldogs as you are about blogs, this is a good weekend for you. A bevy of former Bulldogs and authors will be around the Athens area for book signings. Here's the run down...

At the UGA bookstore on Saturday, Larry Munson will be on hand to sign copies of "From Herschel to a Hobnail Boot" and legendary tailback Herschel Walker will be signing copies of his book, "Breaking Free." Both signings will be going on from 10 a.m. until noon.

Former head coach and athletics director Vince Dooley will be signing copies of his book, "Dooley's Play Book" and former quarterback Fran Tarkenton will be signing copies of "Every Day is Game Day" at the UGA bookstore from 12:30 until 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Former kicker Kevin Butler and former quarterback David Greene will be signing autographs -- although not books, unless you really want them to -- as well from 1:30 until 2:30 on Saturday at the UGA bookstore.

In addition, former AJC beat writer and current ESPN college football writer Mark Schlabach will be signing copies of his new book on the Bulldogs, "Georgia Football: Yesterday and Today" at Dog Ear Books in Madison on Friday night from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. The book has a forward by Vince Dooley and is not yet available for sale online. The store is located at 142 Academy Street in Madison. Phone number is 706-342-3460.

Have fun, and happy reading!

Notebook: King Looks for Big Game vs. Familiar Foe

Caleb King has run the ball well in his first two games back following a hamstring injury, but he has a special reason for putting on an even better show this week against LSU.

“Being from Baton Rouge, it’s just 10 minutes from the campus at LSU,” King said. “It’s hard for me to get tickets but I’m bringing like 10 or 15 people (to this year’s game). Last year, when we went to Baton Rouge, I had 23 people there. It’s always a big turn out for the LSU game.”

King grew up in Baton Rouge but moved to Georgia before middle school. He said most of his family remains LSU fans, however, but hopes they’ll be rooting for his side this Saturday.

“Honestly, I know when we don’t play LSU, they all go for LSU,” King said. “But since we’re playing them, I believe they’re going to wear the red and black.”

King said he was an LSU fan, too, but that all changed when he committed to Georgia. Now, three years into his Bulldogs career, he’s hoping he can have a career game against the team he grew up rooting for.

“Of course, I want to show up for my family, but it’s no pressure,” King said. “Game by game, I feel more comfortable, and I’m trying to make this my breakout game.”

COMMINGS OF AGE

After spending the majority of the preseason and early part of the regular season working at safety, Sanders Commings seems to be adjusting to cornerback quickly, head coach Mark Richt said.

“He’s progressing as a corner,” Richt said. “I like the move there. I can’t say 100 percent that’s where he’ll stay the rest of his career, but I think he’s going to be a very good corner for us.”

LSU brings a group of tall wide receivers to Athens this week, which Richt admits could be a mismatch for some of Georgia’s undersized corners. That could mean a bit more action for the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Commings.

“Sanders at least has more height and more weight to him where he might be able to match up better, but it’s not always a size thing,” Richt said. “We’ve had some corners that weren’t very tall but they played big, and I think we have some now that are like that.”

That doesn’t mean the matchups on Saturday will be easy. Terrence Tolliver checks in for LSU at 6-5 while preseason All-SEC receiver Brandon LaFell stands at 6-3.

“It’s going to be tough,” Richt said. “LaFell is one of the finest in the country. I think LaFell has proven that he has star quality and he’s a mismatch for anybody one-on-one, let alone whether they are our guys or not. I think just their shear size is going to be an issue for us.”

FOND MEMORIES

When Georgia traveled to Baton Rouge last year to take on LSU, it proved to be a breakout game for linebacker Darryl Gamble.

The then-sophomore picked off an LSU pass on the Tigers’ first drive of the game and returned it for a touchdown, then iced the Georgia victory with another interception return for a score in the fourth quarter.

Gamble said he’s watched the interceptions on film a few times this year in preparing for the Tigers’ visit to Athens this weekend, but he said he’s making no promises for an encore performance.

“People have been asking me about it, like ‘DG, what are you gonna do?’” Gamble said. “I say, ‘I don’t know,’ but I’ve been putting a lot of work in, watching a lot of film, and whatever happens, happens.”

FEELING BETTER

After missing Wednesday’s practice, cornerback Brandon Boykin was expected to be a full participant Thursday and Richt expects the sophomore to be on the field Saturday.

“I think he’ll be fine,” Richt said.

Junior cornerback Vance Cuff, who missed last week’s game with a knee sprain, has also been cleared to play this week.

Linebacker Akeem Dent was officially ruled out for Saturday’s game.

STICKING WITH RED

Georgia’s fifth game last season came with plenty of hype, with a top-10 opponent coming into town and the Bulldogs donning black jerseys as part of a planned “blackout.”

Once again, Georgia welcomes a top-10 team to Sanford Stadium for Week 5, but there won’t be any festivities surrounding the uniform to go along with LSU’s visit.

“I don’t think we’d do a black jersey or black helmet, we wouldn’t do a blackout of any kind unless we got the fans into it,” Richt said. “I don’t think it’s worth doing a blackout without it.”

NOBODY PUTS BABY IN A CORNER

During the TV timeouts in the latter stages of last week’s win over Arizona State, the music blared throughout Sanford Stadium, and a large contingent of Bulldogs broke out some of their best dancing moves to lighten the mood.

The lighthearted demeanor ruffled a few feathers among fans who wondered if the team was taking the close game as seriously as it should, but Richt said he thinks just the opposite was true.

“Our guys have a wonderful spirit,” Richt said. “I know some defensive guys were dancing a little bit in the fourth quarter and we had the last three drives of the game we had three-and-outs and they had negative yardage in the fourth quarter. So I don’t think you can say it was a bad thing. I don’t think it hurt their play.”

Richt said he understands the criticism, but thinks barring the players from a few spur-of-the-moment dance routines would create a new wave of criticism from the other side. The bottom line, he said, is results. If the team wins, they can dance all they want.

“I’d rather them be dancing than crying,” Richt said.

LSU’S SECRET WEAPON

Fans at LSU have been clamoring for more of highly touted freshman quarterback Russell Shepard, who has been in on 11 runs so far this season, gaining 74 yards, but has yet to throw a pass.

Shepard could prove to be an asset for the Tigers this weekend, but Richt said he’s not expecting the freshman quarterback to anything drastically different from what the Georgia coaches have already seen on film.

“We can only plan for what we’ve seen him do and try to anticipate what he might do, but it’s hard,” Richt said. “I don’t think they’re going to have a huge plan for him, but they may.”

GEORGIA’S SECRET WEAPON

Rantavious Wooten had his first two receptions of the season last week, both coming on third down for sizeable gains. But receiver may not be the only roll for Wooten this year, as Richt said the freshman has practiced many of the same plays Branden Smith has run on game days, including reverses and end arounds.

“Anything we’ve done with Branden Smith, (Wooten) has practiced in case something happened to Branden and we still liked the concept of what he’s doing,” Richt said. “They’re similar athletes.”

These Aren't Last Year's Bulldogs

A year ago, Georgia opened the season No. 1 in the country, then opened the season with four wins -- three of which came pretty easily. In Week 5, a top-10 team with a few question marks came into Athens with something to prove. The result was a 31-0 lead at halftime for Alabama.

This year, the Bulldogs didn't open anywhere near No. 1. They lost their first game and essentially evaporated from the national scene. The next three weeks resulted in wins, but not were convincing and all had a touch of ugliness -- and maybe more than a touch -- to ensure fans stayed nervous well beyond the clock hitting zero. Now, in Week 5, another top-10 team with a few questions and something to prove is heading to Athens once again.

Marc Weiszer wrote earlier this week that it's been a long time since Georgia has beaten a top-10 foe.

LSU is sounding confident, assuming this year's Dawgs aren't what they were a year ago.

But while Georgia doesn't have Matthew Stafford or Knowshon Moreno this time around, it may have something else -- something that was missing in that 31-0 embarrassment against Alabama.

These past three games have been less than spectacular, but they have been tests. They have tested Georgia's resilience, character and heart. And in the end, they were each wins.

It's hard to say whether that will translate into another victory this weekend, but to hear some of Georgia's most important players talk about it, it certainly sounds like they think it can.

Rennie Curran on how much better prepared this team is for a big game...
“This team realizes way more than last year’s team that there’s no way we can roll our helmets out and expect to win. We have to fight hard for every single down on every play for the success we want. It’s not going to come from just one guy making a huge play. Everybody has to win their battle to win the war ultimately. It really has helped us.”

Bryan Evans on not relying on just two players this year...
“It’s always good to know the offense can bail the defense out one game, the defense can bail the offense out one game, special teams can bail us out. If we can just get all three of them rolling, man, we can be unstoppable. That’s what we’re looking at is we have never finished a whole game together with all three phases. If we can get all three phases together and we win the turnover ratio, I’m pretty sure we can be the best team in the country.”

A.J. Green on playing so many tight games...
“That’s just show what type of team we are. We’re never going to give up, and we don’t care what’s the score or the time on the clock, we’re going to keep fighting.”

Mark Richt on what the close games have done for Georgia...
“I think it builds confidence. I think when you’re in the middle of a game and you hit that adversity everybody can look at each other and say ‘Here we go again; let’s go do it,’ rather than ‘Here we go again, we’re in trouble’. I think the first attitude is the one that we have at this moment and hopefully we continue to have it. I’ve said it ever since I’ve been at Georgia; I think we’re a good football team. I think we’re good enough to win the East and win the SEC, but the teams that win the close games are going to be the champions and so that has to be the first and foremost thing of importance is winning that football game. That’s what we are preparing for right now.”

Joe Cox on the team's mind-set going into this game...
“We’ve definitely been tested this year, and that’s always important. If that’s what people want to see is us getting tested or not, I don’t know. But I definitely think it’s been good that we’ve had some of the games we’ve had. We’ve been able to come back from being down. We’ve been able to drive the field in the last minute and get in position to win a game. There’s been a lot of things that have happened amongst the ugliness that’s been happening, too. We’ve been tested and we know what we’re capable of. We know what the defense is capable of. We know what (the offense) is capable of. I think our unity is great, and I think it’s come from those tough games when we’ve had to rely on each other. That’s going to help us in the long run.”

Chat Wrap: Week 5

Many thanks to all of you for the questions during today's chat. I had planned on only doing a half hour, but there were so many good inquiries that I had to keep going.

If you didn't get a chance to participate live, you can still re-live the excitement through the magic of the Intergoogles. Just click on over to Macon.com/UGAchat and press the 'play' button, and magically travel back in time to a simpler time and place when reader and writer could chat in harmony.

Thanks again, folks!

Thursday Links (10/1)

A quick batch o' links for today...

-- Don't forget... we're chatting live at noon. Just mash your mouse HERE.

-- LSU has a new defensive coordinator this season, which if you ask Mark Bradley, puts the Tigers well ahead of Georgia in terms of decision making.

-- Bernie has some locker notes for a few key players this week.

-- You'll love the eye black Rantavious Wooten is planning to wear for the LSU game. Seriously.

-- Linebacker Khairi Fortt plans to decide on his college choice on Monday, and while he's being wooed by all the big names, his father called the trip to UGA "impressive." (h/t Jim)

-- Les Miles talked about the Georgia game with Dan Patrick.

-- Buck Belue says that a key player in this week's game could be... Sanders Commings? (And I completely agree.)

-- Glory, Glory wraps its head around just how important this game against LSU is for Georgia.

-- If you guys aren't reading The Grit Tree regularly, do yourself a favor and at least put it atop your Wednesday reading list.

-- This is going to be a big recruiting weekend for the Bulldogs. There will also be a ton of former players in town for the game, too. Those two things probably go really well together.

-- Fletcher Page wonders if Georgia is battle tested after four tough games or burned out.

-- The Banner-Herald writes that Justin Houston's return has had a big impact on the Dawgs' D.

-- The Chattanooga Times Free Press is the latest to offer praise of A.J. Green.

-- Wait, scratch that... Chris Low from ESPN is the latest to offer praise of A.J. Green.

-- About Them Dawgs! takes a deeper look at the turnover issue and sees big problems.

-- Tony Barnhart wonders how much of a weapon Russell Shepard will be against Georgia.

-- And the Valley Shook writes that LSU shouldn't get too cute with defensive schemes but should just let Patrick Peterson do his thing covering A.J. Green. Honestly, this matchup is probably one of the two or three best we'll see all season at Georgia. I'm excited about it.

-- For LSU, this week's game is as much about revenge as it is about setting the stage for this season.

-- The facelift begins on Stegeman Coliseum.

-- Apparently a Ramones biopic is in the works. Wasn't Vince supposed to star in this on "Entourage"?

-- Check out this live, unreleased Nirvana track.

-- I'm so out of the loop... there was a semi-reunion of R.E.M. at the 40 Watt the other night, and I heard nothing about it.

-- And finally, this makes you wonder how people could have so much time for art and so little time for a car wash.

Oh, and one more thing: For all my Twitter followers who were kind enough to pose some questions for Brandon Boykin yesterday, I apologize. He's sick, and he missed practice, so obviously, no interviews either. We'll catch up with him next week though.

In Case You're Bored on Friday...

I wanted to pass along info on a couple of events in the Athens and Atlanta areas on Friday that might be of interest to you. The first, via a release by Breakaway Sports, is one I'm assuming Orson Charles will not be invited to...

The Coaches’ Trophy presented by Dr Pepper, which will be awarded to the 2009 national college football champions, will be on display this Friday at two Kroger stores in Athens. Fans will be able to have a free on-line photo taken with the Waterford® Crystal football trophy and also enter to win a trip for four the the Citi BCS National Championship in Pasadena, Calif.

Where & When:

Friday, October 2
Kroger store #255
2301 College Station
Athens, GA 30605
706-353-8543
1 – 3 p.m.

Friday, October 2
Kroger store #428
191 Alps Road
Athens, GA 30606
706-543-0209
4 – 6 p.m.

Also, if you're in Buckhead on Friday, "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" will be broadcasting live from the Buffalo Wild Wings in advance of the Georgia-LSU game.

I've mentioned before that I'm hardly a fan of Mr. Cowherd, but never let it be said I don't do my best to keep you informed in spite of my deeply held beliefs.

Deleted Scenes: Rantavious Wooten

In case you haven't read it yet, I have a story in today's Telegraph on the development of freshman receiver Rantavious Wooten. After earning just one snap in the first two games, Wooten has seen his playing time increase dramatically in the past two weeks, including hauling in two crucial third-down receptions against Arizona State.

While the story turned out to be much longer than I'd hoped, I didn't come close to getting all my Wooten-isms in. So, here's a few more snippets from my interview with him, for your reading pleasure…

David Hale: I know you're fast, but there are certainly a few other speedsters on this team, including Bryan Evans and Branden Smith. So, who's fastest?

Rantavious Wooten: There are some fast guys, but running routes during one-on-ones, I feel like I can compete with whoever they say the fastest is, I feel like I’m right there with them.

DH: You've been praised for your route-running pretty much since Day 1. How did you get so good at it?

RW: I learned on my own how to do things. I do a lot of studying of guys like Percy Harvin and Desean Jackson. That’s who I really look at to see how they run their routes and think about would I run my routes the same way. Just be smart and think, if I was a DB, what would I do to him. I think about it that way and then do the opposite of what he’s doing.

DH: What was it like against Arkansas when you finally got some real playing time?

RW: It was pretty good. Of course I was nervous. It was a great environment and the fans were rocking. But to get out there, getting my first hit, it loosened me up a little bit. After that, it kept rolling, my confidence was way up because I wasn’t expecting to play that much. Everything is just falling into place now.

DH: Tell me about your first catch. It looked like you had a little hitch in your route, but you recovered and hauled in a long one right near the sideline.

RW: The way we usually run it at practice is to wait until the last second and he throws it over the opposite-side shoulder, so that’s what I was really trying to do was try to keep my line and stay close as long as possible and then look back at the ball and separate at the end.

DH: What has it been like earning more playing time while Marlon (Brown) is still waiting?

RW: Marlon’s just working. We know things will happen, and we both need work as freshman. We’re both working hard and just pushing each other in practice. We’re going to get there no matter what, and hopefully he’ll get more playing time and I’ll get more playing time.

DH: Has Marlon kept a good attitude despite not seeing much action?

RW: He’s not discouraged or anything. He knows what he needs to work on, just like I know what I need to work on. Everything Coach asks him to do, he’s doing, and his time is going to come. He’s that ideal receiver that’s got the body, the vertical, the hands. He’s going to get there, he’s just got to apply himself.

DH: A.J. Green has obviously been a big topic of conversation this week, and everyone I ask says that they don't even make a big deal about his great catches anymore since they see him do it in practice so often. You weren't around him last year, so I'm curious, is it still impressive to you when you see him make some of those grabs?

RW: Every time I see him make a great catch like that, it’s never, ‘OK, he just made that catch.’ I’m always excited. Every time he makes a catch, I’m excited. I’m on the sideline pointing to him. Everybody else will be like, ‘Yeah, he caught it.’ I’m like, ‘Wow, did you see how he caught that?’ Even though I see him make that kind of catch a lot, it still has that ‘Wow’ factor for me.

DH: OK, I have to ask you about the YouTube clips with your high school highlights. The "Wooten da ball carrier" stuff… it's like those Free Credit Report commercials. It's so annoying, yet so catchy. What do you think about it?



RW: When I first posted it on YouTube, people were commenting on it, but they weren’t leaving comments about the video itself. They were leaving comments about the narrator. They were talking about the announcer and how bad he sucked and what he kept saying. I was like, ‘Man, he’s going to start something with this.’ Every comment was ‘Wooten da ball carrier,’ or ‘He may go.’ It looked like it came up here, too, and that’s what people are saying now.

DH: So have you spoken with the Georgia PA guy to see if you can get that call made during games here?

RW: I haven’t talked to him yet about that. I don’t plan to. But the more I get involved in the offense and the more I touch the ball, I’m pretty sure that it’ll carry over.

DH: Well, despite the lack of 'Wooten da ball carrier' references last week, you did get a nice cheer of 'Woooooot' from the crowd after your first catch. How'd that make you feel?

RW: It was crazy. I didn’t know what to think. I was excited because I knew that the fans had accepted me now. It just felt great. It was amazing, and I walked off the field smiling.