Deleted Scenes: Week 5

Quotes and notes that didn't make it onto the blog or into a story this week...

WRs coach John Eason on A.J. Green's work ethic: "I've been fortunate in my career that I've had guys that have been willing to learn, willing to work, and he's at the top of the list when it comes to just trying to soak things up and work ethic."

Eason on what Green does for the offense: "It's just like Knowshon really opens up the passing game for us, and with A.J., he's going to open up the running game for us."

WR Tavarres King on the excitement for Saturday's game: "It's going to be awesome. The place is going to be rocking. Of course it's Saturday, it's Athens plus GameDay' plus blackout. It's going to be crazy."

King on his long reception against Arizona State: "It was real exciting. When they called the play, I just knew the ball was coming to me. I just had this gut feeling. I shot across there and caught it and tried to get in the end zone, but I couldn't."

Safety Quintin Banks on the improvement of John Knox: "I think Knox has progressed a lot. He's a physical safety, he's learning the system, and he's really come along. It's not scary for Coach to throw him in there. He's a real good player and it's just good to see him coming along. Me being out has helped him out a lot unfortunately for me but it has helped him get playing time."

Banks on how much Knox's playing time helped: "I think it's helped a lot. You don't know how you can play until you actually play. Just sitting on the sideline and watching him, I know he's a little shaky, but he's really coming along and being able to play fast. Being a safety is not easy, you've got to be smart, play hard, play fast, and I think he's coming along."

Lineman Chris Davis on A.J. Harmon's switch to offense: "He just competed, really. He doesn't know any of the plays yet, the way he competed was really nice."

Corner Asher Allen on how to balance aggressiveness while cutting down penalties: "Defensively, aggressiveness is something you always want your defense to have. But sometimes you can take it a little too far, be a little too aggressive, hit the quarterback a little too hard."

Allen on whether the holding call that cost him an INT was legit: "Personally, I don't think so, but that's just how it is. You can't take a pick from a DB. It could have been a deflection or something, but you can't take a pick from us."

Allen on stopping Alabama's offense: "They've been able to run the ball so great this whole year, and play action is obviously a big thing for them. If your eyes aren't right and your technique isn't good, you can give up the big play, and that's what we can't do."

DT Corvey Irvin on the matchup with Alabama: "We need to play with an attitude, an edge, a grudge. They're a great team, they've got a great offensive line, but we'll see Saturday when it hits the fan."

Irvin on the tempo of practice this week: "Everybody's intense because we all know what's on the line this week. Practice is going to be hyped, everybody's going to be hollerin' and yellin'. It's going to be an up-tempo practice this week because of the circumstances, the situation. It's a ranked team, we're at home, the blackout -- it's going to be a great game."

Irvin on Alabama's performance against Clemson in Week 1: "They took over the game. I don't know what went wrong or what happened. They had a great game, they controlled the line, they were knocking them back, but that's Clemson. We're Georgia. We're not the same players, so we'll be ready."

Irvin on Ben Jones' attitude: "He never backs down. Whenever we're lifting weights, no matter how much the weight is, you know he's going to get up under it, if he can get it or not. I believe he's going to come out Saturday and that's going to amp him up. Coach Searels is probably in his head telling him, 'Look what you've got in front of you, look what you've got to prepare for.'"

QB Matthew Stafford on beating Alabama last year: "It was big. I think we started off that game well, threw a touchdown early, threw two picks, then threw a touchdown late, too. That was big for me, personally, getting that win against a good football team like that. It was big for the team, too, getting us even in the SEC."

Stafford on playing Bama this year: "We're definitely going up against a very good opponent, especially on defense. They're playing great football. They've got a ton of momentum, and I feel like we do, too. It's going to be a battle out there, it's going to be fun, and we're excited to play them."

Stafford on A.J. Green: "It helps, and we try to simplify things. I help him out as much as I can to make sure he's doing the right stuff. It's something that just puts another playmaker on the field for us and makes defenses keep an eye on him."

Stafford on Georgia's multitude of penalties: "We had penalties in that game that we thought were kind of self-inflicted wounds, and we're just trying to shore them up. The penalties we've gotten, I feel like we can take care of these penalties and still play that way. It's more stupid things that we've done."

Stafford on whether the team watches "GameDay": "We still watch it now. We play afternoon or night games sitting in the hotel all morning, we tune into see what they have to say."

Stafford on Georgia's ability to hit the deep ball: "I think we can stretch the field with the best of them. A lot of it has to do with how well we run the football, if the safeties have to come up and play the run it gives our guys a chance to be one-on-one up the field. We have been able to make a couple of plays this year."

Fullback Brannan Southerland on the black jerseys: "You can look back and look at the Sugar Bowl, I think we did it again. I think it just helps when you have the crowd in it. The players get all jacked up with the crowd roaring, it just helps you grab momentum."

Tight end Tripp Chandler on the high number of penalties: "It's a mix of a lot of things, guys playing hard, maybe not hearing the whistle, playing after the whistle. But that's going to get us beat, so we need to become a more disciplined team. We need to get guys in check when penalties are starting to get heavy on us. That'll definitely hurt us in the long run."

Chandler on what coaches have been saying about the penalties: "We've been hearing about it for a couple of weeks. It's definitely something you need to get in check playing against a team like Alabama. If you play against Alabama on a bad day, it'll get you beat, but Alabama on a Saturday like this week, with how good their team is, we won't win the game playing like that."

Head coach Mark Richt on substitutions: "What's happening now, it's a night game, it's going to be cool, TV timeouts, it's hard to get tired once you hit this time of the year. A couple weeks ago, like in South Carolina, you're going to get hot, tired, especially with day games. But it's evening, the weather is starting to cool down a lot more. By game time I'm sure it will be mid-to-low 60s, and that helps your stamina. So as much as we've been substituting across the board, there might be a little less substitution."

Richt on "GameDay" coming to Athens: "It is exciting to have "GameDay" here. There's no question. Having them on campus elevates your game and creates an awful lot of awareness and publicity for your program. It is a very positive thing is "GameDay" shows up or you are in a game where they are at. You figure you are one of the top, if not the top game of the week. Them being there is significant as far as generating excitement. It will generate excitement for our fans and for our players."

Richt on what A.J. Green adds to the offense: "A.J. had one great game statistically, I think he's played well every game he has been in and played well every time the ball has been thrown in his direction. From a statistical standpoint that was a big game, big numbers, number of catches and yards. I hope people forget about Mohamed Massaquoi but I don't think they will. Him and Mohamed out there really help us. If you have just one great receiver and nothing else you can easily roll your coverage and double up a guy. You just try to get a ball to a guy in double coverage is not very smart. You need to receivers that are outstanding and you need a runner. It's tough to stop everything if we are doing it well."

Richt on teams forced to stop Georgia's multi-faceted offensive attack: "It's a dilemma if you got a strong running game and a strong passing game. That's we talked about. We talked about trying to be balanced. Right now we are as close to that as we have been since I've been here."

Richt on recovering from the ASU trip: "I have on the coaching staff, including me. I know the staff is pretty tired right now, but they're grinding it out. I think the players were able to take the full day Sunday and rest, and I think a good many of them were able to sleep on the plane, but that whole day Sunday to sleep in as long as you want, to take a nap in the middle of the day if you want, I think that helped them a lot."

Thursday Notes (9/25)

Not a lot to discuss from today's meeting with head coach Mark Richt.

The biggest note of interest is that Richt was visited today by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who Richt said is a big Georgia fan.

"That fires me up," Richt said. "I just met him, and that was fun. He's a very delightful man, and just in the small time you're with him, you can tell he's a very humble man considering who he is. I really enjoyed the couple moments with him."

As it turns out, however, Thomas apparently has another favorite team, too, though Richt was mum on the details.

"He's a Georgia fan," Richt said. "He has a No. 1 team ahead of Georgia, but he told me not to tell anyone. It's somebody way far away from here in a different conference, so it's OK."

The amusing part of all this, however, is that meeting Thomas was hardly Richt's top priority of the day.

The Georgia coach is known for writing notes down on his hand -- his "Palm Pilot" as he calls it -- and one of today's notes, in big black lettering was "Clarence Thomas." Richt was so busy prepping for Bama, he needed to be reminded of his meeting with a Supreme Court justice.

"I'm hoping to introduce him to the team real quick," Richt said. "I don't know if that will get done or not. I don't want to cheese up at the last second and say the wrong name, so I've got to hand it."

Other news and notes...

-- Quintin Banks should play, Richt said. I'll have a detailed story on Banks and John Knox in tomorrow's paper, too.

-- Still no update on Donavon Baldwin. My guess is that decision will come during Georgia's off week rather than before a big game like this one.

-- Rennie Curran, Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Tony Wilson will be the captains for this week's game. Regarding Wilson, Richt said he has earned the captain status despite his minimal on-field contributions.

"He hasn't played a lot, but Tony has been a warrior for us," Richt said. "He's done everything he's been asked to do. He's coming off that ankle injury, and it just has not progressed like we hope. He's kind of limping around. He's not full speed, but he's not at any risk. He's just not what he was, and that's been very frustrating to him. But when we ask him to do this or that, he's done it with great enthusiasm."

-- Bruce Figgins hasn't been a big part of Georgia's offense thus far. In Game 1, he didn't dress as punishment for breaking a team rule. Since then, Richt said Figgins has battled a sore shoulder that has limited him. The biggest reason for the drought, however, is the Bulldogs lack of throws to the tight end.

"I don't think the ball has been thrown to the tight ends as much as a year ago," Richt said. "Of course, Bruce started his first game as a true freshman and caught his first touchdown pass in that first game. It's just the way it's worked out to this point."

-- Jeremy Lomax and Jarius Wynn will both play Saturday, Richt said. "Both ready, no limitations today. They'll be fine."

-- The practice schedule for the bye week next week will be a little different. Georgia will meet Monday to review the Alabama game, lift and do some conditioning. The Bulldogs will have full practices Tuesday and Thursday, while Wednesday and Friday will be limited to just lifting and running.

-- Richt was asked to do his best "Project Runway" impression by discussing any uniform changes he's made over the years. Two important points he made: Georgia will always be a "silver britches" team, and he reiterated that there won't be black helmets for Saturday.

-- The last thing Richt was asked today was about his demeanor -- he's seemed pretty relaxed all week, given the enormity of the game. His response -- particularly when compared to the typical Belichick-era coaches -- was pretty refreshing.

"The older I get the more I realize what a blessing it is to be coaching at Georgia at a major college and playing in games like this. I mean, how often does a game like this come along? Not that often. I've been in other games that were as big or bigger when it comes to championships on the line, but I've just learned to stop and smell the roses a little bit more and just enjoy the reality of my job and my ability to be doing this. I try to help the players and the assistant coaches, too, sometimes. I hope the fans realize how special of a night this is going to be. It's going to be exciting. I don't know who's going to win. I'm excited because of just the whole opportunity to be a part of it. I'm just like, 'This is awesome, this is great.'"

What's in a Name?

I suggested in my live game blog from Arizona State that, given how impressive A.J. Green has been so far, he really needs a nickname.

Virtually all the wide receivers have nicknames among teammates -- my favorite being Kris Durham's "White Lightning" -- but even when I talked to them, there was hardly a consensus on a moniker for Green, which leaves me wondering what Tony Wilson has been doing all this time.

In any case, I'm still taking suggestions from fans on a good nickname for Green, but here's what some of the Bulldogs had to say...

Wide receivers coach John Eason: "All the boys just call him A.J. We've got to work on that."

Tavarres King, Green's fellow freshman, said Green is occasionally called "Jizzle" as in "A-Jizzle," but I feel like the Snoop Dogg stuff is sort of played out.

I also learned that King's nickname among teammates is "Chicken."

"My legs, my chicken legs," King said. "We all just kind of got nicknames by things we do on the field, how we look."

King did have one helpful suggestion, which he attributes to Wilson: "I think he calls him Hot Dog, just because of how he plays on the field."

Mo Massaquoi couldn't come up with anything, so he inquired with Matthew Stafford.

"I call him Slim," Stafford said.

"Slim, yeah, he needs to bulk up a little bit," Massaquoi responded.

Durham's contribution seems like a good one: "He's just phenom, man. He's incredible."

As for the man himself, Green said he isn't too concerned about having a nickname. Even in high school, he said, no one came up with anything that stuck.

"Nobody ever gave me a nickname," he said. "Everybody's just always called me A.J."

Thursday Links (9/25)

-- I have a story on the matchup between A.J. Green and Julio Jones. And so does the Athens Banner-Herald. And so does the AJC. And so does the Augusta Chronicle. Someone get the Savannah Morning News on the phone to complain about their lack of coverage!

UPDATE: ESPN has jumped into the fray, too.

-- Former Georgia quarterback David Greene landed a job with the Colts.

-- The Chattanooga Times Free Press has a story on Georgia tight end Tripp Chandler's slow start.

-- The Athens Banner-Herald has a story on the new Vince Dooley Athletics Complex.

-- The Birmingham News notes that Nick Saban's assessment of Georgia is that they are easy to figure out and hard to stop.

-- The AJC's Tim Tucker has a piece on UGA's plan to expand Sanford Stadium.

-- The Cullman Times has a story on the return of Kirby Smart.

-- Alabama beat writer Gentry Estes gets inside info on Georgia from a good UGA writer and me.

-- The Seymour Herald (I'm really not sure where that is) says the Dawgs are getting shafted. The column also begins with mention that Ray Charles is from Albany. Funny thing about Albany is, it's three most famous former residents are Ray Charles, Ray Stevens and Ray Knight. So if you are from the Binny, unless you are named Ray, you have virtually no chance of accomplishing anything in your life.

-- Check out this catch by Morgan State receiver Edwin Baptiste. Think A.J. will have one like that before the season is over?

-- Deadspin pays tribute to the dearly departed Matt Millen. This is sort of like when the first George Bush didn't get reelected. There was a general sense that the country was probably better off, but you just knew you'd miss the Dan Quayle jokes.

-- This is why journalism will never die: The country needs 5,000-word, in-depth personality profiles of its greatest heroes and legends.

Wednesday Practice Notes

Think Mark Richt is a little worried about Alabama spies in his midst this week? He's closed practice for the second year in a row against the Tide, and during his meeting with media tonight he purposely avoided answering questions about injuries, blackout surprises, special teams coverages and whether Quintin Banks would definitely play. I blame Saban for making my job harder.

Anyway, here are a few things we did learn:

-- Entering the news conference, Richt wore a black Georgia shirt and a black bermuda hat. One reporter commented on the hat, asking if it was for the blackout. Richt then made a reference to the now infamous Alabama assistant coach who said Georgia would sport black uni's because it was going to a funeral.

"It is, did you know that?," Richt said, joking about the blackout happening. "I'm going to a funeral."

-- Tavarres King has an ankle sprain and will not play this week. Brannan Southerland will be on the field, Richt said.

"He'll be the personal protector, and he'll probably be on extra-point and field goal, too. You don't have to run too much hopefully. If you get a kick blocked, you might have to run real fast, so hopefully that won't happen."

-- I also spoke with Corvey Irvin, who said his roommate, defensive end Jarius Wynn, was feeling good and would definitely play this week.

-- Richt said the offensive line would look the same to start the game this week as it did last week. As for the grasshopper-eating Ben Jones, who will be matched against Terrence Cody, Richt said he expected the freshman to play as much as he did last week -- which was nearly the entire game.

-- Richt said he was worried about stopping Alabama's impressive kick returner Javier Arenas, but that's as far as he would go.

"I don't want to give away the game plan to be honest, and I think anything I say might give them a hint as to what we plan to do other than to say he's really good."

-- Motivating the players this week wouldn't be too tough, Richt said."I think it's going to be one of the easiest games to motivate forsince I've been at Georgia. It's a no-brainer. If the guys blooddoesn't boil, if they don't get riled up for this one, they probablyshouldn't be wearing red and black."

-- Richt said he wasn't concerned about former Bulldogs coach and current Alabama assistant Kirby Smart sharing any key details of the Georgia playbook with Nick Saban. He said there may be a slight edge because of Georgia O line coach Stacy Searels' familiarity with Saban, however, as the two worked together at LSU.

"I'd say a lot more if Kirby was here while Mike Bobo was the coordinator because things change, just the way we call things. We went right and left instead of tight and split with our line. The verbiage changed. Some of the things stayed the same, but there was a lot of change, and I don't think Kirby would be clued into that because of being at Georgia. Now, Nick's experience with Stacy might help and vice versa. But Kirby being here isn't as big of a factor because we're really not doing what we were doing when he was here. There are some things that carried over, but there's probably been more change than not. Coach Saban's defense right now is not exactly how it was when he was at LSU, when Stacy was there and we played them at LSU. It's just different."

-- No more controversy about ESPN. Richt said he's surprised it has been so long since "GameDay" made a trip to Athens, but he said there's no reason to think it was a conspiracy.

"I don't know what goes into deciding whether you need to come for GameDay' but as you look, there might have been a game or two I thought we might have them come, but there was always another pretty good game going on, too, and I could see why they went where they wend and never felt slighted."

And about the Knowshon non-highlight from the Central Michigan game?

"I know they get highlights from everywhere, but they have to do those things pretty quick. When I said they missed the boat, I wasn't trying to be real critical. I think they got their feelings hurt. I wasn't trying to hurt anybody's feeling. I was like, to me, that was kind of a no-brainer ESPN highlight and it wasn't there, so you're wondering why, but they have to go through a lot of games."

-- Richt said the flight back from Arizona hasn't had a major effect on the players, but it has taken its toll on the coaching staff, who weren't able to catch up on sleep Sunday.

"I have on the coaching staff, including me. I know the staff is pretty tired right now, but they're grinding it out. I think the players were able to take the full day Sunday and rest, and I think a good many of them were able to sleep on the plane, but that whole day Sunday to sleep in as long as you want, to take a nap in the middle of the day if you want, I think that helped them a lot."

-- Asked about A.J. Green and Julio Jones, Richt said both were special players. I'll have a story on the two of them for tomorrow's paper as well, for those of you who still read the paper. Here's what Richt had to say:

"I think they're both big-time players, guys that could be difference makers for their team, guys that will be if they stay healthy throughout their careers. They're going to make big plays, and usually the big plays make the difference in our game because most of them are very close. It takes a guy here and there to make a play to score the touchdown or get the big catch on third-and-long, and I think both these guys have already done it and will continue to do it for a while."

-- In case you were wondering about the bowling skills on the Bulldogs:

"We've got some good bowlers. We've got Adam Fuller, who's baseball. He's a ringer that Knowshon and Demarcus brought in. They knew he could bowl. Stafford, the first day, came in and bowled a 207 and left. He was the high scorer the first week. Coach Bobo didn't want him to come. He averages about one game a week. I bowled a 197 last week, that wasn't bad. Dobbs and Adam have been in I think Adam's bowled one over 200, Dobbs has been in the 180s. Knowshon has been in the 170s, 180s."

-- Richt also talked about his relationship with Larry Munson:

"All I can say is I'm thankful that I was able to get to know him, get to work with him. I really don't hear many of his calls. You hear the ones that people decide are his greatest calls, but I've never heard him do a game. But I got to know him as a person, and I really enjoy him. He's a great Bulldog and a very neat guy.

"For me personally, the hobnail boot was a special game for me and our staff in my first year as head coach here. For that call to become one of his greatest calls from what people say, I'm just glad to be a part of it. When I think of Larry Munson, I'll think of that call."

Police Warn of Ticket Scams

According to TicketsNow, tickets to Saturday's Georgia-Alabama game are selling for an average of around $400, with good seats going for nearly twice that. But UGA police are warning fans to watch out for scams involving fake tickets.

From UGA Athletics:

The University of Georgia Police Department has issued a warning to UGA football fans and visitors that there is reason to believe a ticket counterfeiting scam is possible in Athens for the Georgia-Alabama game this Saturday.

Alabama Law Enforcement Officials reported a large number of counterfeit tickets during the Auburn-LSU Game at Auburn, Ala., last Saturday. These counterfeit tickets look very real to the average person. According to UGA Police, it was even difficult for athletic staff to verify without extensive examination.



The University of Georgia Police Department has good reason to believe that the University of Georgia/Athens community may be targeted this weekend.

Individuals that sell counterfeit tickets do everything to blend in and look like the average fan, according to police and that the counterfeit tickets being sold are hard to recognize even for Athletic Association personnel.

In past games of this magnitude, police have also seen counterfeit money used to buy legitimate tickets from fans.

The University of Georgia Police Department strongly recommends that fans do not have any type of ticket transaction (selling or buying) from individuals that you do not know and only do business with individuals whose credibility you can personally substantiate. Please be aware so that your game day experience will not be ruined by such criminal activity.

Contact for additional information: Jimmy Williamson, University police

Catching Up With... Vince Dooley

In the pantheon of great SEC rivalries, Georgia and Alabama doesn't exactly rank up there with the most passionate, but it wasn't always that way. During Vince Dooley's tenure as the Bulldogs' head coach, he had his share of memorable showdowns with Bear Bryant and the Crimson Tide.

I talked to him this week about some of his best memories of playing Alabama, his thoughts on this year's Bulldogs and his feelings following the retirement of legendary Georgia broadcaster Larry Munson.

David Hale: Last year's game at Alabama was certainly a big one for the Bulldogs, but it has been a while since those two teams have faced off in a game as big as the one they'll play this Saturday. Looking back throughout your career though, there were plenty of big games. Do you still look at it as being an important rivalry?

Vice Dooley: If we played just like we started playing Tennessee every year, which we did for a long time, it would be a big, big rivalry. But because of what happened a long time ago, when Alabama and Georgia played each other regularly, they were a big rival. You go back to Harry Gilmer and Charlie Trippi, that was big. Those games were big in Georgia's history and Alabama's history. But then we went to that rotating schedule and Alabama and Georgia were not traditional rivals, it's caused what we have now. We play every four years, but it would be a big rival if we played every year.

DH: What are your favorite memories of playing Alabama?

VD: The good memories, we upset Alabama in my second year. They were national champions the year before, they went on and became national champions that year. But we beat them in the first game in really a big upset. There were three big plays in that game that will be featured in a book that will be coming out in about three weeks that I just finished called "The Dooley Playbook: 34 of Georgia's Most Memorable Plays." It just so happened that in that particular game, there were three of them. One was George Patton, and All-American tackle, intercepting a ball and running about 55 yards for a touchdown. It was Kirby Moore to Pat Hodgson to Bob Taylor, about a 74-yard touchdown in the last minute, and then a two-point play that won the game. We called it a flea-flicker at the time, it's better called the hook-and-curl. So that one and we beat Alabama here in '76 when we were in the top 10 and Alabama was in the top 10. That was the last big game where the two teams were ranked as highly as they're ranked now.

DH: What do you remember most from that '76 game?

VD: It's the biggest celebration that ever took place in Georgia football history. Regardless of what you've had here since that time, there was no celebration like '76. They close Milledge Ave. No cars went up and down the street for the whole night.

DH: Obviously when you and Bear Bryant faced off, it was two of the great SEC coaches of all time on the sidelines. Do you think people might say the same thing years from now about Nick Saban and Mark Richt?

VD: There are a lot of great coaches. More great coaches than you've ever had, more great players than you've ever had. So this is big.

DH: Georgia is just getting back from a long trip out to Arizona State. That's a big departure from what they've done for the past, almost 50 years. What do you think of playing more games outside of the Southeast region?

VD: Second year we went to Michigan in Ann Arbor, beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. Michigan had gone to the Rose Bowl the year before, so that was one of the great big wins in Georgia football history. It used to be that Georgia would go and play money games. We quit doing that after I got here. We brought people here as money games instead of us going across the country. Georgia used to do that in order to collect big money, but we quit doing that.

The whole thing is the 12th game. The 12th game has now allowed us to do that, which is what we had planned to do anyway to get intersectional rivals. I think it's great not for, you can call it marketing or whatever you want to call it, but that's what we had planned to do anyway. We never could do it with 11 games, but the 12th game was put in allowed us to do that.

DH: Obviously this year's Georgia team has generated a lot of excitement. How does that compare to what you experienced in 1980 when the Bulldogs won the national title?

VD: I don't think with the anticipation, it wasn't like this. There was a lot of excitement about the team, but nothing to the extent of the excitement about this team.

DH: The other big comparison that always comes up between this team and the 1980 team is between the two running backs. Do you think comparing Knowshon Moreno to Herschel Walker is fair?

VD: I think (Moreno) brings the excitement to the game and to the Georgia people that Herschel did, but they are entirely different kind of backs. Moreno can do so many more things in a lot of ways than what Herschel could do. But Herschel could do a few things that Moreno would never be able to do.

DH: What about personality-wise? Is Knowshon similar to Herschel in that respect?

VD: He's more expressive outwardly than Herschel was, but it had the same effect on the crowd. It was just in a different way, they were different styles."

DH: The big news this week has been about the retirement of longtime announcer Larry Munson. What were your thoughts when you heard Larry was stepping down?

VD: I was surprised. I thought that he would finish the year and be able to pass the torch at the end of the year. But I thought he would be smart enough to realize that he was not at his best, and a guy like him wants to be at his best, have the pride to be at his best, and so I think he wisely decided it was time to step aside now, for him and for the program.

DH: Do you have any favorite memories of working with Larry or any calls that really stand out in your mind?

VD: Munson, of course, has turned out to be a folk hero. In that book, I've quoted Larry several times about plays, and a lot of those plays came from because they were memorable plays that brought out the best in Munson. The end-around pass, Appleby to Washington, the flea-flicker, Buck Belue to Lindsay Scott, you've got the championship, the third championship we cinched in a row and he said, "Look at the sugar falling from the sky." The '78 team, the Wonderdogs when we had these games that all of them were so close and he said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." All those things were brought about because of tight games that went down to the wire, like the Tennessee game from Coach Richt's first year. And Munson produced. If he was out there calling a game where we were ahead 48-0, Munson wouldn't be so unusual.

DH: Sort of a magical blend of circumstance and personality?

VD: When you combine the two, that's what you got.

DH: Do you have any predictions for Saturday's game? It seems like it will be a throwback sort of game to the old days of the SEC.

VD: I think it will be one of those games that will go down to the wire. Both those teams are very, very good. Both teams have experienced quarterbacks and that will allow the game to be very tight. The good ones are always that way. It's like last week with Auburn and LSU. It's what's up front that counts.

Wednesday Links (9/23)

I won both my fantasy football games last week, the Eagles had 135 sacks, and some girl at Roadhouse said she thought I was 23... it's been a good week. So, with that, nothing but positive links today...

-- I don't ask you to read all of my story on Ben Jones, just the first two graphs. If you're not convinced after that he has a chance against Terrence Cody, well, there's nothing more I can do.

-- A farm in Henry County pays tribute to Larry Munson.

-- A.J. Harmon is moving to offense.

-- The Banner-Herald's Mark Weiszer chats with Damon Evans .

-- According to the AJC, Mark Richt is not happy with all the penalties. What I think is interesting is the fact that coaches have reallty tried to downplay this so far. You'd think 11 penalties a game would be a clear reason to complain, but Richt has sort of defended his team after each game. Not sure exactly what that means, but my guess is that coaches think many of those flags were undeserved.

-- The legendary Gentry Estes blogs about Georgia's decision to once again close practice before the Bama game.

-- Get the Picture discusses Finebaum, the most hated man in the SEC not named Spurrier.

-- The Athens Banner-Herald laments the lack of Sanford Stadium view for Game Day, but hey, at least ESPN is making the trip.

-- I blame myself for not linking to this earlier, but here are Total UGA's girls of the ASU game.

-- The Banner-Herald writes about the blackout's boost to the economy. I tried to boost the economy, too, but there's only so much you can do when spending $2 on a pitcher of Miller Lite.

-- Please send hate mail to Jim Rome. Honestly, he has zero class whatsoever. I won't lie, I loved the Chris Evert joke back in the day, but that doesn't give him license to be a jackass forever. Skip Bayless has his nitch, and Rome doesn't need to jump in on it. In all seriousness though, it's absurd the way ESPN has jumped all over Richt since the Moreno incident. Yes, the whole thing was overblown. But A.) Richt was simply defending his guy, and B.) Richt NEVER said anything bad. This is the most overblown non-Brett Favre story ESPN has run in... well, OK, hours.

-- And finally, I'm super excited about the new TV season, but there are still a few more months until the premier of my favorite show. So if you're a "Lost" fan like me, here's a little something to get you through.

UGA Baseball has No. 5 Recruiting Class

From UGA Athletics:

The 2008 University of Georgia baseball recruiting class has been ranked fifth in the nation by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, it was announced Tuesday.

This marks the 26th consecutive year that "Collegiate Baseball" has ranked the top 40 baseball recruiting classes, and this marks the highest ranking ever for the Bulldogs. The top five this year consisted of Arizona State, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Georgia. The Sun Devils have a 20-member class led by 13 players who were selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year draft. Oregon posted their first signing class in 27 years as they re-establish baseball. The Ducks brought in 35 recruits including nine players that were drafted.

Georgia's recruiting class featured 15 newcomers including five that were drafted. A pair of third round picks highlights this year s freshmen class in outfielder/first baseman Chase Davidson (Milton HS, Alpharetta, Ga.) and outfielder/pitcher Zach Cone (Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga.). Davidson and Cone chose the Bulldogs over offers by the Astros and Angels respectively. Davidson, a 6-5, 220-pounder, was the 88th overall pick in the draft. The left-handed hitting slugger batted .429 with 11 home runs and a .538 on base percentage as a senior for the Eagles. Cone, a 6-2, 200-pounder, was the 112th overall pick in the draft. He batted .424-6-23 with a .510 on base percentage and was 6-0 on the mound for the Panthers.

Davidson is the highest drafted freshman Bulldog to enroll since 1993 when pitcher Brian Powell did not sign after being selected in the third round (74th overall) by the California Angels. Also, the 2009 Bulldogs added a trio of right-handers to their staff in Michael Palazzone (Lassiter HS, Marietta, Ga.), Jeffrey Walters (St. Petersburg Fla. JC) and Cecil Tanner (Ware County HS, Waycross, Ga.). Palazzone was an 18th round pick of Atlanta, Walters went in the 30th round to Cleveland, and the Braves tabbed Tanner in the 36th round.

Georgia head coach David Perno said the Bulldogs have a good nucleus for the next few years with this incoming class.

This is a talented group, and we were fortunate to have several guys chose to come to Georgia where we know they will get a great education and have an opportunity to develop in our program. It s a tribute to the staff for their hard work in putting this class together. We expect several of our newcomers to be able to contribute this coming season.

The Bulldogs are going through fall practice. The annual Dogs-Pups scrimmages begin Wednesday at Foley Field at 4 p.m. The best-of-seven series continues Thursday at 7 p.m. followed by game three on Friday at 6 p.m. Game four will be Monday (4 p.m.) and the rest of the series is slated for Wednesday (4 p.m.), Thursday (7 p.m.) and Friday (4 p.m.).

College GameDay at UGA

From UGA Athletics:

The popular ESPN show College GameDay will be televised live from UGA's Honors Residential Community quad this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The quad is located between the Myers, Rutherford, Mary Lyndon and Soule dormitories on the UGA campus and is approximately 250 yards from Sanford Stadium.

GameDay also will have segments airing from the site on ESPN and its family of networks on Friday afternoon and throughout the rest of the day on Saturday.

Due to the staging of GameDay, the quad will not be available for tailgaters to set up prior to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Approximately half of the quad will be utilized by ESPN throughout Saturday. The remaining 50 percent will return to its traditional usage on game Saturdays beginning at 1 p.m.

Fans are welcome to view the show live on Saturday morning. Security will begin to allow spectators into a barricaded section behind the GameDay set beginning at 7:00 a.m. Once filled, additional spectators will be allowed in additional areas behind the set, which will feature the Myers dorm as its backdrop.

Popular co-hosts Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit will anchor GameDay, which is visiting Athens in association with Saturday's 7:45 p.m. ESPN nationally televised SEC showdown between No. 3 Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC) and No. 8 Alabama (4-0, 1-0). The contest will be the highest ranked matchup in Sanford Stadium in nearly a quarter century, since No. 3 Auburn defeated No. 4 Georgia, 13-7, on Nov. 12, 1983.

Richt Press Conference Notes

Some interesting tidbits from Mark Richt's press conference today:

-- Practice will be closed all week. Richt made the same decision last year before the Alabama game, and his philosophy, he said, was that if it worked last year, might as well do it again. Much like not being able to talk to O lineman or Coach Searels, I blame Nick Saban for this.

-- Big news on the A.J. Harmon front: He's moving to offense. Oddly, a few of us speculated about that yesterday because Harmon was not allowed to meet with media after practice, which tipped us off that he must be on the O line now.

Anyway, apparently last week when Georgia was battling a few O line injuries, coaches decided to give Harmon a shot.

"We had guys banged up last week and right in the middle of practice, it was kind of like an on-field promotion, on the battlefield," Richt said. "A couple of guys went down and Coach Searels just grabbed him and said, 'Hey, man, go over there.' And every play, he told him what to do, and he pass protected real good, then he reached a guy and sealed him off, then he pulled out on a screen. He was three-for-three, and everybody's like giving him high fives. We just think it will be in his best interests for his future."

Richt said an immediate decision wasn't made on Harmon's future, but A.J. came to him last Thursday and offered to make the switch. Richt told him a final decision would be made by next week.

"We ended up having a conversation about it over the weekend and everybody felt like it was the best thing for him," Richt said.

Richt called the move "a permament thing" but said, barring an injury, Harmon was still likely to redshirt.

Coincidentally, in talking to Chris Davis about preparing for Alabama's enormous DT Terrence Cody, he said Harmon was actually only scout-team D lineman that could give the Dawgs' O line a comparable challenge to Cody physically.

-- Poor Shaun Chapas. The kid barely missed a touchdown two weeks ago against Central Michigan, getting pushed out of bounds inside the 5. Then he went two weeks without a goal line carry. He failed to punch in two tries at the end of last Saturday's game against Arizona State, too. But he had one of the most wide-open routes for an easy TD you'll ever see against the Sun Devils, too, and he fell down.

"That's your one chance for glory, and he fell down," Richt said. "That linebacker came as hard as he could come, and he just dodged him. He didn't trip, there was no collision. The safeties were way out there. He just fell down. I feel bad for him."

-- Rod Battle will not play this week. Richt said he hopes to have him back for the Tennessee game.

-- Quinton Banks should play, but Richt didn't guarantee anything. "Ron (Courson) has said he's free to play, but that's going to be a coaching decision as to how far along we think he is, if he's game ready," Richt said. With the night game and cooler weather, however, Richt also said the defense would likely do less subbing anyway.

-- Not sure how many of you used to watch "Night Court," but it was one of my favorite shows of the 1980s (I was in love with Markie Post from 1986 through 1991). Anyway, the initial plot of the show was this: On the mayor's final day in office, he needed to appoint a judge. It was a Sunday, though, and every reliable person he called to offer the position to wasn't at home. Finally he got to a young, inexperienced and off-the-wall guy (Harry Anderson's character) who was the only person to answer his phone. Thus, he got the job, and for nine years, hijinks ensued.

Anyway, I couldn't help but think about that when Richt answered a question about punt-blocking expert Zack Renner today.

"He's a guy that has come in and has proven to our staff that he's an outstanding special teams player. The progression usually goes, try to survive mat drills, go out there and be on the scout team for every scout team you're on and do such a good job that you get noticed enough to maybe get a couple reps on one of our main special teams. Part of the reason he's a blocking specialist, a punt blocking specialist is when we have certain things going on throughout the day, through our kicking period, A, B, C, D, we have 20 minutes of kicking. Well, a lot of times, Coach Eason might want A.J. and Tavarres King working on some route running or some other coach might want a guy working on this or that. Well, Renner is always available. So Coach Fab knows he can take that kid and teach him what he needs to know about blocking kicks, because there is an art to it. You've got to have a nose for it, you've got to want to do it, and you've got to practice it. He gets a lot of time to practice it."

-- And finally, I thought this was a good story about Knowshon from Richt:

"I knew he had passion. Most high school tapes you watch, it's pretty bland. You see them playing, some kids will send music, but we turn it off. We just watch the film. There's no commentators, there's no sound to it. But every once in a while, you will actually see the personality of a player jump off the screen, and he was one of those guys. You knew he loved to play the game. He had some flair to him. He's not a showboat, but he gets excited about playing the game."

Tuesday Links (9/23)

Tuesday reading...

-- Plenty on Larry Munson's retirement from the Athens Banner-Herald, USA Today, the AJC, Total UGA, Get the Picture and Big Hairy Blawg.

-- Mark Bradley sums up what Munson meant to Georgia.

-- It will be old-fashioned SEC football when Georgia and Bama have at it on Saturday.

-- Jeremy Lomax didn't enjoy being relegated to the sidelines on Saturday.

-- Nick Saban is concerned about Knowshon Moreno. In other news, the sun came up today.

-- Saban managed to come up with a blackout of his own on Monday.

-- Why do I keep forgetting to watch Mark Richt's blog posts? I'm sure he never forgets to read my stories.

-- The New York Times says the SEC might be a little too good.

-- Georgia Sports Blog puts this week's matchup into perspective, as does Total UGA.

-- The nation's top basketball recruit is considering UGA.

-- Cafe Press has your Knowshon blackout shirts. Of course, if you're not into the whole blackout, I highly recommend this shirt for the game.

-- A former UGA Bulldog is starring in "Les Miserables."

-- A University of Georgia study shows that Facebook can be used to detect narcissism. No truth that the study only included Urban Meyer's page.

-- And finally, a little bulletin board material: Watch around the 1:04 mark. It's a little tough to hear, but this Alabama coach (using a bit nastier language) says Georgia is wearing black because they're going to a funeral.

Munson Memories

Obviously the reactions to Larry Munson's retirement are still coming in and will throughout the week. Here's some thoughts from the Georgia folks I was able to talk to today. Please leave your favorite Larry memories in the comments section.

Georgia DE Jeremy Lomax: "He could have waited one more game,man. That's a sad deal to hear that. There's been a lot of memories,just hearing the calls."

Georgia WR Kris Durham, who grew up in Calhoun: "I was a bigGeorgia fan growing up. I always wanted to hear him call my name eventhough he kind of butchers it every time he says it. But it's sad. He'sa legend around here. Even when I watched the games back at home when Iwas younger, my dad would turn off the announcers and listen to him."

More from Durham: "I've got his greatest hits, just a little DVDthat shows the clips with him announcing them. I've seen a lot of them,and he's made some great calls like when he went through his chair inJacksonville, when Mohamed (Massaquoi) caught the touchdown, Herschel,it's just sad to see him go."

Georgia fullback Brannan Southerland: "I wish Larry would stillbe calling them, but he had an incredible career, and I don't think hecould be replaced here at Georgia. He was something special. You alwayswatch the game, but then you hear the radio clips and hear LarryMunson's calls. There are just tons of them that come to mind."

Georgia WR Mohamed Massaquoi: "It's sad to see somebody likethat finally step away from it, but he's done so many great things forthe university. He's been tremendous. I've had a chance to meet him,and he's a great person, great person to be around. His sound bytes aresecond to none, whether it be me or Stafford or Moreno back toHerschel, he's kind of is Georgia in a sense. You think of all thegreat plays, and his voice has always backed them. It's definitelygoing to be hard to replace a guy like that."

Georgia head coach Mark Richt: "What do you say when a legendsteps down? I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to be associatedwith him. It's been an honor to work with one of the legendary collegefootball broadcasters of all time. I hope he enjoys his fullretirement and wish him the very best in all the things he decides todo."

Monday Practice Notes (9/22)

Some quick notes from practice today:

-- Brannan Southerland said his foot feels good and he's excited to be getting onto the field Saturday. He'll play the personal protector role on punts.

-- Jeremy Lomax said his neck is feeling better and expects to play Saturday. He was in green Monday and didn't get in on any contact drills, but said it's almost certain he'll be on the field against Alabama. "It would take a lot (to miss the game)," he said. "I'm ready to go. Fired up to get back out there, especially versus Bama. It'll be a great challenge, a great atmosphere. I'm excited."

-- Mo Massaquoi was the leading voice in pushing for the blackout this week. "It was just something the seniors thought would be a great idea. We approached Coach Richt with it. We knew a lot was going to be riding on this game, and we just wanted to give the fans something to rally behind. It's really a tribute to Alabama. They're a great team, we're a pretty good team, and we just want to go out there and put on a show."

-- Corvey Irvin certainly isn't taking Alabama lightly: "I'm excited because I want to see what I'm made of and see what my other teammates are made of, to see where we're really at. This will be, to me, the best team we play this year. I don't want to back myself into a corner, but they've got some really good guys, and they're going to play hard."

-- A.J. Green's summation of his matchup with Julio Jones at Alabama (they were the No. 1 and No. 2 recruits among WRs this year): "Coming out of high school they compared him to T.O. and I'm the Randy Moss of the class, so that'd be good if both of us do big things and become the next great receivers to come out of the SEC."

-- Matthew Stafford said there was still some adjustments being made by the players after the long road trip. Joe Cox apparently slept from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Stafford said he's still tired, but doesn't expect it to affect his play this week.

Munson Retiring Today

From UGA Athletics:

Legendary University of Georgia football play-by-play announcer Larry Munson, who began broadcasting Bulldog games in 1966, has announced his retirement from the booth.

Munson has done only home games thus far this season and in 2007; however, he has decided that the Central Michigan broadcast on Sept. 6, was his last. The current road game booth crew of Scott Howard and Eric Zeier will finish out the 2008 season handling home and away games.

"I can t express enough my deep feelings toward the Georgia football fans, said Munson. They have been so friendly especially during this most recent period of time. I feel I owe them so much more than I can give. I ll remember all the great times with the Dogs and have the fondest wishes and good luck toward them all.

"Larry made the decision over the weekend after consultation with his family, doctor, and close friends, said Michael Munson, Larry s son. The Munson family would like to thank Cox Radio, the University of Georgia and the Georgia people who have been so supportive of Larry throughout his long career and especially the last several months following his surgery in April. Larry plans to celebrate his 86th birthday this weekend watching the Alabama game with family and close friends.

Michael Munson also indicated that after 60 years in broadcasting, Larry told him There are lots of things I still want to do.

"I want to thank Larry Munson on behalf of this great university for 42 dedicated years of delivering the Georgia Bulldogs to fans on fall Saturday's around the world, said UGA Director of Athletics Damon Evans. I truly appreciate his return at the start of this season from surgery to give us all another opportunity to hear him describe the tradition and pageantry of Georgia football as only he could do it. This is a day that we all knew would come for the Bulldog Nation, Larry Munson is and will always be a part of what is great about being a Georgia Bulldog.

Munson s dramatic delivery, along with an unabashed partisanship for the Bulldogs, has endeared him to generations of UGA fans.

"Larry Munson has given the bulk of his professional life in the service of the Bulldog Nation and we thank him for it, said UGA President Dr. Michael F. Adams. He has been a unifying element and rallying point for many years. We are grateful for his many contributions and wish for him improved health and many good times to come.

"We fully support Larry s wishes and can t thank him enough for the thrilling play-by-play he s given the Bulldog Nation and WSB through the years, said Cox Radio, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Marc Morgan

Born Sept. 28, 1921, in Minneapolis, Munson is an alumnus of Moorehead State Teachers College in Moorehead, Minn. After World War II, he used his military discharge pay to enroll in broadcaster's school back home in Minneapolis. He followed 10 weeks of training by landing an assignment to work at a small radio station in Devil's Lake, N.D.

This job started a series of short-term jobs for Munson behind the microphone, the last of which took him to Cheyenne, Wyoming. He had gotten the job by recording an audition tape of a football game between Ohio State and Minnesota, replete with canned crowd noise and special effects.

During his time in Cheyenne, Munson befriended another young broadcaster who later gained national fame: Curt Gowdy, who was calling University of Wyoming football and basketball games at the time. When Gowdy left Cheyenne for a Double A baseball job in Oklahoma City, he recommended that Munson replace him. It was the break that Munson sought.

In 1949, when Gowdy joined Mel Allen on the New York Yankees radio crew, he again recommended Munson for the job in Oklahoma City. Munson eventually spent three years broadcasting baseball there before making his next move.

He left Oklahoma City for Nashville, Tenn., in 1952, taking a job calling games for the Nashville Vols, a minor-league affiliate of several teams, including the New York Giants, Cincinnati and Minnesota. It was a career move that led him into other broadcasting directions. He served a stint as a Nashville disc jockey and also started what was believed to have been the first-ever TV show on fishing. Munson continued to host the fishing show long after he left Nashville for Georgia in the mid-1960s.

While in Nashville, Munson also made his second venture into collegiate athletics. He called Vanderbilt University football and basketball games over the powerful airwaves of AM station WSM.

But in 1966 Munson got his big break into major-league baseball when he landed a job calling Atlanta Braves baseball in their inaugural season. As the Braves' first spring training began, he read a newspaper story about the departure of Georgia football announcer Ed Thilenius. He then made an inquiry to UGA athletics director Joel Eaves, whom he had known during his days at Vanderbilt. Eaves offered him the Georgia football job during that first phone call.

During his career as the Bulldogs play-by-play man, Munson has held a variety of auxiliary jobs. He called games for the Georgia basketball program from 1987-96 and for the Atlanta Falcons from 1989-92. He has also hosted various sports talk shows on radio and TV.

In 1983, Munson was recognized by the Georgia General Assembly for his role in the Georgia championship football program. Fourteen years later the same legislative body, led by Governor Zell Miller, honored him with a proclamation celebrating his 50 years in broadcasting.

In 1994, Munson was inducted into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and in 2005, he won a similar induction into the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Munson is also the 2003 recipient of the Chris Schenkel Award, given annually by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. The award recognizes broadcasters with long and distinguished careers in broadcasting college football, as well as their contributions to community service.

Grading the Game: UGA vs. Arizona State

Sorry this is a little later than usual. Still catching up on sleep after the trip West. Anyway, going through these, it's hard to find much not to like from Saturday's games, but keep in mind, Alabama presents a whole new set of problems. Anyway, this week's grades...

PASSING GAME: Matthew Stafford opened the game with three straight incompletions. After that, he was spot on. Stafford was 16-of-28 for a career high 285 yards in the game and threw one touchdown to the legendary A.J. Green. For the season now, Stafford has completed just a shade over 60 percent of his passes, thrown five touchdowns and has yet to throw a pick. Those first two numbers are good, but not great, but Stafford's primary responsibility this season was to keep that third number low, and zero is pretty darn low. Green, of course, is responsible for the biggest chunk of Stafford's success Saturday, hauling in eight passes to become Georgia's first 100-yard receiver since 2006. His 159 yards were the most by a Bulldogs wideout in five years. The real beauty of how well Stafford and Green clicked can't just be seen in the numbers though. Stafford's passes were -- by and large -- on the money, and Green found ways to make the grab even when he wasn't open. These two have played together for just four games, and it's obvious they have only scratched the surface of their potential, which is a scary thought for defenders. Now, you could certainly argue that Green had just one catch for nine yards in the second half, but the counter to that is simple: Georgia had 132 of its 176 rushing yards in the second half. Arizona State was forced to move a safety over the top to slow Green, and that gave the Dawgs' running game lots more room to run. And on a team with Knowshon Moreno at tailback, isn't that exactly what the passing game is supposed to do?

GRADE: A

RUNNING GAME: How often will Knowshon run for 149 yards and two TDs and not be the lead story? Perhaps nothing shows how good Stafford and Moreno were more than the fact that they upstaged Moreno, which is no easy task. Through the first half, while Green was lighting up the secondary, Moreno managed just 3.5 yards per carry. Although he did find the end zone twice -- including another example of his leaping prowess on a four-yard dive over the goal line -- there simply wasn't a lot of running room for the Heisman hopeful. He finished with a flurry, however, upping his per-carry average to 9.4 and breaking off three long runs. Most of Moreno's success came on toss sweeps -- although one resulted in a fumble. Overall, the Bulldogs have lost the football five times in two weeks now, but have been lucky enough to recover all five. Luck can turn quickly, however, so the Dawgs would be well served to remedy those problems quickly. One notable omission from the game was freshman Richard Samuel. He played almost exclusively over Caleb King in the first half against South Carolina, but didn't touch the football at all against Arizona State. King didn't look great, but made several nice cuts and worked for some hard yardage as well, picking up 44 yards on 10 carries. Fullback Shaun Chapas dropped a wide-open pass that would have been an easy touchdown and also came up short on two runs inside the 1 -- one of two UGA drives that ended just inches from the goal line. Those short yardage situations have been an ongoing problem for the Dawgs, but one that should get better in three weeks when Brannan Southerland is back. One other important note on the Bulldogs' running backs: With the revamped offensive line in front of them, they did a great job of picking up blocks to give Stafford time to throw. Particularly for Moreno, this can be an overlooked aspect of their game, but it was essential to Georgia's success against the Sun Devils.

GRADE: B+

OFFENSIVE LINE: Five players at five new positions could have been a recipe for disaster, particularly when going against an All-American defensive end. The results, however, were roundly one-sided, as Dexter Davis never got a whiff of Stafford in the pocket, and Arizona State recorded just one sack in the game, coming on third-and-long when the Sun Devils could simply pin their ears back and go after the QB. As the unit has all season, there was a lot more success in pass protection than in opening up holes for the running game, but the line was able to give Stafford so much time that the passing game's success basically allowed the running game to succeed. Clint Boling and Chris Davis each returned to guard (right and left, respectively) where they finished last year, and Davis said it boosted the pair's confidence significantly. Vince Vance did a really nice job of stopping Dexter Davis in his first start at left tackle. Redshirt freshman Justin Anderson looked good at right tackle, and true freshman Ben Jones played every snap at center and held his own. The lack of a great push up the middle in the run game was somewhat concerning, but that could have been a case of game-planning more than Jones' limited success. More importantly, there's a learning curve for the freshman, and by breaking Moreno out wide on a number of his runs, it allowed Jones to concentrate on pass protection first. His life is about to get far more difficult this week, however, when Alabama's Terrence Cody comes to town.

GRADE: B

DEFENSIVE LINE: Now this was the game coaches and fans were hoping for. The D line has done a spectacular job of stopping the run all season, but to hold Arizona State to just four yards was beyond impressive. The Sun Devils were completely one-dimensional -- ASU threw 36 times and ran just 19 -- and the Dawgs were then able to focus on attacking quarterback Rudy Carpenter. Entering the game, UGA defensive ends had just 1.5 sacks on the season, but they added 2.5 more against the Sun Devils, part of a four-sack afternoon for the Dawgs. While the defensive ends played clearly their best game of the season, it was the interior of the line -- Geno Atkins, Corvey Irvin, Brandon Wood and Kade Weston -- who once again stole the show. The Bulldogs have reduced their rushing yards allowed in each game this year, but they'll face their toughest task of the season this week against Alabama.

GRADE: A

LINEBACKERS: This has really been the unsung unit of the defense. While everyone seems to have something to say about the lack of a pass rush or the struggles of the secondary, it has been the linebackers -- namely Rennie Curran and Dannell Ellerbe -- who have held the D together through the first four weeks. Just one week after earning SEC defensive player of the week honors, Curran was a force yet again. He recorded his third sack of the season in the first half, had two tackles for a loss and led the team with nine tackles overall. Ellerbe and Darryl Gamble each had three tackles, and Gamble assisted on a sack. While the big boys up front clearly had a lot to do with the low rushing totals the past two weeks, it has really been Curran and Ellerbe that have been the icing on the cake. South Carolina and Arizona State routinely tried to cut runs out wide, but the two linebackers have pursued laterally with precision, particularly Curran who is like a rocket heading toward his target.

GRADE: A

SECONDARY: Rudy Carpenter was bound to find some success. He's a veteran, and he threw the ball 36 times, so the secondary had its hands full, particularly cornerback Bryan Evans. Arizona State attacked Evans repeatedly, and while there were times the Sun Devils were able to move the ball, they never had any regular success. Evans finished the game with seven tackles and managed to hold his own for most of the contest. Asher Allen had a sure interception but was flagged for holding on the play, one of several ASU drives kept alive because of penalties (questionable or otherwise) rather than mistakes by the DBs. It wasn't a perfect performance, but the unit did enough to win. When your defense makes the opposition completely one-dimensional, as Georgia did Saturday, that's really all you need.

GRADE: B

SPECIAL TEAMS: First off, the good: Congrats to Zach Renner, who seems like a great kid and earned some well-deserved attention by blocking an Arizona State punt. Kicker Blair Walsh also converted on two-of-three field goals, his only miss being from 56 yards out. That's about it for the superlatives, though. The return game was a mixed bag, at best, including the second punt return of the season by Knowshon, which went nowhere. A week after being the special teams darling, punter Brian Mimbs didn't look sharp, and the kickoff problems continued once again, although ASU was pinned behind its own 20 on a few occasions, minor victories for a kicking unit that has really struggled this season. And while the legitimacy of the penalties might be questionable, Gamble's personal foul on a punt kept another ASU drive going when Georgia should have had the football back. There were a few nice plays, but overall the special teams remain extremely unreliable for the Bulldogs through four games.

GRADE: C

COACHING: Hard to argue with anything the coaching staff did Saturday. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo knew ASU's plan was to stop Moreno, so he came out throwing. Stafford went to the air on the first three plays of the game, and while all fell incomplete, it set the tone for the first half. A week after head coach Mark Richt lamented not getting the ball to A.J. Green enough, the freshman was the primary target of Stafford. The aerial attack picked apart the Sun Devils and forced them to change their game plan at half time. Bobo was quick to adjust, and put the task of finishing the game on Moreno's shoulders. The playcalling was fantastic throughout. Defensively, Willie Martinez's game plan of stopping the run and making the opponent one-dimensional worked perfectly yet again. Martinez seems to always be under fire from fans, but this defense has really been a lot better than it has been given credit for through four weeks. In Georgia's two games against BCS-conference opponents, the D has allowed 22 rushing yards total. Now that is impressive. Hats off to Richt and Stacy Searels, too, for taking a risk by switching up the offensive line this week. The unit wasn't perfect, but it was much improved. Finding consistency on the line is usually the top priority, so it was a risky move to switch things up, but Searels obviously saw something in Vance to want to move him out to tackle, and the confidence showed in Jones at center may provide dividends down the road, too. Richt also took a risk having the team follow its normal travel routine, despite the long road trip. It was nearly impossible to prepare the Dawgs for the heat either, particularly given the cool temperatures in Athens all week, but the staff, including trainer Ron Courson, knew exactly what they were doing. The numerous penalties are still a big concern, but it's hard to argue with Richt when he says that a number of those whistles never should have happened.

GRADE: A

Bonus category -- THE FANS: Hats off to Georgia fans. My flight out was filled with them. They were everywhere in Tempe. They annoyed the heck out of ASU fans, who were clearly overwhelmed. They were loud, they were into the game and they showed the Pac-10 folks how it's done. Richt, Stafford and company all said how crucial the immense fan support for the game was, and the numbers of UGA fans in attendance have been anywhere from 12,000 to more than 20,000. Most importantly, there were no outrageous stories of Georgia fans starting fights or causing problems -- just providing lots of noise and boosting Tempe's alcohol sales to a pretty lofty level.

GRADE: A+

Again, hard to argue with much of what we saw in the desert. This week's test will be far greater, but probably worth reflecting on this win a little longer before you start having nightmares about Terrence Cody. So, anything you thought I screwed up? Anything you would have graded differently? What are your biggest concerns headed into the Alabama game? Leave your comments below.

Green SEC's Top Freshman

From UGA Athletics:

University of Georgia freshman flanker A.J. Green has been named the Southeastern Conference Freshman Player of the Week, according to an announcement by the league office on Monday.

Green, a 6-4, 200-pound native of Summerville, S.C., recorded career highs in both receptions (eight) and yards receiving (159) during the Bulldogs' 27-10 road win over Arizona State on Sept. 20. Green also scored a touchdown and tallied the first rush of his career, which went for five yards.

Green is the first Bulldog to have more than 100 yards receiving in a game since Kenneth Harris had 106 yards against Mississippi State in 2006. Green's total was the best for a Georgia receiver since Fred Gibson had 169 yards against Arkansas in 2004.

Through four games, Green is second in the SEC with an average of 75.0 yards per game and he has the most yards of any receiver in the league. He leads the Bulldogs with 16 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Starting two of the four games, he is averaging 18.8 yards per reception.

The No. 3 Bulldogs welcome No. 8 Alabama to Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Sept 27. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. on ESPN. All Georgia games are broadcast live on the Bulldog Radio Network on AM 750 WSB in Atlanta and on both 106.1 FM and 960 The Ref in Athens. The radio audio also can be heard worldwide on both georgiadogs.com, the official website of UGA Athletics, and on XM satellite radio.

Monday Links (9/22)

Just in case you're interesting in something other than Georgia wearing black jerseys this week, a few links...

-- Georgia men's basketball coach Dennis Felton made an appearance in Americus.

-- NCAA Fanhouse says the Dawgs deserve some love. Bleacher Report agrees. So does Southern Pigskin. Sports on the Air... eh, not so much.

-- The AJC's Tim Tucker has five lessons learned from Georgia's trip to Arizona State.

-- Get the Picture says the SEC has some serious quarterbacking problems. This is exactly why I picked Bama to win the SEC West earlier this year. There just aren't a lot of experienced quarterbacks in the conference, and there are even fewer who are actually good.

-- Total UGA has a diary update from Aaron Murray.

-- Georgia Sports Blog sums up the beat down in the desert. And I couldn't agree more with Paul's last comment -- there's really no need to complain about much at this point.

-- This is an older story, but I thought you should all be aware of the guy the Dawgs should be most worried about this week.

-- And here's some info on things Nick Saban is apparently worried about.

-- Finally, a shiny quarter to anyone who can tell me why anyone still cares what David Blaine does.

Black Out for Bama

From UGA athletics:

Georgia head coach Mark Richt announced on his weekly teleconference Sunday evening that the No. 3 Bulldogs will wear black jerseys against No. 8 Alabama in their home game this Saturday night.

In addition, Richt announced that ESPN College GameDay would be making its first trip to Athens since the Tennessee game in 1998.

Georgia wore black jerseys for the first time in modern history when the Bulldogs hosted Auburn in 2007 and routed the Tigers 45-20. Richt is urging fans to dress in black to support the team this year just as they did in last season.

"The seniors asked me on the plane ride home (from Tempe on Saturday night) if they could black this game out and I said sure," said Richt. "When it's dark outside and the stadium lights are on I think the players and the fans get more excited and I think with GameDay coming, I didn't see any reason why we shouldn't. I thought we had outstanding success with the blackout and the fans last year so we'll be asking them to participate again."

The Bulldogs matchup against the Crimson Tide marks only the sixth time in the history of the series where both teams are nationally ranked. Georgia holds a 5-0 record in those games, including a 21-10 win over Alabama during the Bulldogs' 1942 national championship season. The Bulldogs were ranked second in that matchup while the Crimson Tide was third.

Richt said Alabama's 49-14 win over Arkansas over the weekend was not a surprise to him.

"Their game didn't surprise me," Richt said. "This is kind of the magical year number two at Alabama and they are playing some outstanding football. I got to go to their game against Clemson in the Georgia Dome so to see them have an outcome like (Saturday's) was not all that shocking."

Georgia's game against the Crimson Tide also showcases a pair of talented freshmen receivers (who also both wear No. 8). The Bulldogs' A.J. Green is coming off a career game versus Arizona State where he snagged eight catches for 159 yards and a touchdown. He is leading Georgia with 300 yards receiving.

Alabama's Julio Jones has recorded three touchdowns and 132 yards during his team's first four games.

"(Julio's) a great talent and a great player," Richt said. "A.J. has done a very nice job for us of going up and getting the ball when it's in the air."

Georgia's offensive line not only allowed Green to have a career day, but they also gave junior quarterback Matthew Stafford the time to tally a career-high 285 passing yards as the offense racked up 461 total yards. The Bulldogs were featuring first-time starters freshman Ben Jones (center) and redshirt freshman Justin Anderson (right tackle) on the line against the Sun Devils.

"(The offensive linemen) were better but not spectacular against Arizona State," said Richt. "They still have a ways to go. These guys will be continuing to compete on a weekly basis for their spots."

Richt also addressed the minor neck injuries sustained by senior tight end Tripp Chandler and senior defensive end Jeremy Lomax.

"Ron (Courson) feels confident they'll be able to go, although maybe not full-speed during Tuesday's practice," said Richt, adding that senior Brannan Southerland might play some as the team's "personal protector" against Alabama, but will not play fullback this weekend.

Georgia will take on Alabama at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday night. This will be the Bulldogs' first appearance on ESPN this season and the 50th appearance in the history of the program. Georgia owns a 25-23-1 record on the network.

Dawgs in the Draft

Thought this was worth noting -- Mel Kiper's most recent Top 5's by position.

There are a bunch of Bulldogs that make the list -- though most are juniors.

Fullback Brannan Southerland is the only Georgia senior to make Mel's list, but Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, Geno Atkins and Asher Allen all make his list of top juniors.

I think it's interesting to note, too, how few top-level senior QBs will be entering the draft this year. That's probably a bad sign for Stafford's return.