Monday Links (9/28)

Late start this morning, and lots to do, but let's get to a few links to start things off...

-- I have a story in today's Telegraph on Georgia's turnover problems, which Mark Richt says are widespread and difficult to remedy.

-- Georgia Sports Blog takes an early look ahead at LSU.

-- The Grit Tree wonders what we've learned -- if anything -- from the first four games and where Georgia goes from here.

-- Glory, Glory plays Sunday Morning Quarterback with some interesting insights on the win over ASU.

-- Chris Low moves Georgia up to fourth in his SEC power rankings.

-- Matthew Stafford finally got the Lions back into the win column on Sunday.

-- Given all the criticism I heard following Saturday's win from Georgia fans, I must say, And The Valley Shook's synopsis of Les Miles' situation in Baton Rouge sounds awfully familiar.

-- 3rd Saturday In Blogtober gets down to the nitty gritty of Tennessee's thrilling win over those powerful Ohio Bobcats. Folks, this is going to be a team you DON'T want to play in a bowl game. Woo, Lane!

-- Pitchfork is counting down the top 200 albums of the decade, starting with 200-151.

-- My first thought regarding "Flash Forward" last week was that it was just a little too similar to "Lost." But even I missed the clue within the episode about what to expect on this season of "Lost."

-- You've got to respect a guy who cares so much about his performance that he's willing to endure anything for success -- even a dangerous concussion. What? No, I'm not talking about Tim Tebow. I mean Conan O'Brien.

-- And finally, a wrap up of the 20 strangest TV interviews of all time. Sadly, the time I was interviewed on Broadway in New York by Japanese TV didn't make the list.

Richt Teleconference Notes (9/27)

No real big news coming from Richt's teleconference, but here are a few tidbits...

-- Obviously the turnovers continue to be an issue for Georgia, with the Dawgs now at -9 for the season. As it turns out, you can blame two of yesterday's three giveaways on the O line -- sort of.

Caleb King's fumble happened when Ben Jones was blocked into King and Jones' shoulder pad knocked the ball loose, Richt said.

Both of Cox's interceptions came on the exact same play call. On the first, Richt said Cox was forced to throw the ball too early after one of the linemen failed to pick up a stunt. The second INT, however, was simply a matter of Cox failing to check down to his secondary receiver. Cox said that, after watching the film, Aron White was open underneath both times.

-- After the game, Richt said he didn't think the offensive line played particularly well. The film study on Sunday simply underscored that notion. Richt said the line is still gelling, and they've had moments and even games they've played well, but yesterday was definitely not one of them.

-- As far as the running backs go, Richt said Caleb King and Richard Samuel were "both still learning," which I guess is a nice way of saying they aren't playing up to their potential at the moment.

-- Cordy Glenn played every snap at left tackle against Arizona State. The move was initially made as a means of slowing Dexter Davis, but Richt said the coaching staff was so happy Glenn's work that they kept him there for the entirety of the game. The only subbing came at left guard, where Vince Vance and Chris Davis split time. Richt said he wasn't sure whether that lineup would continue this week against LSU.

-- Richt gave high marks to Baccari Rambo and said he'll continue to see more playing time.

Fleeting Thoughts: Arizona State

A few thoughts following Georgia's last-second win over Arizona State…

-- A.J. Green is freaking amazing.

-- If you replaced Green with even an above-average receiver -- say Mohamed Massaquoi -- I think there's a good chance that Georgia is sitting at 0-4 right now.

-- Georgia has 12 turnovers now and has created just three. The fact that the Bulldogs are 3-1 is absolutely stunning.

-- The offense looked bad Saturday, but the conditions were hardly accommodating. I'm not writing the game off and saying Georgia should get a free pass, but it was also far from optimal playing conditions. And Cox is hardly the type of QB who can handle the wet weather.

-- The defense played a strong game, but not a great one. On the plus side, ASU mustered just 204 total yards, which is exceptionally impressive. Georgia essentially shut the door in the fourth quarter, too. But for three quarters Arizona State ran the ball well, and a good quarterback would have converted a number of the throws Danny Sullivan missed.

-- Cox has a lot of strengths, and he's been integral to the 3-1 start, but for someone supposedly as knowledgeable and intellectual as he is, his interceptions so far have been disheartening. At least three of the four were simply bad decisions.

-- Playing Baccari Rambo more = a very good idea. He played an exceptional game.

-- Justin Houston was exactly what we were promised during the offseason. He was a beast off the edge. He had four tackles, two for a loss, and a pass breakup, and he had pressure on Sullivan throughout the second half. Now, let's see if he can keep it up against an SEC opponent.

-- Geno Atkins looked a lot more like a future NFL defensive lineman this week than he has all season.

-- As good as Tavarres King, Aron White and Orson Charles looked last week, none really caught fire this week.

-- Having said that, I spoke to Mike Bobo, and he said the reason Green had man coverage on that big third-down conversion on the final drive was because Orson commanded a double team.

-- What happened to that dominant offensive line? OK, some questionable play calling on the toss sweep to Samuel from the 1 or fourth-and-inches handoff to Fred Munzenmaier. But come on, Georgia's line was supposed to be the foundation of the offense, and it simply hasn't looked anything close to that this season.

-- While the run blocking wasn't what it should have been, kudos to the line for keeping Dexter Davis at bay. Arizona State didn't blitz much, which was probably smart, but they also didn't get a single sack of Joe Cox. It wasn't the biggest challenge the line will see this year, but Davis is the real deal and the line managed to still give Cox time to throw.

-- Blair Walsh deserves a lot of credit. He's 8-for-8 on the season now, and he's handled his job on PATs and field goals like a steely veteran. Regardless of all the controversy on kickoffs -- which really does sound more absurd every time I type it -- he's compartmentalized well and he's delivered every time out.

-- A few folks will knock Mike Bobo for this, but all in all, I didn't think his playcalling was awful. There were a few questionable calls, but save one or two, there was a good rationale behind all of them.

-- In the two non-SEC games this season, the officiating has been downright brutal. What happened on the fourth-and-1 play is inexplicable, and the fact that officials reviewed Green's catch in the end zone and still ruled it incomplete is absurd. There are several still-camera shots of Green making that grab with his foot down.

(EDIT: From an anonymous poster -- "David, love the blog but one small correction...the refs were from the SEC not the Pac-10. By the way, the umpire who got in the way on the 4th down play should look familiar...he was the one who leveled Stephen Garcia near the goal line last year when South Carolina played LSU." My bad. I was thrown off by Richt's "in our league" comments after the game.)

-- Green, by the way, now has 309 receiving yards against Arizona State in the last two seasons. He has to be a bit disappointed they're coming off the schedule next year.

-- Mark Richt talked after the game about what led to Green playing on special teams to make that block of the field goal. Apparently John Jancek insisted Green play, but Tony Ball didn't like the idea. He was worried his top receiver could get hurt too easily and said it wasn't worth it. He was overruled. So, for all the fans who A.) Don't like Jancek, and B.) Complain about how few top players get special teams duty, keep that play in mind.

-- I didn't see a good replay of Caleb King's fumble, so I'm not sure if it was fundamentals, weather conditions or simply a good defensive play that caused it. But if you look beyond that, I don't think there's any question at this point that King is Georgia's best runner. Outside of two carries, Samuel produced nothing against ASU.

-- No, Arizona State hadn't played anyone yet this season, but their D was led the nation in total defense for a reason. It's a good unit, led by Dexter Davis and a very athletic group of linebackers.

-- It should also be noted that this was the fourth straight team that had been gearing up for Georgia for months. Okie State called it the biggest game ever in Stillwater. South Carolina always looks at Georgia as the cornerstone of its season. Arkansas and Arizona State each had scrubs and bye weeks leading up to the game. Georgia may not have looked great, but the Dawgs have taken the best hits from four straight teams and come out 3-1. That's pretty good.

-- Yes, Georgia is 3-1. Yes, they could easily be 0-4. But it really all depends on how you want to look at it. Notre Dame is in a similar situation -- 3-1 without ever really looking all that impressive. But the difference is, I really think that Notre Dame was outplayed in three games this year. As much as Georgia may have not looked great in their three wins, I think anyone watching the game has to admit the Dawgs were the better team each time. If Georgia stops trying to beat itself, there is an awful lot of potential there.

Post-Game Notes: Walsh Stays Perfect

You can read my account of the amazing exploits of A.J. Green by CLICKING HERE. For the rest of the action, read on...

There was never a doubt in Blair Walsh’s mind he would make it, he said following the game. With the clocking ticking down to zero, Walsh drilled a 37-yarder down the middle for his eight consecutive field goal, lifting Georgia to a thrilling 20-17 win over Arizona State.

“I was just trying to think of it as just another kick,” Walsh said. “I just wanted to make it—nothing crazy, just get it up and get it in.”

The kick was Walsh’s first game-winner in his career, including high school.

“This is the greatest experience of my college career to have the chance at the game winner and hit it,” he said.

The team rushed Walsh after the kick, dog-piling in a celebrating that ultimately ended with the kicker dancing with teammates in front of the student section.

“Blair has made every kick so far, and I’m really proud of him,” said Georgia coach Mark Richt, who admitted he wasn’t watching when Walsh kicked. “We got him in position and he drilled it, so that was great.”

The game-winning kick was the first since Brandon Coutu drilled a 37-yarder at Vanderbilt in 2007.

ANOTHER MUNZEN-MOMENT

Georgia fullback Fred Munzenmaier doesn’t see much action, but he knows what to do with the football when he gets his opportunities.

The junior fullback got just the third touch of his career in the first quarter against Arizona State, and he punched it in for a two-yard touchdown.

“It feels good, I mean if I get the ball my goal is to score so I’m going to die trying,” he said.

The result is nothing new for Munzenmaier, who also had touchdowns on the first two carries of his career, including a 1-yard run against LSU last season and a 6-yard dash against Ole Miss in 2007.

Munzenmaier broke his streak of touchdowns with a carry on fourth-and-one, where the 6-foot-2 222-pound fullback was stopped short. He finished with six yards on four carries.

WHAT THE HECK?

Looking back, Richt said he probably should have booted the field goal with 9:45 left to play in the game and Georgia facing a fourth-and-inches at the Arizona State 27. Instead, he made the call to go for it, and Muznenmaier was stopped short of the first down.

Of course, the play might have worked if not for a strange scenario that played out before the snap.

As Georgia got set at the line, the referee stood over the ball for a few extra seconds. Arizona State middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict anticipated the play and darted toward the line of scrimmage, shoving the ref out of his way.

A flag was thrown, but after the officials – a group from the Pac-10 – discussed the play, it was picked up and the Bulldogs set up to run the play again.

“That was very interesting,” Richt said. “I was like, ‘What in the world?’ I know in our league, if any of our guys touches an official on purpose, he’s out. That’s 15 yards, and he’s out of the game. He might not play the next game. I don’t know for sure, but I thought I saw somebody do that.”

As it turned out, the delay was a costly one for the Bulldogs.

Georgia had lined up in a goal-line package, and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said he thought the delay offered the Sun Devils a chance to recognize the personnel and make the right adjustments before the snap.

“Coach said we were going for it, so we called the play we thought we could get it,” Bobo said. “It hurt us really when we broke the huddle and the official stood over the ball. We had our personnel on the field, and they adjusted to it. We probably should have changed the play there after they adjusted.”

Munzenmaier had successfully moved the football in previous carries – picking up a first down once and a touchdown on another run – but this time the Arizona State defense had him surrounded.

“I was ready to just put my head down and get over that line, but there were guys just flying over the top and coming out of every which direction,” Munzenmaier said.

As for explanations for the unlikely series of events that preceded the failed fourth-down try, Richt was left wondering.

“I didn’t really get a real good answer to that,” he said.

GIVE IT AWAY

Georgia’s propensity for turnovers continued Saturday against Arizona State, as the Bulldogs coughed up the football three times in the second half, bringing their season total to 12.

Quarterback Joe Cox threw two interceptions and tailback Caleb King fumbled – with all three turnovers coming on Georgia’s side of the field and all in the second half.

Still, Georgia managed to overcome the problems, pulling out a victory after a blocked field-goal try preserved a tie late in the fourth quarter. While he’s happy for the win, Cox said he doesn’t see how Georgia’s good luck in the face of so many miscues can continue.

“It’s crazy because we talk about it every week that we need to cut out turnovers and penalties,” Cox said. “It just seems to be something that happens anyway. It gets frustrating. I’m glad our defense bailed us out. We left them in a couple tough spots.”

The defense held strong following Cox’s second interception, shutting Arizona State down on three straight plays to force the final field-goal try. But the previous two turnovers both led to touchdowns, including one in which Jarrell Holman ran through a bevy of would-be tacklers for a touchdown.

The defense played its best game of the season, allowing just 204 total yards to Arizona State, but the turnovers continued to plague the Bulldogs. Through four games, 47 percent of the points Georgia has allowed have come following turnovers.

“You’d like to think you’d progressed some in the last three weeks, but I almost feel like we’re like that record that gets stuck,” Richt said. “The same thing keeps happening over and over again, but the good news is we’ve been winning.”

Like Cox, however, Richt knows the run of good luck can’t last forever.

And while he said the coaches have preached about the turnovers in practice, Richt took the onus on himself to correct the problems going forward.

“I’d like to remove some of the drama if possible and just play a solid 60 minutes of football, but we just have not found a way to do that yet,” Richt said. “But that’s coaching, too. I’ve got to do a better job of getting these guys prepared. It’s not only what I might say before the game or at halftime. It’s what we demand of them throughout the week and maybe we need to do a better job of that.”

FIRST TIME’S A CHARM

Redshirt freshman Baccari Rambo was promised more playing time by defensive coordinator Willie Martinez earlier this week, and Rambo showed he deserved it in the second quarter by hauling in his first career interception – just he second pick of the season by a Georgia defender.

“I was saying all week it’s time for me to step up, man. Time for me to step up,” Rambo said. I’ve got to get better, mature and grow up. I started watching more film and studying the plays and I just stayed focused during the whole thing.”

Rambo came off the bench at safety this week after seeing minimal action in the first three games. Georgia’s secondary struggled badly against Arkansas last week, however, and Martinez promised a shake-up. While the defense looked improved against the Sun Devils, Rambo showed his promise by picking off Arizona State quarterback Danny Sullivan late in the second quarter after defensive end Cornelius Washington forced an early throw.

That was a great pass rush—a great pass rush,” Rambo, who finished with four tackles and pass breakup, said. “The whole defensive line got in there and forced [Sullivan] to make a bad pass. He had to throw it to try to get the ball off.”

ANOTHER PLAYMAKER STEPS UP

Rambo wasn’t the only Georgia player to enjoy a breakthrough game Saturday night. True freshman receiver Rantavious Wooten hauled in a 27-yard catch on third-and-12 for his first career reception in the second quarter.

In the fourth quarter, on Georgia’s winning drive, Wooten hauled in a crucial third-down catch, an 11-yard gain to pick up a first down.

“Every time I’m in the game I’m thinking the ball may be coming my way, so I got it in my mind that it was coming to me and I focused hard to make the catch,” he said.

Wooten, who finished with 38 yards receiving, also got one carry on an end around in the first half, picking up three yards.

“Every time they give me opportunities, I’m going to take advantage of them,” Wooten said. “It feels good. It feels real good being apart of the victory. It’s amazing.”

BIG GAME ON THE FRONT LINE

Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens both turned in strong performances Saturday, anchoring what was easily the top game of the season for Georgia’s front four.

Houston recorded the game’s only sack – his first since returning from a two-game suspension last week – and he and Atkins combined for four tackles in the backfield.

“The DBs did great covering tonight and gave us time to get to the quarterback,” Houston said.

Overall, Georgia had nine tackles for a loss in the game, and after ASU tailback Dimitri Nance ran for 100 yards in the first three quarters, the defense stuffed the tailback for a net loss of eight yards in the fourth.

“As the game went on, our D line really began to take control of the game and not allow Arizona State to do what they wanted to do,” Richt said.

The stop Georgia’s defense was able to make on Arizona State’s final drive was the first time an opponent failed to score this season following 11 Bulldogs turnovers on their side of the field. It was an effort that was particularly sweet for the much-maligned Georgia defense, Houston said.

“Coach Martinez says all the time, when turnovers happen, that’s your time to show greatness,” Houston said. “I think that’s what we did. We showed greatness tonight.”

SLIPPERY CONDITIONS

On the bus ride to the game, quarterback Joe Cox had a good idea he might be in line for a rough night.

The sky opened up about an hour before kickoff, and the rain kept up throughout much of the game, leaving the field – and more importantly, the ball – soaking wet.

The conditions made throwing difficult, particularly for Cox, he said.

“It was really tough at first,” Cox said. “That was the first time in a long time I’d played a game in the rain, and it’s tough, especially for me. You look at guys with big hands that can throw the ball in the rain, and I don’t.”

EXTRA POINTS

Junior Chris Davis got the start at left guard against the Sun Devils. After starting all 13 games last season and Georgia’s opener against Oklahoma State, Davis had come off the bench in favor of Justin Anderson each of the past two games… Junior defensive tackle Brandon Wood looked like he might be headed for a medical redshirt just two weeks ago following offseason shoulder surgery. Instead, Wood saw his first action of the season in the first half against Arizona State, working at both defensive tackle and defensive end.

*Fletcher Page contributed to these notes.

Live Blog: Georgia vs. Arizona State

UPDATE Pregame, 6:20 p.m.

-- It is absolutely pouring, and has been for a while. The sidelines are looking particularly sloppy but the field doesn't seem to have any large puddles. The student section is crowded, but the rest of the stadium is empty right now. Word is if the players are out on the field by 6:25 for warmups, we should be starting on time.

UPDATE Pregame, 6:30 p.m.

-- We're supposed to be a half-hour from kickoff right now, but it looks like we'll be delayed by a bit. If the rain delay lasts any significant amount of time, the live blog will switch over to our regularly scheduled programming, which I believe will be "Sanford and Son" reruns.

-- Discussion: does this weather help ASU or Georgia more? You have to think Arizona hasn't seen this much rain combined in the past five years, but at the same time, a low-scoring game has to help ASU's chances.

-- Question: What are the odds ESPN paid for Florida's extra flight to Lexington in order to facilitate the "Tim Tebow overcomes the flu and leads the Gators to a big win over Kentucky" story? Of course, I don't understand if he is really sick, why doesn't he just heal himself?

-- Just in case you're wondering, if there's lightning, the game must be delayed a minimum of a half-hour from the last sighting.

UPDATE Pregame, 6:35 p.m.

-- Players have just come out onto the field for warmups. I'm guessing we'll start a little late, but we'll be starting for sure at this point.

-- One other note, despite Richt saying he might be available in an emergency, Vance Cuff is not dressed. Akeem Dent is also inactive.

UPDATE Pregame, 6:45 p.m.

-- This marks the earliest point in any game Stacy Searels has soaked through his sweatshirt.

-- You can see the water spraying up from the field as the players run some short sprints, but they seem to be able to stop and start without much problem so far.

-- Darius Dewberry is listed as the starting Sam LB for the game, with Darryl Gamble at Mike.

-- I have seen a few balls zip through players hands already during warmups.

-- The long snaps have been handled well during warmups, and Blair has connected on every kick from about 45 yards out.

-- Didn't see what happened, but trainers are looking at Demarcus Dobbs' left wrist right now. Doesn't appear too serious, but they have been working on him for a while.

UPDATE, FIRST QUARTER 9:31 remaining:

-- This is probably the most empty I've seen Sanford as the teams take the field, but we're actually starting (almost) on time, so I'm thrilled. Once again, deadline issues for Dave, so we'll keep up with the live blog for as long as we can, then call it a night and have notes posted afterward.

-- My picks this week were awful yet again, but kudos to me for not buying Cal or Miami. I can tell an overrated team when I see one.

-- That Sun Devil mascot costume is probably going to be awfully moldy by the time they get back to Tempe.

-- Georgia set to receive, Boykin deep... and here we go...

-- I owe Marc Weiszer a dollar now... I really thought Caleb would get the start. Instead Samuel takes the opening handoff for 2 yards.

-- Brandon McGee absolutely leveled Joe Cox on a third-and-5, and his pass for Branden Smith was nowhere close. Three-and-out for the Dawgs.

-- ASU QB Danny Sullivan is built like a righthanded Jared Lorenzen. His first pass should have been a completion, but the reciever lost his footing and his handle on the ball.

-- Nance picks up 9 yards on ASU's first run of the game. That was a wide open lane up the middle.

-- And a flag on Jeff Owens for offsides gives ASU a first down. Over-under on flags for UGA today? I say 11.

-- Nance finds another big hole, picking up a first down near midfield. So far, ASU has been able to run but not throw. Bizzaro Georgia D.

-- Georgia going with a three-man rush with only Tyson in at DT on third-and-11 and Sullivan simply gets rid of the ball. Fun side note, this is the first time ASU has ever played in an SEC stadium.

-- Tackle on that punt was by Keelan Johnson. Been a few years since a Keelan Johnson has made a tackle at Sanford Stadium.

UPDATE: First quarter, 3:23 remaining:

-- Samuel in for the second straight drive, and he still hasn't gotten much. Brings up a third-and-10 for the Dawgs.

-- Big catch by Shaun Chapas for a first down. Pretty sure in my "Grading the Game" post this week, I predicted a big day for Chapas.

-- Cox's pass for Moore was nowhere close on third-and-8, but a flag flies in from the other side of the field for a defensive hold to give UGA a first down.

-- Samuel: 5 carries for 5 yards so far, with a long of 2.

-- Cox hits Green deep down the near sideline. Green does a nice stop-and-go at the 11 to juke the one defender in his way, then waltzes into the end zone for the Bulldogs' first score. What are the odds he ends up with 150 yards in the first half again this year? That one went for 56. Georgia 7, Arizona State 0 (6-79-2:46)

-- The UGA softball team was honored at the 20-yard-line. They were mostly decked out in some lovely dresses that were probably not looking quite so lovely by the time they walked off the field. I also enjoyed the number of women rocking the black high heels and yellow ponchos look. Aren't those Tech colors, ladies?

-- Sullivan hits Kyle Williams for a 30-yard gain past Reshad Jones. Hmm... where have we seen this before. Something tells me someone didn't execute. Bottom line.

-- Brandon Wood won't be redshirting this year. He's in the game right now. That's his first action this season. How unexpected was this? He's not even listed on Georgia's roster for the game.

-- Baccari Rambo falls down on third-and-10, but the pass is still out of reach for the ASU receiver in the end zone. Bobby Wenzig, the true freshman walk-on kicker, comes on and connects on a 43-yard field goal. Georgia 7, Arizona State 3 (8-40-3:13).

UPDATE, END OF FIRST QUARTER

-- Something tells me the Dawgs are better off with the kickoff in Boykin's hands than Chapas. Someone might want to remind Shaun of that.

-- Cox hits White for a 16-yard gain to midfield, then goes to Green who picks up about 14 after the catch for another 15-yard reception. Green is now 79 yards short of matching last year's first-half total.

-- Caleb King in the game now. Cox looks his way as he rolls out of the pocket to avoid pressure, but the pass goes out of bounds.

-- Nice block by OchoDos helps Tavarres King pick up seven on second down. I'm going on record as saying Mike Moore is the most underrated player on this team. And to have time to go out and make liberal documentaries on top of it? Well, I just don't know how he does it.

-- Arizona State's defense of Orson Charles? Just push him down. Pass interference flag sets UGA up with a first down at the 12.

-- Caleb King sheds three tackles around right end and down to the 2. He lowered his shoulder at the end of that run, and you could tell how much he wanted the end zone. First and goal at the 2.

-- Fred Munzenmaier -- three career carries, three career touchdowns. The dream lives! And if I'm not mistaken, his TD last year also came against ASU. Georgia 14, Arizona State 3 (6-66-2:25).

-- Georgia finally gets to Nance in the backfield. Geno Atkins brings him down for a two-yard loss at the 26, which will do it for the first quarter.

UPDATE, Second quarter 8:10 remaining:

-- The difference so far: Georgia 5-of-8 passing for 108 yards. ASU 2-of-7 for 33 yards.

-- Boykin leaps into about the sixth row to tip Sullivan's pass out of bounds on third-and-4. Man that kid is impressive. Georgia gets the ball back at the 20.

-- That Branden Smith end-around has gained a total of about 5 yards total this season with the exception of that 61-yarder. But I guess you gotta keep going to it. Anyway, a holding flag on that play pushes Georgia back to the 9.

-- A screen pass to Caleb on third-and-18 falls incomplete, and Drew Butler will come on to try to up his average.

-- Actually it's a 54-yarder, which is right at his average.

-- ASU is actually running the ball pretty well in this game. Nance has 52 yards on 10 carries.

-- Wow, Prince Miller. Got to make that pick. He looked a little like he didn't want to get his uniform dirty and let the ball bounce in front of him.

-- Some good news for UGA fans: Kentucky held Florida scoreless in the second quarter. Of course, the Gators still lead 31-7. Oh, and those scrappy Tennessee Volunteers who really showed they were closing in on championship caliber by losing last week, is now tied at home with Ohio. Hooray for moral victories!

-- Prince Miller nearly bobbles away another turnover on a punt, but corrals the ball just before being buried at the 22.

UPDATE, End of Second Quarter

-- Richard Samuel back in the game and picks up 8 yards on a first-down carry. A false start moves the Dawgs back 5, however. That's flag No. 3 of the half for Georgia.

-- Whoops... make that No. 5. Another false start moves Georgia back another 5, setting up a second-and-12. I think some rain got into the speaker system though. The ref announcements come out sounding like Charlie Brown's teachers.

-- Rantavious Wooten with a beautiful grab falling out of bounds. That was A.J. Green-like. It picks up 27 yards and a first down. That was impressive.

-- Wooten gets a handoff and goes to midfield. The chant from the crowd? Woooooooot! I love it.

-- Wait, wait... I was supposed to do this... "Wooten the ball carrier! Wooten around end! Wooten!"

-- This game has really fallen into a bit of a lull. Georgia has a nice lead on the scoreboard, but outside of a couple nice plays by A.J. Green, it really hasn't felt like they've played better than Arizona State. Meanwhile, Dimitri Nance continues to run pretty successfully against the Dawgs' front seven.

-- Another nice hit by Reshad Jones dislodges a pass from Jovon Williams. In a delightful change of pace, no flag comes in following the hit.

-- Georgia nearly had Sullivan behind the line of scrimmage, but he hits Nance who jukes Rennie out of his shoes and moves the chains all the way up to the ASU 47. You won't see Rennie look that bad very often.

-- This time they get to Sullivan. Marcus Dowtin has the sack, but there's a flag. And the call is a defensive hold agains the Dawgs. Boy, this game has all the makings of an ugly ending. ASU keeps hanging around, running the ball well, and Georgia just doesn't seem to want to make that big play to crush their spirits.

-- Baccari Rambo picks off a pass from Sullivan for his first career interception. Cornelius Washington had a ton of pressure on Sullivan to force the errant pass. There's a perfect example of why those two guys need to be playing a lot more often.

-- If Georgia can pick up points on this drive, that's a great sign. If they don't, you have to think this first half was a lot less than it could have been.

-- And on that note, King is wrapped up in the backfield on third-and-1 and Butler will come on to punt.

-- Ty Frix's snap wasn't on point, and the punt wasn't great from Butler. The result is a first-and-10 for ASU at their own 45. So that INT amounted to about a minute-and-a-half off the play clock and backed ASU up by 10 yards.

-- Justin Houston records his first sack of the season, absolutely blazing his way through the line and dropping Sullivan. Center Thomas Altieri had to be helped off the field afterward for Arizona State.

-- Jeff Owens stands Nance up in the backfield and that'll do it for the half. Georgia 14, Arizona State 3. I gotta go do some writing, and we'll be back for the third quarter.

UPDATE: Halftime

-- The band played from the stands so as to not mess up the field any more than it already is, but it appears it has actually stopped raining. We'll see if that makes any difference for the offenses here as we get set to kick off the second half.

-- Some interesting halftime numbers: ASU actually has 10 first downs to Georgia's 8, and the total yards aren't vastly different -- 168-128 in favor of the Dawgs. Penalties for Georgia so far: six for 45 yards. ASU has four for 41. ASU is just 1-of-5 on third down. They've outgained Georgia on the ground 59-36, but the Bulldogs are dominating through the air, 132 yards to 69. ASU has held the ball for an extra 4:30 so far, and gets the ball to start the half.

UPDATE, Third quarter, 6:39 remaining:

-- Sullivan hits Kyle Williams as Georgia brought the blitz on third-and-5 for a gain of 9. Two plays later, Nance runs up the middle for a 22-yard gain. Nance is up to 93 yards rushing in this game, and Georgia has been dismal up the middle. The pressure comes from the edge -- and Justin Houston is playing well -- but there's no push up the middle and Nance has been running between the tackles all night.

-- Georgia rushed three on third-and-8, and just as I criticize the DTs, Atkins gets the pressure to disrupt Sullivan's pass, which falls incomplete. ASU forced to punt.

-- Uga VII is hiding behind french fries... I think it's going to be No. 3... Woo! Woo! Woo! Man, I'm good at this game.

-- Caleb King with another nice run, this one picking up 13 yards.

-- Syracuse is losing to Maine. Seriously. America East football baby!

-- King gets another run and coughs up the football. Arizona State recovers. Well, I guess that at least means fewer complaints about Richard Samuel, right? Arizona State takes over at the UGA 37. Georgia turnover ratio now: 10 giveaways, 3 takeaways.

-- Nance picks up 8 on first down to put him over 100 yards for the day.

-- Dowtin continues his strong game, wrapping up Nance in the backfield on second down.

-- So all three of Georgia's tailbacks -- Samuel, King and Thomas -- have a fumble so far this season. You'd love to establish the run more, particularly in a game like this, but man it has to be a hold-your-breath moment every time one of those guys touches the ball.

-- Bryan Evans saves a touchdown as Sullivan hits Nance, who darts down the sideline to set up a first-and-goal at the 9. Nance has 140 total yards already. I'm really not sure if Georgia's D is playing any better this week or if Arizona State just isn't nearly as good as Arkansas, but either way, I definitely expected better results for the Dawgs.

-- ASU has a third-and-goal from the six. Sullivan telegraphs a pass to Nance out in the flat with absolutely no one around him. He dives ahead into the end zone for the score. Georgia 14, Arizona State 10. (8-37-3:57)

-- Well, at least Richt and Willie can say this TD also came following a turnover in Georgia territory. Just gotta execute better.

UPDATE: End of third quarter.

-- As a tip o' the cap to "Flash Forward," I think if everyone in the stadium were to suddenly black out and get a glimpse of their future, it would look an awful lot like last year's Auburn game in which Georgia sweats out a last-second drive by a clearly inferior offensive team in a game they should have put away a long time ago. And by the way, I thought "Flash Forward" was OK, but I was hardly blown away by it. A little too "Lost"-like, particularly the opening scene.

-- Aside from Samuel's 8-yard run, he's picked up just 7 yards on 6 carries tonight.

-- Well, this has officially gotten ugly. Cox tosses up a duck, which is picked off by Jarrell Holman, who jukes all 11 guys the Bulldogs have on the field and walks into the end zone on a 47-yard return. That's Cox's second pick-six of the season, and the boos are starting to come from the fans. Arizona State 17, Georgia 14.

-- Georgia's turnover ratio now: 11 giveaways, 3 takeaways. When Mark Richt said that's not sustainable, this is exactly what he meant.

-- Hey, Arizona State kicks off out of bounds. I'm guessing their special teams coach likes the challenge.

-- Opponents have now scored 50 points off Georgia's 11 turnovers, including 10 tonight. That doesn't include the safety. That alone accounts for 42 percent of the scoring Georgia has allowed.

-- A.J. Green finds a hole in the zone and picks up 19 yards. Once again, Green is the go-to guy in a situation in which Georgia needs a big play.

-- Caleb King gets back to work with a 16-yard run. His fumble aside, he needs to be Georgia's primary ball carrier. In the past two games, Samuel has carries of 80 and 8 and has averaged just 1.5 yards per carry on 23 runs. Meanwhile, King is averaging six yards a carry.

-- Logan Gray in on second down for Georgia. He goes nowhere, but ASU is flagged for offsides.

-- And the dream is dead -- Munzenmaier picks up a first down but gets just inside the 1. He gets it again one play later, and again he doesn't get in. So much for perfection, Fred.

-- Toss sweep to Samuel loses five yards. That play was broken from the beginning. I think my grandmother saw that coming. We'll start the fourth quarter with a third-and-goal from the 5.

FOURTH QUARTER

-- Wow, just read Tebow was taken to the hospital after a hit to the head in the second half of Florida's game against Kentucky.

-- Wasted opportunity that close to the end zone. Blair Walsh again hits a field goal, keeping him perfect for the season to tie the score at 17.

-- The defense turned up the juice, absolutely demolishing the ASU offense deep in its own territory. After a slow start, Geno Atkins has put together a nice game, and he's been in Sullivan's face often in the second half.

-- Wow... that was a booming punt by Arizona State's Trevor Hankins at an absolutely crucial time. It goes 64 yards, but Prince Miller fields the kick and returns it to the Georgia 48. Crucial drive here for Cox & Co. At least they only have to go 2 yards to avoid a turnover in their own territory.

-- A.J. and TK are really leading the on-field dancing this year. Knowshon would be proud. Meanwhile the entire secondary is doing their own moves on the bench. Justin Houston's dancing could use some work. He looks like me after nine Jack-and-Cokes when I'm only on the dance floor to make my girlfriend happy.

-- Cox had Green open but the pass was defended by Holman. A late flag flies in, however, and ASU gets called for pass interference. That's a big one. Georgia sets up with a first down at the ASU 37.

-- Another holding call on Georgia on what would have been a decent gain by Caleb King. The flags are absolutely ridiculous at this point. That's eight in the game, and sets up a second-and-22.

-- Cox zooms a pass through the hands of Vontaze Burfict and into the chest of A.J. Green who gains 19. Third-and-2. Green goes over 100 yards for the second straight game -- the first time he's done that in his career.

-- King runs and comes up just a few inches short of the first down, but the Dawgs are going for it. Gutsy call if they follow through with it, as ASU calls a time out.

-- Burfict comes up and throws the referee into the offensive line. A flag was thrown, but apparently the refs didn't think it warranted an actually penalty. Or maybe there's nothing in the rule book about throwing a ref. Either way, UGA is going for it on fourth-and-inches.

-- Munzenmaier got the carry and was stopped short. I just don't know what to say. What happened to Georgia's dominant offensive line? ASU takes over with the game still tied at 17. I gotta run and write my gamer. I'll have notes postgame.

Picking the Winners: Week 4

Let's get to the Week 4 picks...

Dan: 4-6 last week... not very good. I fell into the trap of thinking a team would roll.

Dave: You think you had it bad? I put up my second-straight 3-7 performance. Just ugly. Sometimes I think I should put more thought into these picks as to not embarrass myself. Then I reconsider and decide that, since "Seinfeld" quotes made for such a good read a week ago, I should simply stick to the gimmicks. This week, we celebrate another of my favorite shows: "How I Met Your Mother."

Michigan State (+3) at Wisconsin

Dan: I was talking to my significant other last week and she thought it was funny that there were so many Michigan schools. She thought it was a joke that there was Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Northern Michigan. I laughed, too. Ah the MAC. Well I then went on to explain that the real joke wasn’t that there were so many Michigan schools. The joke is Michigan State’s football program this year. She nodded in agreement… Wisconsin 21, Michigan State 17

Dave: "Ted, no! You never break up a girl fight! NEVER!!"

The Big Ten: One big, ongoing girl fight. Except, these are the kind you just don't want to watch. Example No. 1: This game. I promise you, I'll have to Google the score of this game next week to find out if I picked correctly because I will pay absolutely no attention to this game on Saturday… Wisconsin 24, Michigan State 23.

Texas Christian (+2.5) at Clemson

Dan: I am going with Dabo. Dabo! Did you know Clemson is 3-0 against the spread this year? Well, they are. It is like Dabo is taunting us, daring us to go against him again. I honestly don’t get this spread. Yes, TCU is a nice team, but the MWC got waxed last weekend as Utah and BYU both lost. Clemson isn’t the easiest place to play either. I know one of those moments where Clemson loses a game they shouldn’t is coming up, but not this week… Clemson 23, TCU 17

Dave: From the great episode on dating people you have to see regularly…

Robin: "We can split a cab to work together, we always have a standing lunch date, and last night, at the hockey game, Curt got us into the locker room and I met Mason Raymond! Left wing for the Vancouver Canucks!"
Barney: "What's the opposite of name-dropping?"

This week Clemson plays TCU!… a team from the Mountain West Conference!… they beat Texas State!… The Horned Frogs! Clemson has no problems against the "big-name" mid-major… Clemson 35, TCU 14.

LSU (-12.5) at Mississippi State

Dan: Double-digit home dog alert. Double-digit home dog alert. There was a trend a few years ago that if you just took the double-digit home dogs each week, you hit somewhere along the lines of 60 percent of your bets. That is good. Of course I never follow these trends, but I should. Well, here is a classic case, but here is why I don’t get this line. LSU was favored by 14.5 over Vandy when the game was in LSU. They won by 14. Mississippi State went into Vandy and won straight up. So this line now is at 13? Makes no sense. Again I will be a sucker and bite here… LSU 20, Mississippi State 9

Dave: I think this sums up my gambling problems...

Barney: "Ted, your problem is all you do is think, think, think. I'm teaching you how to do, do, do."
Marshall: "Doo-doo!"

The past two weeks, I've been way off on Mississippi State because I'm thinking too much about the matchup. I need to go with my gut here, and my gut says LSU is a much, much better team. Plus, if I'm wrong, it will get Georgia fans irrationally exuberant about a chance to beat the Tigers next week, so it's win-win. Also, doo-doo is funny… LSU 35, Mississippi State 14.


Arkansas (+17.5) at Alabama

Dan: Arkansas is the Clemson of the SEC -- a group of fans that think their program is better than it really is. Face it, Arkansas is a middle-of-the-road SEC program. In the SEC West, they are historically the fourth-best team (behind Alabama, Auburn and LSU). They should not expect anything more. Yet fans were not happy that they were winning the West and wanted more from Houston Nutt. Is it not funny that all of this turmoil surrounded Arkansas a few years back with Houston Nutt because he refused to throw the ball? I mean why would he? He had Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Yet fans were not happy. So they run him out of town and they get Bobby Petrino. So what happens? Arkansas starts throwing the ball but can’t play a lick of defense. As I see it, Arkansas fans are getting everything they deserve. They are now the fifth-best program in the West. Congrats! That being said 15½ seems like a lot for Alabama. I think they’ll win but it will be closer than expected (better bet is the over 57!)… Alabama 48, Arkansas 35.

Dave: "Quick announcement: I am glad you are here, fellow travelers. A couple rules. Ah, not rules, let's call them "Guidelines for Harmonious Living". Guideline for Harmonious Living #1: The kitchen sink is for dishes, the toilet is for pee-pee. GFHL #2: Marijuana is illegal in the United States, yes, even when baked into a blueberry muffin, that someone might mistakenly eat for breakfast, before leaving for their job as a TV newcaster. "This just in, look at my hand, how weird is my hand?" is not an appropriate thing to say on the air."

And rule No. 3… I'm not better against Alabama until they prove me wrong. I was impressed by Arkansas' Ryan Mallett last week, but in the fourth quarter when Georgia actually got some pressure, he was just 2-of-10 passing. Against Georgia's defense. Alabama is much better and won't have to wait until the fourth quarter to disrupt the action in the backfield… Alabama 35, Arkansas 14.

Florida (-22) at Kentucky

Dan: Double-digit home dog alert. I fear taking Kentucky here though. But I have to. Kentucky just had an emotional win at home vs. Louisville last weekend. Their reward… Florida. I just don’t see Florida getting up for this game though. Speaking of Kentucky, I visited Lexington a little more than a year ago as my buddy was a teacher at a University in the area. Well we went out drinking the first night and ran into a bunch of his students. Ha ha. Now that was classic. He was trying to be professional while I kept trying to get them to do shots with us. They were all for it! I don’t know how he showed the restraint. I think if I were in his shoes I would have lasted all of three months before a scandal hit the university. Anyway back to the game… Florida 35, Kentucky 14.

Dave: "Okay, pep talk! You can do this, but to be more accurate, you probably can't. You're way out of practice and she's way too hot for you. So, remember, it's not about scoring. It's about believing you can do it, even though you probably can't. Go get 'em, tiger! … Poor guy's gonna crash and burn."

OK, Kentucky, you can do this. Sure, you lost 63-5 last year, but that was a long time ago. You're at home! You just won a big game against your in-state rivals! Tennessee showed some chinks in Florida's armor last week! You can do it! And by "it" I mean cover the spread… Florida 40, Kentucky 21.

(By the way, I have absolutely no idea who you're talking about in your story about the teacher in Kentucky. I mean, that story seems completely foreign to me. No clue at all why you might repeat it here. It certainly has nothing to do with me whatsoever. Cough. Cough.)

North Carolina (+2.5) at Georgia Tech


Dan: It is annoying when you have friends who have no association with a school who become fans of that school. But what is even more annoying is when they pick and choose their sports. We have a friend who married a girl from Carolina. Lets call him “Mean Machine." So “Mean Machine” is now a Carolina basketball fan. Not Carolina football. Of course “Mean Machine” isn’t a football fan each year because they stink. “Mean Machine” only likes Carolina basketball because they win. That is unfair and should not be allowed. “Mean Machine” also back in the day liked to prevent you from meeting women but that is a whole different story we’ll get into later this year. In any event, UNC is on the rise in football. But they are still UNC. Look for Georgia Tech to pull out a close one and “Mean Machine” to not even care… Georgia Tech 27, North Carolina 21.

Dave: "No, no, Ted, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It would be the fourth worst thing. Number one, supervolcano. Number two, an asteroid hits the earth. Number three, all footage of Evil Knievel is lost. Number four, Ted calls Karen. Number five, Lily gets eaten by a shark."

If you're a Tech fan, No. 1 on that list would probably be seeing the Jackets' offense get stopped for a fourth time in five games. Honestly, the folks in Atlanta have to be getting a little worried, right? I mean, 10 months ago, Paul Johnson was the greatest coach since Bear Bryant, and now his offense is looking like it can't move the ball against anything resembling a good defense. But at least they'll always have a three-point victory in a game in which they were outplayed for three quarters over a team that had won the seven previous meetings to hang their hats on… North Carolina 21, Georgia Tech 20.

Miami (-2.5) at Virginia Tech

Dan: Ah, my Hokies. They frustrate me to no end. They had no business winning that game last week vs. Nebraska. Zero. I did not see much of it because ABC was nice enough to show the spectacular Iowa vs. Arizona match instead of two top-20 teams up here in the Northeast. But I received plenty of angry texts from friends who were at the game. It was interesting. I lost my phone temporarily and checked it after the game. Let me list a few of the texts for you:

--- &%&% this *$*%%
--- These fans are delusional. They keep chanting Tyrod’s name. Well Tyrod stinks.
--- Tyrod and Stinespring MUST GO!
--- I can’t believe I paid good money for these tickets to watch this same &$&% offense.
--- What a pass! Place is going nuts!
--- We won! And I’ll take it . . . go Hokies! There will be a party tonight!

What a range of emotions. Well, this week things do not get any easier. Miami has looked spectacular. My Hokies… not so much. I hate to do this but have to go with Miami. I think I’ll be receiving at lot more angry texts again this week… Miami 27, Virginia Tech 17.

Dave: "Jesus started the whole 'wait three days' thing. He waited THREE days to come back to life. It was perfect! If he had only waited one day, a lot of people wouldn't have even heard that he died. They'd be all, 'Hey Jesus, what up?' and Jesus would probably be like, 'What up? I did yesterday!' And then they'd be all, 'Uhh, you look pretty alive to me, dude.' And then Jesus would have to explain how he was resurrected, and how it was a miracle, and then the dude would be like 'Uh okay, whatever you say, bro.' And he's not gonna come back on a Saturday. Everybody's busy, doing chores, workin' the loom, trimmin' the beard, No! He waited the exact right number of days, THREE. Plus it's Sunday, so everyone's in church already, they're all in there, 'Oh no, Jesus is dead,' then -- BAM! -- he bursts through the back door, runs up the aisle, everyone's totally psyched, and FYI, that's when he invented the high five. Three days. We wait three days to call a woman, because that's how long Jesus wants us to wait.... True story."

This might be the single funniest monologue in the history of the show, but there's a valuable lesson here: Timing is everything. This is a perfect example of how the timing is set up for Tech, and why we should always wait a while -- probably more than three days -- before crowing a team as a potential champ. Miami is coming off a last-second win against a Florida State team that barely beat Jacksonville State and a big win -- AT HOME -- over a Georgia Tech squad that should probably have lost to Clemson the week before. Yes, the 'Canes have looked better than years past, but I'm not ready to call them the class of the ACC because they beat two other teams that I don't exactly believe in either. Virginia Tech has its own problems -- namely Tyrod Taylor -- but I'm 100 percent certain that Miami hasn't done enough to warrant being a 2.5-point favorite on the road over another ACC team that started the year in the top 10, held strong through three quarters against Alabama, and just beat another quality opponent last week… Virginia Tech 20, Miami 17.

Iowa (+10) at Penn State

Dan: Do you want to see something really disturbing Saturday night on ABC? Tune into the Penn State game and see all of these Penn State coeds painting their stomachs white and blue and whatever color they can find. Is there anything else more disturbing than a girl who puts body paint on to celebrate her football team? It is disgusting. Yet we see it every weekend. Penn State coeds are the queens of body paint and it is makes me sick. Just another reason for you to root against that school. I can come up with about 100. As for the game, did you know Penn State is 0-3 ATS this year. Yup. Well I think this streak ends this week and Penn State gets revenge for last year's loss… Penn State 31, Iowa 16.

Dave: "Suits are for the living. That's why, when it's my time to R.I.P. I'm going out of this world the same way I came into it. BUCK NAKED. Yeah. It's gonna be awesome. Open bar for the guys, open casket for the ladies."

Funeral jokes… Joe Paterno… ah, you figure it out… Penn State 28, Iowa 10.

Texas Tech (+1) at Houston

Dan: Let-down game for the Red Raiders here after playing Texas tough last weekend. This game means so much more for the Cougars. Speaking of Cougars… if you are a single female in the “Cougar” range is there a worse term to be called? This term has come out of nowhere the last few years and now there is even a show called “Cougartown”. As if it's not bad enough that you are not attached to someone when you are in your upper-30s to low-40s, now when you go out to a bar everyone sits in the corner and points at you saying, “Look at that Cougar." Man, at times, I feel bad for women… Houston 48, Texas Tech 40.

Dave: "In my body, where the shame gland should be, there is a second awesome gland."

While I don't buy the "moral victory" argument for Tennessee last week, I was actually kind of impressed that Texas Tech was able to hang with Texas. The Red Raiders were supposed to take a big step back this year without Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, but I'm starting to think they may have a second awesome gland. As as we know, Mike Leach has no shame… Texas Tech 41, Houston 35.

California (-6) at Oregon

Dan: My favorite pick of the week. Although I do wonder about Oregon. Still, I don’t see why Oregon should be getting this many at home. Look-ahead game for Cal as they face the Trojans next week… Oregon 28, Cal 24.

Dave: "Okay, new scenario: We're caught in a car crash, you die, I'm left paralyzed. Two sexy nurses come in with a 6-pack of wine coolers. I try to blink at them in Morse code. Please... no... I love my dead wife. But they're medical professionals and I have to assume this is good for me."

I'm in no position to argue with the experts, and I couldn't agree more with you on this line. Seriously, what about Cal's near loss to Minne-freakin-sota last week inspires a six-point spread on the road? Plus, Chip Kelly is handing out refunds for bad performances now, so how can you not root for the guy? And as you said, how could Cal not be looking ahead to USC next week? This seems almost too good to be true… Oregon 31, Cal 27.

Last week: Dan: 4-6, Dave: 3-7

Season: Dan: 13-17, Dave: 11-19

Bulldogs Blog Friday Afternoon Trivia

A shiny, exciting and potentially non-existent prize to the first person who can correctly identify the two people in this picture.

And just for good measure, a few links for your reading pleasure as well...

-- I have a story in today's Telegraph on how Caleb King handled his injury and returned strong.

-- The AJC looks at Jon Richt's adjustment to life on a much smaller campus.

-- The Detroit News has a story on how Matthew Stafford is handling the hype of being the No. 1 pick and the criticism that comes with two bad games to start his career.

-- Tony Barnhart makes his weekly picks and he clearly thinks a lot higher of the Alabama pass rush than he does of Georgia's. (h/t Jeff)

-- Whoa, whoa, whoa... you mean there could be another five-star receiver named Green playing at Georgia. That "Earth Tones Offense" could get better and better.

-- Mark Richt promises this won't be a "trap game" for Georgia's players, but Dawg Stephen wants to make sure it isn't one for the fans either.

-- Roger Clarkson looks at the future of Georgia's non-conference play.

-- Thankfully for my fantasy team, the Boston Globe says Knowshon Moreno is ready to break out.

-- Chris Low has a bunch of interesting tidbits from around the SEC -- which by the way, just so happens to be the country's highest-scoring conference so far.

-- The Arizona Republic sees a lot of similarities between Joe Cox and ASU quarterback Danny Sullivan. Another interesting note is that I have two friends from high school in my fantasy football league who are arch enemies. One is named Danny Sullivan, and the other looks just like Joe Cox. And no, that's not them in the picture above. Sadly, I have no pictures of the two of them together that would be appropriate for this Web site.

-- Arizona State's players talk about playing in Athens.

-- Here's a list of the best TV character comas of all time. I don't really have anything to add to this except that I once saw Anthony Michael Hall shopping at the mall in Delaware.

-- Kirk Cameron disproves evolution by comparing Charles Darwin to Nazis and calling him sexist. Well, glad we've solved that debate once and for all.

-- Mmmmmm... Dan Aykroyd-flavored vodka.

-- Subway must be peddling a lot of those five-dollar footlongs because its about to overtake McDonalds as the world's largest restaurant chain.

-- And finally, this should officially conclude your work week on a high (or low) note: Rotten Tomatoes rounds up the decade's 100 worst movies.

UGA Notes: D Line Looks For Pressure

While the secondary has gotten the majority of the blame for Georgia’s defensive problems the past two weeks, defensive tackle Jeff Owens said his unit will be the key to shutting down the opposition’s passing attack.

“It starts with getting more sacks up front,” Owens said. ‘I think we’re nowhere near where we can be, and we need to get over that hump to get where we can be. But we’re going to keep progressing and just get better because we’re not where we want to be right now.”

Through three games, Georgia has recorded just four sacks, despite opponents throwing the ball or using the quarterback as a runner on more than 70 percent of their offensive plays the past two weeks.

Georgia finished last season ranked 11th in the SEC in sacks, with the bulk of its success coming in non-conference games against Arizona State and Michigan State. The Bulldogs worked on the pass rush this offseason, but so far the results haven’t shown up on the field.

“It gets frustrating after all the effort and time you put into it during the offseason, you think you’re going to come out and have a better season than last year,” defensive end Demarcus Dobbs said. “But it’s still early on. It gets frustrating, but we just have to keep grinding and try to go make a play.”

Part of the problem, Dobbs said, is that the group hasn’t been able to function at full capacity often this season.

Starting defensive end Justin Houston missed the first two games of the season with a suspension, and Owens and fellow defensive tackle Geno Atkins were forced to rush off the edge for nearly 60 snaps during the first two weeks.

Dobbs said the group showed some signs of improvement last week – sacking quarterback Ryan Mallett twice – but that more time together will be a key in getting the pass rush going on a consistent basis.

“We have to be able to mesh as a group,” Dobbs said. “Sometimes we’re getting pressure from the edge and people aren’t in the middle and we lose contain. But it takes chemistry, and you have to know the other person’s strength and when to cover somebody. It will come in time.”

HE’S THE MAN

It was against Arizona State last season that wide receiver A.J. Green had his first breakout performance – racking up 150 receiving yards in the first half.

Since then, Green hasn’t surprised too many defenses, and as the sophomore continues to compile big games, even his quarterback thinks there’s a chance Green will go down as the best receiver to play at Georgia.

“He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Joe Cox said. “He’s an incredible playmaker, and he could end up being one of the best players that ever played here.”

As to what makes Green so impressive, head coach Mark Richt said it’s hard to identify just one thing. The beauty of having Green is that he does everything so well.

“When you take his combination of height and the range of his arms, his speed and agility; a lot of guys who are tall might be fast and can make a play on a deep ball, but A.J. can out-jump people, he can run by people,” Richt said. “He can make them miss, and he’s becoming a pretty darn good blocker. There isn’t much that you’d ask a receiver to do that he can’t do well. He’s pretty good, and I’m glad we have him.”

WOOTEN GETS THE NOD

After earning just one snap during the first two games, freshman receiver Rantavious Wooten saw a big increase in his workload against Arkansas last week.

While Wooten was targeted for just one throw and ran a sweep that failed to gain, he was in on a number of plays, and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said that’s a trend that will continue this week.

“We’ve just got to play some of those guys and Wooten has done a good job at practice,” Bobo said. “He’s extremely quick and explosive and does a nice job running routes. He hasn’t had many opportunities to catch the ball. We tossed him a sweep. But you’ll see more of him this week just because of our number issue at receiver.”

DO-IT-ALL GUY

With tailback Caleb King sidelined for Georgia’s first two games, the burden of being the counterpunch for starter Richard Samuel fell to redshirt freshman Carlton Thomas.

The results so far have been mediocre, at best. The 5-foot-7 tailback has mustered just 25 yards on 10 carries, including one fumble. Thomas has been far more successful as a receiver, catching two passes for 18 yards – utilizing his elusiveness in space to his benefit.

Now that King is back, running backs coach Bryan McClendon said the team would like to find ways to better utilize Thomas, but he said it’s still essential that his freshman tailback learn all the intricacies of the position.

“There’s definitely things Carlton can do, but Carlton needs to work on being a guy that can get in there and we can run everything with him,” McClendon said. “That’s the focus he needs to take. We need to get him ready to go every play if he has to. There are definitely things he can do, but we want to make sure he knows everything come Saturday.”

JOE COOL

Georgia has trailed by double digits in the first quarter in each of its past two games, and the Bulldogs have won both. The common denominator, according to tight end Aron White, is the guy doing all the talking in the huddle.

Against South Carolina, the Bulldogs’ offense barely saw the field in the first quarter, and a special-teams turnover cost Georgia an early possession last week as well, but White said Cox has been calm, cool and collected each time – a bit asset in coming back from behind.

“Joe’s just extremely lighthearted when he’s in the huddle,” White said. “He came back into the huddle, just smiling, some words of encouragement, and we see his confidence and that does a lot to motivate guys and take some of the pressure off.”

COACHES STILL HIGH ON BROWN

Although Marlon Brown has yet to see any significant action, Bobo said he’s still expecting the freshman receiver to be a contributor to Georgia’s offense before the season is done.

“Marlon is starting to show some progress,” Bobo said. “Marlon is working hard, and we’re not at all disappointed with Marlon. I think Marlon has as much potential as anybody we’ve got on this team, it’s just a matter of him understanding what’s going on and learning how to do things.”

DREAM MATCHUP

With the Pac-10’s Arizona State making its first trip to Athens this weekend, linebacker Rennie Curran was asked which team outside the SEC he would most like to play. He said he’d like to stay in the Pac-10, but set his sights a little higher.

“Southern Cal because they are respected across the nation and they get a lot of hype,” Curran said. “Also, because of the kind of program they have. I was hoping we would get them a couple years ago in the Sugar Bowl, but they had their rule with the Rose Bowl. I think that would have been bigger than the National Championship.”

BUSY WEEKEND

Richt said he expects a high number of recruits to be visiting Athens this week, but it’s next week’s matchup against LSU that’s the really hot ticket.

“From what we’re hearing, there’s an awful lot of interest in this LSU game already,” Richt said. “It’s probably more than we can handle. There’s only so many that can get in, so it’s probably going to be tough to get everybody in who wants to get in.”

From the Mailbag: Orson Talks to the Twitters

Last week, I got some Twitter questions for Rennie Curran, and he was kind enough to answer them.

This week's guest is freshman tight end Orson Charles, and you guys came up with another round of great questions. So let's get to them...

@genxdawg writes: Pleased w/ Charles blocking efforts so far. Has he been surprised by what it takes to be a good blocker in the SEC?

Similarly, @MIkeInValdosta writes: Orson, has SEC trench warfare been as you expected?

Always a confident guy, Orson said things aren't much different than he expected.

“It’s the SEC," he said. "I’ve been watching the SEC for a long time. I knew how to play, and Coach Richt was telling us how one mistake can ruin the whole game, so I just bring my ‘A’ game for every play.”

While word of Charles' exploits on the field were pretty widespread by the time he chose Georgia, his real legend began when word spread that he broke Florida's 2006 national championship trophy. That led @sanford222view to ask: Orson, what really happened with the whole crystal trophy thing in Gainesville? Was UF still a possibility for him then? DGD!

As it turns out, Florida was not only still a possibility for Charles, it was nearly a necessity. Here's the story from his side:

“I was on one of my recruiting visits, and it was like lunch time so they brought us up to the top deck where the box is you can look down and see the stadium. They had the Heisman trophy out and the National Championship trophy out.

"That was my first time seeing it. There was a little gap in between, so I wanted to take pictures. The Heisman was on the left, and the National was on the right. When I scooped down to take the picture of the name plaque, I bumped the table. I bumped it, and it hit the floor and just shattered.

"It was quiet for like five minutes. Everybody was staring, standing there looking at the pieces on the floor. Nobody could believe it. They were like, you want to be a Gator? It was like one of those commercials – ‘Want to get away?’.” I was like, I’ll go ahead and commit because they were saying it was like $35,000. I knew for sure I did not have that money. So I was like, I’ll go ahead and commit and hopefully bring y’all one back, but I’m not going to pay that much.”

Thankfully for Dawgs fans, the Gators didn't hold him to it.

@rbaile28 writes: Is it weird to see people walking around with your jersey number on already?

Orson: “I wouldn’t really recognize that this year. I’ll pay more attention to that next year. Really, it’s not my jersey. I know everybody bought No. 7 last year because of Stafford. I haven’t proven myself yet. I might claim that next year after I get one year under my belt.”

@godawgs921 writes: orson how many more td catches this season?

I asked Orson a more general question about changing his expectations due to the success he's had so far. His answer, essentially, was that he was always aiming high.

“They were pretty high to begin with, and I’m not going to lower myself any because of the playing time I’m getting in a game. You set your bar high, and if you don’t get it, for me, I still have three more years, and I’m going to get it.”

And finally, @jeffostenson writes: now that you've seen great successes as a bulldog, how glad are you that you made your final decision to come to athens?

This was a good question, and it actually tied in with one I wanted to ask, as it turned out.

Last week, I had Rennie talk about his final play against South Carolina, and I liked the idea of having a player walk me through a highlight from their perspective. So I asked Orson to tell me everything about his touchdown catch against Arkansas last week, and in doing so, he managed to answer Jeff's question, too.

Here's Orson's take...

“They called it the first time and I kind of came short, and once he called it again, I knew what I had to do, I knew the coverage and I knew they were going to respect A.J. So a linebacker tried to cover me so I had to come up and break a high. Right when I saw the ball, a lot of people don’t talk to themselves, but when I saw that ball in the air, I said, ‘Orson, do not drop it. Orson, do not drop it.’ Then I caught it and I scored, and the first thing I thought was, thank you, God.”

“A lot of people wondered when I kneeled down and scored that touchdown what I was saying, and I was just saying ‘Thank you God for putting me on this team.’ I really don’t call anything upon myself because if it wasn’t for God I wouldn’t be here, and my mom and my mentor and my coaches have drilled that into me.”

Of course, I didn't want Jeff's question to go officially unanswered, so I posed that, too.

“I thank God every night for leading me to Georgia," Charles said. "I don’t regret anything I do, I’m very happy I’m here, and I’m very happy with my new teammates and the class that came in with me that we’re making an impact.”

Big thanks to Orson -- who actually stayed very late after practice for this -- for answering all our questions. Remember, you can follow me on Twitter, too, by CLICKING HERE and we'll have another player interview next week.

UGA Notes: Shakeups in the Secondary

After spraining his MCL during last week’s win over Arkansas, head coach Mark Richt said it’s doubtful that cornerback Vance Cuff will be ready to play against Arizona State on Saturday.

“Cuff is doubtful,” Richt said. “He could turn around some between now and the game and because it’s a home game – if it was an away game he probably wouldn’t be on the plane. But we’re at home and if he feels good enough he could probably help us in an emergency.”

Cuff was Georgia’s top option off the bench in nickel situations, but that job will now fall to a combination of players.

Richt said Sanders Commings, who had been working at safety, will get some action at corner this week. While Prince Miller is generally the nickel back, Richt said the senior could stay at wide corner and Makiri Pugh could see increased action at nickel, too.

The most likely option, however, will be for freshman Branden Smith to get more work at corner with Cuff missing the game. While Richt said Smith isn’t exactly polished yet in terms of his defensive aptitude, the work he’ll get this week could prove important down the line.

“(Smith) is getting better at it as (he) goes,” Richt said. “He’s still young and got a lot of things to learn, and you just have to experience some things before you can really get good at them. I’m sure he’ll get that – he’ll get more experience.”

Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez also said he expects freshman Baccari Rambo to see increased playing time at safety this week, spelling Bryan Evans and Reshad Jones.

BACK IN ACTION

Through three games, Georgia’s tight ends have eight receptions – just two shy of last year’s total at the position. Aron White and Orson Charles each had touchdowns last week in a win over Arkansas, which puts the unit just one short of matching its total from 2008.

The bottom line is the position has become an offensive weapon once again for the Bulldogs, and a lot has to do with the impressive performance of the Bulldogs’ top receiver – A.J. Green.

“The presence of A.J. Green has helped that spot get favorable coverages, but they’re making plays, and that’s what we were hoping,” Richt said.

Charles has been the offense’s second-best weapon in the passing game this season, catching six passes for 146 yards thus far. The freshman’s blocking game, however, remains a work in progress.

“Certain blocks are easier for a guy his size, certain blocks he can get away with on just effort and technique,” Richt said. “But there’s some blocks that just take a certain amount of strength, and he’s still struggling some on those. If he doesn’t do it just right, he can get knocked back a little bit, but he’s getting there.”

FIGGINS’ FUTURE UP IN THE AIR

Georgia tight end Bruce Figgins still has three more games remaining on his six-game suspension, but Richt said the team hasn’t determined yet if Figgins will see any action this season at all.

The junior from Shaw High School underwent offseason shoulder surgery and missed spring practice. The injury is getting closer to being fully healed, but given that Figgins has already missed so much action, Richt said there was a possibility he would take a medical redshirt for the season.

“That has really not been determined at this point,” Richt said. “I think a lot will have to do with just where we are and where everybody is at that time.”

If Figgins should sit out the year, Richt said the Georgia Athletics Association has already determined that he would not have to miss additional playing time next year due to the suspension.

“Our association has decided that sitting out the entire year would serve as the discipline for that,” Richt said.

BANKS OUT AGAIN

Richt said safety Quintin Banks would not play this week against Arizona State as he continues to recover from a knee injury that cost him much of the preseason.

“He’s still trying to get back to where he can really run and change direction like he needs to to have a positive performance,” Richt said. “He’s still not there yet.”

A series of injuries, including an offseason surgery on his knee, has kept Banks on the sidelines for much of the past two seasons. It’s frustrating, Richt said, but he has been pleased with how upbeat Banks has remained.

“He’s an awesome kid, he’s always trying to keep a positive attitude, and he’s always trying to motivate his teammates even when he’s down and out as far as practicing,” Richt said. “It just hasn’t worked out for him like he would hope, but we’re all still holding out hope that it will for him.”

THE WAITING GAME

The hot rumor during the offseason was that Georgia would find ways to use backup quarterback Logan Gray as a weapon on offense – even if he wasn’t going to be the team’s starting quarterback. With Gray’s speed and athleticism, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said he thought the sophomore could be a perfect option in a “Wild Cat” formation.

As it turns out, however, Gray has been in on offense for just two snaps so far this season and didn’t see any action last week against Arkansas.

That’s not because Georgia has abandon its plans for Gray, however. With starter Joe Cox playing so well, and the Bulldogs playing in three close games so far, it’s simply a matter of not having opportunities to give Gray much playing time so far.

“It hasn’t really presented itself in a game,” Bobo said. “Every game there’s a plan for certain situations for guys to go in there, but Joe has done such a nice job in the last two games that you don’t want to break his rhythm or what we’re doing offensively.”

PENALTY PROBLEM

Georgia is once again among the most penalized teams in the country, and while Richt was hoping to avoid a significant crackdown following a 13-flag performance in Week 2, Bobo said the team’s problems against Arkansas are clearly a cause for concern.

Georgia racked up 14 penalties in last week’s win over the Razorbacks, including six false starts and three holding calls. While some flags are simply a matter of teams playing aggressive, Bobo said the Buldogs’ recent efforts show a lack of fundamentals.

“We talked about being more disciplined and focused, little things we talk about all the time that will get you beat,” Bobo said. “It’s not something that we want to see as a coaching staff, and usually it derails an offense of being able to execute and be successful. It’s something we’ve been harping on a little more this week.”

While the flags aren’t exactly something Bobo is celebrating, he said he is encouraged by how well his team responded, racking up 530 yards of offense despite the penalties last week. But while that’s an good sign, he said that type of success can’t last forever.

“We’re not going to be able to do that on a consistent basis,” Bobo said. “So that’s why we’ve got to try to keep preaching to those guys about good habits and good fundamentals and not losing their focus on things like the snap count, which is really inexcusable.”

Thursday Links (9-24)

Here are two comments that I got regarding my post yesterday with comments and quotes from Willie Martinez.

The first, from an anonymous commenter: "You ask Willie what time it is and he tells you how to build a watch."

The second, from Willie Martinez, himself (or at least a commenter surreptitiously suggesting he is Coach Willie): "Reading these comments makes me realize how horrible I've been to you great fans. From now on, you're the first to know what I'm thinking and what we're going to do to "get butter". So here goes..

"On the first play of the game, we're putting eight in the box to stuff the run. Next we're going to bring Boykin from the blindside. Then we're going to rush our DTs and Curran and drop CW and Houston into the passing lanes. And I'm putting a freshman in whenever an upperclassmen does something wrong. Change and punishment are paramount even if those guys don't get it done in practice.

"Should I keep going? I didn't realize that y'all wanted to know all of the details of my gameplan. I guess it could hurt if I make specific adjustments public but screw it - the only important thing is that you guys believe in me! Go Dawgs!"

These two comments pretty much sum up the feelings of everyone I've heard from regarding that post. Both have a point.

(By the way, regarding the fake Willie, I really wanted to make an Abe Frohman joke, but I'm low on coffee-fueled creativity today.)

I think some fans expect too much. Coaches aren't going to shell out their game plan and Mark Richt is not going to call out his assistants in the media. You're all better off to just stop waiting for it. It isn't going to happen, and there's probably a good argument to be made that it shouldn't happen.

But I do think the coaches might benefit from giving fans a little more credit. We all have a tendency (us in the media, the coaches, the players and the other fans) to get caught up in the most partisan of comments and reaction, and we tend to paint with a broad brush assuming most fans react the same way. It's not true.

The majority of fans are reasonable people who have a strong understanding of the game of football, and talking down to them, ignoring the obvious, patronizing them or tossing aside their concerns as uneducated serves no purpose. If you're going to talk to the media (and in turn, the fans) at all, why not give them some realistic assessments?

I would never suggest Willie or Richt or any of the coaches turn into message board posters themselves, but look at the way Mike Bobo handled the offensive controversy following Week 1. He took responsibility. He said the offense played too conservatively, didn't diversify its game plan, and didn't work hard enough to get the ball in A.J. Green's hands. Those aren't detailed replies, but it acknowledges he knew what the problems were.

What happened? Well, Bobo did exactly what he said, and fans generally respected him for it.

Willie and Richt meanwhile? It's been a lot of generalizations and "we've just got to execute."

Hey, that's true. They do need to execute. But I think a lot of the vitriol from fans could be eliminated if they had a little more confidence that their coaches were addressing the problems more deeply than that (which, by the way, I have no doubt they are).

Anyway, that's my PR advice for the week. Now, on to some links...

-- I have a story in today's Telegraph looking at how Brandon Boykin -- the youngest member of Georgia's secondary -- had dealt with his first bad game.

-- I had a story yesterday on punter Drew Butler, who is building on his family's legacy during his first year starting at Georgia.

-- Ron Higgins has some interesting suggestions on revising the SEC schedule, but he also notes that Butler is on pace for the best season by a punter in conference history.

(UPDATE: Sorry for the broken link on the Higgins story. Here's the real link. Also, Higgins has another notebook about Richt and the Georgia D if you're interested in checking that out.)

-- Glory Glory takes a step further in the analysis of the defense and hopes to figure out why there hasn't been much of a pass rush. This is a must-read.

-- GoPack.com has a really nice story on former Georgia defensive end Michael Lemon, who has turned his life around and is finding success on the field for NC State this season. As objective as I try to be, I'll happily admit that I've been pulling for Lemon. He's a great kid who has overcome more in his life already than any of us should ever have to.

-- David Paschall has some more info on the Bulldogs' defensive woes. Here's what I think is pretty damning: Rennie Curran chalks it up to a need to play better "assignment football." Isn't this all that we talked about for the final six weeks of last season? We need to start some sort of "assignment football" drinking game, where every time it appears in a player quote, we all have to do a shot.

-- If this doesn't embarrass you about what happened following the South Carolina game, I don't know what will.

-- While I got some insight on ASU from beat writer Jeff Metcalfe, Catfish & Cornbread share some thoughts on Georgia with Pitchfork Nation.

-- If trends continue, this should be an easy one for the Bulldogs.

-- Paul Westerdawg chimes in with his two cents on the Georgia-Florida game staying in Jacksonville, and I'm pretty much in agreement with everything he says.

-- Bleacher Report gives props to Orson Charles, who is becoming a force on Georgia's offense.

-- I think I'm going to like this new feature at Dawg Sports, and Macon Dawg can now officially add "excellent ability to multitask" to his resume.

-- Chris Low thinks the Dawgs win pretty easily against Arizona State this weekend.

-- SI.com wonders if the NCAA gives harsher penalties to the smaller schools for violations. (h/t Jim)

-- Auburn's Trooper Taylor is in some trouble after allegedly dropping the N-bomb during on the sideline during last week's game.

-- Todd McShay says Tennessee added further evidence that Tim Tebow is not going to make it as an NFL quarterback.

-- Ladies and gentlemen, Milton Bradley -- the Mitch Mustain of Major League Baseball.

-- Just when you think Sean Salisbury is out of your life forever...

-- According to Screech, there's little chance Zack Morris will be voted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame now.

-- I'm looking forward to tonight's episode of "The Office," and I'm heartened that the cast doesn't see this season shaping up as a year about Jim & Pam's baby.

-- And finally, this should be a fine end to your day: A photo gallery of the winners of the World Beard and Mustache Championships.