My 2 Cents

For What It's Worth.......

I don't want to repeat too much of what's been flying around the blogroll, so I'll keep my observations to a minimum.



1.

I don't agree with the combo that produced the fumble in the first quarter. If you're going to put Cox in the game, make it after Matt has finished his day. The kid was in a rythym and getting cute and switching QB's served no purpose at the time. Of course I was prone to bitchin' about the Greene / Shockley rotation for the same reason. The point is, when your 3rd year starting QB is having a good day, leave him in until the game's in hand, then let him bask in the afterglow for the rest of the day.



2.

Contrary to the opinions that I've been reading, Georgia Southern didn't put up their points on our "3rd String D". Throughout the 2nd half, we kept enough veterans in the game on defense to keep the young guys in check. So, while the points weren't scored on our "1st Team", they weren't put up against a bunch of walk-on's. It is to be noted that if we keep our 1st team offense on the field during this time, Ga Southern never gets the reps to put up the points........if that makes you feel better.



3.

The offense looks good. I'd like to see AJ and MoMass get at least 4 balls a game to keep them involved. AJ's TD catch wasn't your "run-of-the-mill-variety" and he seems to be the real deal. The running backs did a very good job overall. Matt had the overthrow with 2 wide open in the endzone and followed that with 2 underthrows. If he gets his timing with AJ, the future is bright.



4.

Injuries suck. Marcus Washington, Trinton Sturdivant, and now, Jeff Owens.....gone for the season. Quentin Banks, Brannen Southerland....out until the UT game. After a relatively quiet 2007 on the injury front, we seem to be making up for it now. Each was a starter, and the effect is not minimal. Needless to say, we can't afford many more of these and expect to contend in the conference.



5.

Welcome to Athens, Mr. Blair Walsh.



6.

@ 7:50 remaining in the game, Ga Southern punted out of bounds. Did anyone other than me notice who our return man was? ........Logan Gray.





Overall, I didn't see much that would alarm me, or much that would afford high praise. The team looked solid and we got some reps for our young players. This week's game should resemble the Troy game from last year, a mid-major who actually believes that they can come to our house and pull an upset. The results should be similar too.



This has been quite a hectic summer. 60+ hour workweeks don't allow much time for the blog, but now that we've kicked off, maybe I'll be able to squeeze in a few posts each week.



'Till then....

Bein' 34th ain't all bad

The NCAA released the Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores for football programs covering the prior 4 year period and UGA ranks 8th among BCS schools. Not too shabby.

If a program's APR score is under 925 can lead to scholarship reductions. UGA checks in at 965.

Here are how some notables finished overall

1. PENN 993
5. STANFORD 986
18. DUKE 977
29. MIAMI 969
29. NOTRE DAME 969
34. UGA 965
41. FLORIDA 962
47. VANDY 959
50. SOUTHERN MISS 958
54. FSU 954
60. AUBURN 953
64. GA TECH 951
64. MICHIGAN 951
74. USC 948
80. LSU 946
89. ALABAMA 944
98. OKLAHOMA 942
98. TEXAS 942
98. OHIO ST 942
139. VIRGINIA TECH 929
163. OREGON 921

You can get the full list here. (h/t to EDSBS)

Dawg Day Afternoon

Congrats to the Dawgs that were picked in the NFL Draft yesterday. There weren’t any real shockers in relation to what round any of them went in. It was a surprise that Chester Adams was picked and Fernando Velasco wasn’t. I had that figured as happening the other way around. I do think that Velasco will get a look, and may land a spot on the roster if he ends up with the right team. Kregg Lumkin might find a spot somewhere also.

And now for my less than expert analysis of the Falcons Draft.

WHAT IN THE BLOODY BLUE HELL WERE THEY THINKIN’?

1st Round, 3rd overall pick (the equivalent of an NBA lottery pick)……. Here’s where you can get a player with the “wow factor”, and the Birds pick Matt Ryan. Do the Falcons have a need at QB? Yes. Is Matt Ryan the best QB in this year’s draft? Maybe. Has Matt Ryan ever made anyone say “WOW”? I don’t think so. The Falcons could’ve picked up Flacco or Henne much later. Please prove me wrong Matty, but I think this was a major waste of a very high pick. You’ve gotta stink it up real bad to earn that 3rd pick and to spend it on Matt Ryan here doesn’t give me the feeling that they’re moving in the right direction. McFadden, Dorsey, Ellis, or Gholston would’ve made more sense here to me. Grade C-

1st Round, 21st overall pick…..We trade to get back into the first round and pick up OT Sam Baker from USC. I think the Falcon’s brass has all of the pre-season cfb rags laying around and that’s where they get their info. Sam Baker was a pre-season All-American, but got hurt and didn’t have a monster year. Still, there was a need at tackle, and he was probably the best available at the time. Grade B-

2nd Round, 37th overall pick……MLB Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma. Another wasted pick. This was a very weak year for MLB’s and the Falcons took the 1st one off the board at this spot. OU’s defense didn’t impress me one bit this year and this was their field general. But, his scouting report says he’s “football smart”. Grade D

3rd Round, 68th overall pick…….Chevis Jackson, CB, LSU. Played in a tough league, plays the run well, doesn’t have great speed, and doesn’t thrill me at all. Grade C

3rd Round, 84th overall pick……Harry Douglas, WR, Louisville. Skinny WR with decent skills. Decent pick. Grade B

3rd Round, 98th overall pick…..Thomas DeCoud, S, Cal. Who?? Grade D

5th Round, 138th overall pick….Robert James, OLB, Arizona State. Who? Grade D

5th Round, 154th overall pick….Kroy Biermann, OLB, Montana. Who? Where? Grade D

6th Round, 172nd overall pick….Thomas Brown, RB, UGA. Ahhhhhh. That’s a relief. Good value pick here. If TB can stay healthy, he should have a nice career. Grade B

7th Round, 212th overall pick….Wilrey Fontenot, CB, Arizona. Decent scouting report for a corner this far down in the draft. Grade B

7th Round, 232nd overall pick…..Keith Zinger, TE, LSU. Just shoot me now. Grade F

I’m reading the scouting reports of these players as they’re picked and for the life of me, I can’t figure it out. Not one of these players stands out as a future superstar. Every stinkin’ scouting report was the same. Undersized, not fast, can’t stop the run, played DE in college but will move to OLB at the next level……I forgot how many times I puked.

The Falcons had a chance for a great draft. 11 picks in 7 rounds with 2 first rounders. There were some pretty good names still on the board when we picked up the no-names in the middle rounds. The two undersized DE / OLB’s really sealed the deal. A chance to pick 20% of your entire team in one draft, and I don’t see one spot that they really nailed. Overall grade D, and that may be generous.

A work in progress

This post is a follow-up to yesterdays' regarding current Dawgs' chances of making the NFL. The 9 players listed in that post are, barring injury, locks to be playing on Sundays. Additionally, each of those players should be drafted by at least the 3rd round. But the actual number of current Dawgs that will go to the next level should be closer to 20, so I'm going to go through the contenders.


Senior possibles.

In this group, 3 would be great number, but more than likely only 2 will move on. Which 2?....I dunno. Each one of them does have this last chance to put up numbers. Seniors not on this list.......need to impregnate a NFL general manager's daughter to get a shot.

• Mohamed Massaquoi - Talent alone won't get you there. A few more nationally televised highlight catches just might. Needs a big year.
• Tripp Chandler - If the dropsies are truly gone, the numbers will be there.
• Brannen Southerland - Helluva football player. He's a longshot due to the diminishing roles of fullbacks in the NFL.
• Jarius Wynn - Big enough, strong enough, quick enough......must play enough. If he gets enough snaps, I think he'll make an impression.
• Corvey Irvin - Playing behind Owens and Atkins means that you're in a big shadow. Longshot at best.
• Jeremy Lomax - A bit undersized ala Marcus Howard.....will he have the same kind of year?......stay tuned
• CJ Byrd - Solid, solid, solid safety. NFL caliber? It will take a huge year.
• Brian Mimbs - probably won't be drafted but should definitely be invited to camp.

The next group has a very good chance to make it. They have the talent and opporturniy. They are underclassmen which means they're young and getting better. I look for at least 6 of these guys to make it.

• Roderick Battle - Has shown flashes and should have a great year. (note....ran into Roderick after the Auburn game.......damn he's big)
• Chris Davis - Starting on the OL as a Freshman.....the kid's good
• Clint Boling - Ditto
• Demarcus Dobbs - High motor + talent usually = good results.
• Akeem Dent - If you start at LB for UGA, you're NFL caliber......period
• Daryl Gamble - Makes plays.....enuf said
• Akeem Hebron - Monster talent
• Prince Miller - Starter at CB as a true freshman and has improved.

Ok, what about the guys that have the talent, but haven't played enough to get a good picture of their abilities. Realistically, 4 out of this group should make it.

• Walter Hill - Coaches love him
• Israel Troupe - This dude's got skillz
• Justin Anderson - an All-American waiting to happen
• Kiante Tripp - Back & forth from OL to DL to OL.....has found a home at OT.
• Caleb King - Hey, don't shoot the messenger......he still hasn't played a down.
• John Knox - Big hitter, displayed pretty good ball skills in the spring.
• Aron White - Hybrid TE / WR....good speed, needs to bulk up

There's a handfull of other players that will get playing time this year and can make an impression. There's also some very good true freshmen talent hitting Athens this fall.

Ok, I'm gonna do my calcumilationz now. Realistically, 20 players or so on this years team should see the field on Sundays. Optimistically, the number could exceed 30. The talent's certainly there, but with the number of players getting playing time, it's not so easy to stand out in the crowd.

Recap

Next year's draft class looks about as thin as this year's (barring some underclassmen deciding to go pro). The 2010, 2011, and 2012 drafts should feature 7-10 guys each year based on what we have now. I know that we're a good team, but this just shows that we're still a very young team.

Superstars wanted

Josh Kendall confirmed what much of the Dawgnation suspected. This will be a weak year for Dawgs in the NFL Draft.

"For a team to be as developed as Georgia is at its high level of competition and have such a small and marginal draft class is very unusual," said Frank Coyle, publisher of Draft Insiders' Digest and www.draftinsiders.com.

It's actually been a few years since we've had a great draft day.Things are looking up in that respect, if not in next years draft, then certainly in 2010. Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens have made the Outland Trophy watch list and Knowshon has made the Heisman watch list.

But more than that, after reading through several of the pre-season football mags, websites, and a few television reports, several Dawgs are on All-American or All-SEC teams. The following Dawgs made these teams from at least one of the sources.

All-American
Knowshon Moreno
Jeff Owens
Asher Allen

All-SEC
Matt Stafford
Knowshon Moreno
Trinton Sturdivant
Jeff Owens
Geno Atkins
Asher Allen
Dannell Ellerbie
Rennie Curran
Reshad Jones

Each of those guys should be 1st day if not 1st round of their draft classes.

Tomorrow, I'll give my personal opinion of which current Dawgs not on this list have a shot at playing at the next level.

Half-way Home

From everything I've read, UGA expects to sign 17 or 18 players for it's 2009 recruiting class.

If Aaron Murray announces Thursday, as expected, that puts us at the halfway point......for a class that won't see the field for 16 months. 16 MONTHS.....Why do we even care about 2009's team, when 2008 hasn't even started? The answer is simple........we're a sick bunch. In my case, it's probably a terminal illness.

A few quick notes.

Chase Daniel and Todd Reesing are doing everything in their power to dispel the notion that a QB must be 6'5" tall to be successful. At 6'1", Aaron Murray, while not the typical CMR target height, will be a welcome addition if he decides to commit. He seems to have all of the tools to be successful.

I watched Washaun Ealey play 3 times last year, including the 250 yds he put on my high school in the state championship game. He's definitely the real deal. I think he had 43 carries in that game and never looked tired. He strikes me as more of a straight ahead runner and absolutely attacks the line of scrimmage. But.............he turns 20 this summer while heading into his senior season. Richard Samuel turned 17, sitting in a UGA dormitory in February. Hmmmm.....maybe this means nothing, but I'm putting a red flag by Mr. Ealey's name. Ealey just announced that he will take official visits to other schools, which gives opposing coaches (did somebody say Urban?) 10 months to convince him that being a 21 yr old true freshman 5th string RB might not be his best move. Who knows?

I know that were still going after Jarvis Jones, even though we've already picked up 2 LB's for this class. Here in Columbus, he's already reached "legend status". I know that we're not hurting in the LB department, but he's one of those kids that you'd definitely rather have on you're side, than the alternative.

Now for a question. Where does Donovan Tate fit in this class. He's a super athlete. His dad is Lars Tate. He's a lock, right?........not necessarily. He's a good QB and safety prospect, but prefers QB. UGA prefers that he play safety.

Poll results

About 2 weeks ago, I started a poll to see which OOC team(s) the dawgnation would like to see a home & home with. My personal preferences in order were:

1. OKLAHOMA
2. USC
3. MICHIGAN
4. NOTRE DAME
5. TEXAS
6. OHIO STATE
7. PENN STATE
8. NEBRASKA
9. MIAMI
10. FSU

Dawg fans don’t necessarily agree with me, dropping the Sooners down to #6 on the wish list. Thanks for voting. Here are the results and the number of votes.

1. USC (94)
2. NOTRE DAME (64)
3. MICHIGAN (58)
4. TEXAS (50)
5. OHIO STATE (49)
6. OKLAHOMA (31)
7. PENN STATE (16)
8. FLORIDA STATE (15)
9. MIAMI (13)
10. NEBRASKA (10)
11. OTHER (8)

A Little UGA History

A couple of days ago, in response to reading just a few too many quotes from the South Carolina fanbase, I posted these wonderful tidbits regarding USC's storied football history (or lack thereof).

But in the interest of fairness, here's a list of some of the historical UGA highlights and lowlights.

ALL TIME RECORDS VS SEC OPPONENTS

• ALABAMA 25-35-4
• ARKANSAS 8-3
• AUBURN 50-53-8
• FLORIDA 46-37-2
• KENTUCKY 48-11-2
• LSU 11-14-1
• OLE MISS 30-12-1
• MISS ST. 16-5
• SOUTH CAROLINA 44-14-2
• TENNESSEE 15-20-2
• VANDY 49-18-2

OTHER RIVALS OF NOTE (MORE THAN 25 GAMES)

• CLEMSON 41-17-4
• GEORGIA TECH 59-38-5
• NORTH CAROLINA 16-12-2

MORE STUFF

• 43 BOWL APPEARANCES (6th most)
• 24-16-3 overall bowl record (5th most wins)
• 9 Sugar, 3 Cotton, 3 Orange, 1 Rose Bowl appearances
• 2 National Championships (1942, 1980)
• 12 SEC Championships (3rd)

10+ WIN SEASONS

• 1942
• 1946 (11-0-0 & not recognized as NC???)
• 1959
• 1966 Vince Dooley
• 1971
• 1976
• 1978
• 1980
• 1981
• 1982
• 1983
• 1992
• 1997
• 2002 Mark Richt
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2007

SEASONS WITH ONLY ONE LOSS OR TIE (CULPRIT)

• 1920 8-0-1 (VIRGINIA)
• 1927 9-1-0 (GA TECH)
• 1942 11-1-0 (AUBURN)
• 1959 10-1-0 (SOUTH CAROLINA)
• 1966 10-1-0 (MIAMI)
• 1971 11-1-0 (AUBURN)
• 1982 11-1-0 (PENN ST)
• 2002 13-1 (FLORIDA)

Auburn with 2 entries makes them #1 on my sh!t list.

SEASONS THAT WE'VE BEEN THE LONE BLEMISH TO RUIN A SEASON

• 1914 AUBURN 8-0-1
• 1915 GA TECH 7-0-1
• 1920 ALABAMA 10-1
• 1921 VANDY 7-0-1
• 1927 YALE 7-1 (back in the day when Yale was a powerhouse)
• 1929 NORTH CAROLINA 9-1
• 1978 CLEMSON 11-1
• 1983 TEXAS 11-1
• 2007 HAWAII 12-1

Opinions Wanted

Things have been a wee bit hectic the last several days, so I've gotta do the "short & sweet" post.

Last week I went through my list of the OOC teams that I'd most like to schedule a home & home with. I picked out some traditional powerhouses that we rarely play, or in one instance, have never played.

Check out my picks here, then check out the poll over there somewhere>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pick a couple of your faves and maybe we'll get an idea of where the dawgnation stands on this issue.

As always, comments are welcome.

Attention to Detail

It's the little things that make a difference between average, good, and excellent.

I heard something during yesterday's radio broadcast that may have not mean alot to some, but it caught my attention.

Loren Smith mentioned a tour of the locker room with some of the members of the 1958 SEC champ Bulldog squad. He happened to be near Tommy Paris, #22 on that team when he walked up to Richard Samuel's locker.

I don't know when CMR did this, or where he got the idea, but Loren credits Richt for putting every UGA letterman's name on the locker of his respective number. So when Mr. Paris, who has to be in his 70's now, looked at Samuel's locker, he had an emotional moment when he saw "Tommy Paris #22".

That might not seem like much to some, but it obviously means alot to everyone who's put on the Red & Black. It gives today's players a link to the past and certainly links the past players to the present.

Just one of the many reasons that make me realize the program is in good hands.

Got change for a $20?

The curtain goes up, the show gets pretty good........and you run out of quarters, dammit. Curtain down.

That sums up yesterday's G-Day game. The first half, while short, was pretty entertaining. The 2nd half didn't offer too much information due to all of the non-scholarship players on the field. Those guys don't get a chance to play in the fall, and it's great that their hard work is rewarded with some snaps in the spring game. It's just a shame that with the 8 minute quarters, we didn't get to see a few more series with the #1's & #2's.

The results weren't shocking at all. I was concerned with the number of playmakers on the black's offense, but a little pregame switcheration putting Caleb King and Walter Hill over there evened that out a little. The biggest problem, as I mentioned yesterday morning, was the black's O-line. 14 total games played between the 5, going against a front 7 that had 53 games was a bit of a mismatch, and it showed early and often.

The Good

Red Team
-Stafford's first drive was excellent. But, for all the talk about taking what the D gives him, he still didn't hesitate to try to thread a needle.
-Knowshon didn't look rusty at all. A couple of good runs and the cut on the screen play were all the coaches needed to see.
- The re-tooled O-line had a decent game. I did focus on Justin Anderson for a couple of plays and dayum, he moved both DT's by his lonesome.
-Logan Gray looked pretty dawg-gone good. He showed the speed and the arm. That TD pass was a laser. Did he grab the #2 qb spot? I dunno, but it's a matter of time.
-Richard Samuel did a pretty good job, although he had a chance at a TD with just Asher Allen to beat...advantage Allen.
-The defense spent more time in the backfield than Joe Cox.
-Vance Cuff made the shoestring tackle on CK that kept the UGA faithful from goin' absolutely nuts.
-Greg Blue.....oh...i meant John Knox absolutely crushed Kalvin Daniels on a dump over the middle. Knox also had a pick & a nice return for 20 yards.
-Walk-on Brian Behr boomed a 52 yd field goal at the end of the first half.
-The game ball goes to Michael Moore. Nothing like 2 TD receptions to make up for an entire spring of being left out of the headlines.

Black Team
-Caleb King's coming out party was greatly hampered by his inexperienced O-line. Overall, he had a decent day. A couple of tough runs up the middle and the "Oh what might have been" screen pass was the appetizer....dinner time is August 30th.
-I was glad to see Israel Troupe have a good day, since I've been pumping him up since he committed.
-Aron White made a nice grab between the safeties.
-Joe Cox (or any QB for the Black) had absolutely no time to throw the ball, but got some decent results.
-Kalvin Daniels, he of no scholly, no hype, & no 4 star rating had a very good G-Day. With his experience, he has to be the #3 tailback coming out of spring.
-Chad Gloer, I direct your attention to #6 on the black team roster. The kid made a couple of very good plays and deserves a mention.

The Bad

-I wasn't overly impressed with the 1st team D. In what amounts to 1 qtr of game time they gave up 17 points. The safety play (of which I have noted as a strength) must improve and is directly responsible for the 2 TD's. C'mon boys, don't make me eat crow. CMR has harped on consistency this spring. 4 great plays, then 1 bad one is enough to add up to 1 loss.
-Inexperienced depth on the O-line. I think the talent is there, but the #2's didn't mesh too well.
-The injury to Vince Vance. Reports are it's just a sprain, which is good news.......320 pounds on the sprain makes it a little worse.

The Ugly

-The Weather. Although, it could have been much worse.
-The clock. I understand the reasoning, the injuries and the anticipated weather, but we football junkies needed a little more of a fix to get us through the next 5 months.

Pre Spring Fling

Whether it's a flu bug or just a virus that's sweeping my household, I'm relegated to watching today's game on the tube. I got the tickets online, 16 whole dollars, and I'm glad it's going to charity.

The G-Day roster is out, and from the looks of it, the Red Team looks to have a distinct advantage. The Black's offensive threats are Joe Cox, Dontavious Jackson, Bruce Figgins, Israel Troupe, and Demiko Goodman. They'll be facing a pretty good #2 defense with the only weak link over at one corner position. The O line has 2 guys that have actually taken a snap.THROW IT UP JOE......if you have the time.

The field is going to be sloppy, no question. As of right now (11:45 a.m.) it looks like there's a chance the rain might stop by gametime.....with a little luck. The game has been shortened to 8 minute quarters due to the number of injured players.

Stafford's coming out early, so I'm a little anxious to see how Logan Gray does running the 1st team offense.

I just hope it's not a total slogfest.

Better Late than Never

When it hurts to read, you know it's gotta be the flu. But, after 48 hours of pure misery, I'm back among the living, if barely. Before I went into a delusional state, I was trying to point out the number of players that UGA will rotate into the game on a regular basis, regardless of the situation or opponent. I wanted to see how we stacked up talent-wise to some of the other big programs.

Here's a summary:

To get a handle on that question, let's look at the number of players that actually see the field in an important, hard-fought game....no blowouts......special teams don't count.....just offense and defense.....and make it a conference game, just to make sure that no holds are barred.My three models from 2007 are UGA vs Florida, USC vs Oregon, and LSU vs Auburn.

UGA used 52 players
Florida 51
USC 53
Oregon 47
Auburn 49
LSU 48

45 looks like a good solid number to slug it out with the big boys. These don't have to be 4 or 5 star players (although that doesn't hurt), just solid D-1A players. Having more than that doesn't seem to matter, since only 50 or so are going to play. Having less.....you may be in trouble.

I'm reasonably certain that the majority of the Dawgnation is aware of how our coaching staff likes to get alot of players into a game. But for the few who may not be aware, I'm going to list the players that, barring injury, will play in every game in 2008.

I'd like to point out that the majority of these guys will get plenty of snaps. Last year, Jeremy Lomax averaged 23 snaps per game as a backup DE. Reshad Jones finished 3rd on the team in tackles as a backup. Knowshon came off the bench for half the season. Geno Atkins did the same.
The point is that these guys don't come off the bench to give the starters an occasional breather. They are part of a rotation, and given their talent level, the Dawgs don't lose much in the way of performance.

Yes, there is a reason that we have a depth chart. The starters earned their positions. But the guys that come off the bench on Saturdays are pushing those starters everyday in practice.

Ok, before I slip back into my flu-like delusions, here's the list.......
Safety (3) - Reshad Jones, CJ Byrd, Quentin Banks
Corner (5) - Asher Allen, Prince Miller, Bryan Evans, Remarcus Brown, Vance Cuff
Linebacker(6) - Dannell Ellerbe, Akeem Dent, Rennie Curran, Darius Dewberry, Daryl Gamble, Akeem Hebron
D-Tackle (4) - Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins, Kade Weston, Corey Irvin
D -End (4) - Roderick Battle, Jarius Wynn, Jeremy Lomax, Demarcus Dobbs

O-line (8) - Vince Vance, Josh Davis, Chris Davis, Kiante Tripp, Trinton Sturdivant, Clint Boling, Justin Anderson, Chris Little.
Tight End (3) - Tripp Chandler, Bruce Figgins, Aaron White
Wide Receiver (7) - Mohamed Massaquoi, Kris Durham, Kenneth Harris, Demiko Goodman, Tony Wilson, Michael Moore, Walter Hill.
Fullback (2) - Brannan Southerland, Shaun Chapas
Tailback (2) - Knowshon Moreno, Caleb King
Quarterback (1) - Matt Stafford

Thats a total of 45 players that look to share the bulk of the snaps in a close game this season. By the time opening day rolls around, I look for 8-10 more players to add their name to the list, especially on defense.

If I've missed someone who obviously should be on the list, leave a note in the comments section.

Rising to the Top - Part II

Yesterday I posted the top 20 schools as they rated in signing 4 & 5 star recruits since 2003, which would have made them 5th year seniors in 2007. Now I've thrown away the 2003 class and counted 2008 and the numbers look like this.
(1) USC 79
(2) FLORIDA 77
(3) FSU 75
(4) LSU 71
(5) OKLAHOMA 66
(6) GEORGIA 63
(7) TEXAS 62
(7) MIAMI 62
(9) MICHIGAN 59
(10) OHIO ST. 54
(10) ALABAMA 54
(12) TENNESSEE 52
(13) NOTRE DAME 49
(14) AUBURN 46
(15) CLEMSON 37
(16) S. CAROLINA 36
(17) PENN ST. 35
(17) CALIFORNIA 35
(19) NEBRASKA 34
(20) TEXAS A&M 33

As a point of reference, I'll include these teams that finished in the top 10 on the field; Missouri 14, WVA 7, Kansas 5.

I'll say it again, these are not the numbers on the actual rosters. Some have graduated, jumped to the NFL, and some never made it to school. UGA for example has 51 of the 63 players on it's 2008 roster. 11 of the missing players have used their eligibility and 1 never made it to campus. Maybe I'll track down the actual players on each team's roster in the future, cuz it's gonna be a boring summer.

There's several ways of breaking down the information on this list. Do you need a ton of highly rated recruits to compete? What does it mean when the super talented teams under perform? Why don't the top 10 on the list equal the top 10 in the rankings? I'm just going to look at one for right now - How many good players does a team need to compete at the highest level?

To get a handle on that question, let's look at the number of players that actually see the field in an important, hard-fought game....no blowouts......special teams don't count.....just offense and defense.....and make it a conference game, just to make sure that no holds are barred.

My three models from 2007 are UGA vs Florida, USC vs Oregon, and LSU vs Auburn.
UGA used 52 players
Florida 51
USC 53
Oregon 47
Auburn 49
LSU 48

45 looks like a good solid number to slug it out with the big boys. These don't have to be 4 or 5 star players (although that doesn't hurt), just solid D-1A players. Having more than that doesn't seem to matter, since only 50 or so are going to play. Having less.....you may be in trouble.

Tomorrow, I'll try to put out the list of UGA players that will likely have legitimate playing time in the close ones.

Does the Cream Rise to the Top?

A couple of weeks ago, SMQ posted this article showing that percentage wise, recruiting services have a pretty good eye for talent. It also shows that they can't pick out every diamond in the rough, but when they label a kid as a 5 star or 4 star recruit, that player will definitely have the measurables that would allow them to succeed on the collegiate level.

Early in the 2007 season, several message boards were started regarding talent levels at different schools. Out of curiosity, I went on rivals and started counting 4 and 5 star commits to most of the D-1A programs since 2003, which would have made them 5th year seniors. I didn't count the players that weren't on the 2007 roster, that's not really necessary for this comparison. It simply shows which schools are gathering the most talent. Anybody want to guess in the blind what the list looks like?.....

Here ya go, 5 & 4 star commits to these universities since 2003

1. LSU 76
1. USC 76
3, Florida 75
4. Florida St. 69
5. Oklahoma 67
6. Texas 62
7. Georgia 58
7. Miami 58
9. Tennessee 56
10. Michigan 55
11. Ohio St. 48
12. Auburn 47
13. Notre Dame 38
14. Alabama 36
15. Nebraska 35
15. Penn St. 35
15. South Carolina 35
18. California 34
19. Texas A&M 32
20. Oregon 29

And for quick reference, the final Coaches Poll top 10 with the number of 5 & 4 star commits:

1. LSU 76
2. USC 76
3. GEORGIA 58
4. OHIO ST 48
5. MISSOURI 15
6. WEST VIRGINIA 7
7. KANSAS 5
8. OKLAHOMA 67
9. VA TECH 23
10. TEXAS 62

Looks to me like Kansas, WVU, Missouri, and to some extent Va Tech are being "coached-up" pretty well. On the flip side, Miami and FSU are.....uhhhhh.....mmmm.......sucking? I'll have the numbers for the 2008 5th year senior class sorted out in the next couple of days.

Recruiting Tightrope

UGA's latest commitment and the suspected small overall recruiting class are noted in this article by AJC's Carter Strickland.


Coach Garner seems a little worried about the number of scholly's that will be available and how many offers that we can make.

Uncle Urban wants YOU.....and YOU......and YOU.....oh, and YOU too

Never fear. The simple solution regarding the number of offers is provided by Urban Meyer. Likewise, Nick Saban is the resident expert on the actual number of players that can sign LOI's.

You guys look smart.......academic schollys are in your future

After all, it's simple math.

tOOC

I was recently having a debate with a very good friend, who happens to be a tOSU grad, on the relatively weak OOC games on each team's schedule in previous years. The final conclusion, after 4 hours and more than 4 beers, was that money would always be the driving force when the schedules are set. Let's face it, giving up a home game with 100,000 paying customers is not something that an AD can overlook.

But if we could overlook the financial windfall, and schedule anyone in the 3 open slots on our yearly schedule, what match-ups would have the most interest for UGA fans. Personally, I'd like to see us play all of the traditional powers, especially ones that we rarely play or have never played.

Here's my list.....feel free to add yours in the comments section

All time record vs UGA......zero wins, zero losses, zero ties

1. Oklahoma: Never played 'em. We need to. 'Nuff said.


2. USC: 0-3 all time with last meeting in 1960.


3. Nebraska: 1 meeting, a loss in 1969


4. Michigan: Last meeting 1965. 1-1 record


5. Notre Dame: One meeting, one win, one MNC, 1980


6. Penn St: One meeting, one loss, one missed MNC, 1982


7. Texas: 1-3 all time record. Last meeting 1984 cotton bowl


8. tOSU: 1993 Citrus Bowl is the only meeting.....add one in the W column


9. Miami: Last meeting 1966. 7-4-1 all time


10. FSU: Last meeting 2003 Sugar Bowl. 6-4-1 all time

It'd also be great if we could renew the yearly game with Clemson. That game was the casualty of the SEC expansion and I always enjoyed the extra chance to wear the "I HATE ORANGE" t-shirt. The 47-17-4 all time record doesn't hurt either.

A look ahead at noteable OOC games tentatively scheduled for the next few years....

• 2008 Arizona State


• 2009 Arizona State, Oklahoma State


• 2010 Colorado


• 2011 Louisville


• 2012 Louisville


• 2013 Clemson


• 2014 Clemson


• 2015 Oregon


• 2016 Oregon

Of course we always have Georgia Tech, and it's not realistic to see any other big schools being added through 2016. If we can, I hope they're on my list.

Give and Take

Just a few impressions on the reports from Friday night's scrimmage.

Offense
Out of the approximately 100 plays, 49 were passes. The QB's had a very good night going 26 for 37, for 400+ yards, 5 td, 1 int.........and 12 sacks. Richt hinted that the starting O-line played pretty well but the 2nd unit struggled. 12 sacks. I know that the QB's are wearing the green jersey and just maybe some of the "sacks" were borderline, but 12 freakin sacks. There's only 2 good explanations for that.....(1) The O-line looks like swiss cheese or (2) Willie Martinez was the only person on the field allowed to blow the whistle.

The O-line was called out again for poor blocking in the run game. Dontavius Jackson popped a 40 yard run, ".......made a safety miss out in space and took it to the house....." . Richard Samuel had a 40 yd touchdown catch and "...made some nice runs out of nothing...". Knowshon Moreno is still being limited in his reps in order to keep him healthy but did turn a screen pass into a 70 yd td.

Mohamed Massaquoi and Kenneth Harris, the two current starters at WR were held out with minor injuries. Michael Moore, 3 catches - 77 yds - td; Walter Hill, 4 catches-74 yds- td; and Israel Troupe, 4 catches - 48 yds took up the slack. Tavarres King also hauled in a 42 yard td.

Defense
12 sacks......and by my count, allowed at least 4 plays of over 40 yards. A major case of "feast or famine".

Justin Houston (RFresh) was credited for 3 sacks.
Daryl Gamble, 7.5 tackles
Reshad Jones, 1 int

Ramarcus Brown is reported to be pushing Prince Miller for a starting spot at CB.

Both Richt and Martinez pointed out that this was the worst perfomance by the defense so far this spring.

Special Teams
2 blocked punts

GATA punt block team
Get your sh*t together punt team

Are we placing enough emphasis on special teams? More thoughts on that here.


Overall
Regardless of 2nd or 3rd string players getting tons of reps at these scrimmages, the O-line is beginning to look "suspect" at best. Coach Searels worked wonders last season and I've gotta believe that this unit will vastly improve by opening day.

On a positive note.......
The qb's completion percentage up (70% overall, Stafford 67%).
The offense making big plays.
The D picking up 12 sacks.

Bad news
The secondary allowing too many completions.
The D giving up too many big plays
The O-line giving up 12 sacks.

Strange how that works when you're playing yourself.

Men of Troy

USC rules the college football world. At least that's the general consensus by 99% of the national media and coaches. Pete Carroll took over the reins of a program that didn't have a top 10 finish in over a decade and has turned them into a powerhouse.

Carroll has basically locked down the borders when recruiting in the talent rich state of California. He also has done quite well recruiting on a national level, picking up selected 5 & 4 star recruits at will. All-Americans and NFL 1st rounders are flying out of there by the dozens. Pre-season #1 rankings are a given. USC has it all. 6 straight national championships.........wait a second, according to this, they have ONE? How could that happen. They certainly have more talent than anyone on their schedule. The coaching staff is solid. The schedule itself isn't brutal.

Of course if you ask any USC fan, they'll tell you that they have 2 MNC's in that span. I've done the research.....USC is a member of the BCS. The BCS members have agreed to recognize the winner of the BCS Championship game as the MNC. USC has 1. I'm certainly not going to belittle the significance of winning one, just pointing out that the facts often are overshadowed by the general impression presented by the media.

The moral of the story.

UGA may enter the 2008 season as #1. They certainly have as much or more talent than anyone. The coaching staff is solid. The schedule IS brutal. Along with the usual SEC suspects, we pick up a pretty good ASU team at their house. I see comments all too often stating "UGA always seems to lose a game that they shouldn't". Fact is, you could insert any elite team into that statement. I like our chances this season, but finishing #1 is much more difficult than starting there. Just ask the Men of Troy.

The Coaching Committee

I guess that I haven't given it much thought, but UGA doesn't have a coach whose sole responsibility is special teams. Instead, various members of the coaching staff are assigned a different unit, i.e. kickoff return, punt return, punt, field goal, etc.

Jon Fabris, Tony Ball, and John Lilly are involved and probably more. Maybe someone in the Dawgnation can help me out on this one. I'm also not certain if any one coach would be classified as the "head of the committee".

The special teams have been pretty solid in the CMR era. A few hiccups every now and then, but that can be expected anywhere. I'm guilty of taking the special teams for granted.

I was just thinking about the Joe T vs UF game and the Sugar Bowl vs WVU and those damned fake punts keep sticking in my mind. Both times we gained momentum and got the stop with a little over 2 minutes left. Both times I was screaming that they couldn't afford to give us the ball back. Had to be a fake........and it was......both times. Successful......both times. They proceeded to run out the clock.......both times. There's no doubt that the WVU fake was a direct result of the first one.

I don't know if one coach whose sole focus was on special teams would've handled the situation any differently. It's just a thought.

Somewhere over there>>>>>>>>>>>>>
is a poll for you to give your opinion, or as always, feel free to leave a comment.