Sports

As many of you know, one of the best days to be a dawg finally arrives tomorrow. I am speaking, of course, of National Signing Day, and this year, UGA will be treated to one of its most exciting in a long time. No doubt rests in my mind that it will be a great day to don the red and black. There is a lengthly line of talented recruits deciding tomorrow, so make sure to find a comfy spot to zone in on the action– and get there early! I hear several choice restaurants fill up fast.

Here is a schedule and breakdown of recruits announcing tomorrow to be aware of:

DL Dalvin Tomlinson (McDonough, Ga./Henry Co.) 8:45 a.m.
Accolades: 4 star recruit, AJC Super 11 selection
Deciding between: Alabama, Georgia Tech, UGA
Prediction: Dalvin has never shown the dawgs a whole lot of love, but UGA remains a finalist. For a long time, I have predicted he would end up a yellow jacket. He certainly has the academic record. However, Alabama’s staff has recently told him that they have room for him, despite what they had said previously. How this is possible, after having to defer Atlanta RB Justin Taylor to their 2013 class, is beyond me. Nonetheless, as soon as Bama said they had room, Dalvin promptly cancelled his UGA visit. He’s going to the Tide.

WR JaQuay Williams (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) 8:45 a.m.
Accolates: 4 star recruit, Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl selection
Deciding between: Auburn, UGA
Prediction: JaQuay has been long committed to Auburn, but the attrition within the program, headlined by offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s jump to Arkansas State, has led to several of Auburn’s recruits rethinking their decisions. JaQuay is among them. UGA is pushing HARD. The most recent development here is UGA offering fellow Sandy Creek stars Shaquille Wiggins (2013) and Demarre Kitt (2014). It would be inaccurate to say the three of them haven’t discussed the idea of playing at UGA together. It’s a really close fight right now. Probably 50/50. If I HAD to make a pick, I’d say he sticks with Auburn, but the dawgs are definitely under heavy consideration because of the options at quarter back in Aaron Murray, Christian Lemay, and Brice Ramsey (2013 commit).

LB/S Josh Harvey-Clemons (Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes) 9 a.m., Live on ESPNU and ESPN3
Accolades: 5 star recruit, Under Armour All-American, AJC Super 11 selection
Deciding between: Florida, FSU, Miami, UGA
Prediction: Arguably UGA’s most important recruit for National Signing Day– for a while now, JHC has been rumored to be UGA-bound, but FSU is making one giant push that is leaving me in doubt. The issue with FSU is their distance from JHC’s hometown of Valdosta. Tallahassee is only 1.75 hours away from home, while UGA lies over 4 hours north. JHC’s grandfather wants him to stay close, and FSU fits the bill. Florida has been a long time player, but I don’t think they are much of a threat. Miami has tried to cast its name onto the ballot late, and JHC obliged with a visit, but I see Miami as an impossibility due to being much farther than even UGA. In the end, I think JHC winds up in red and black.

OT Brandon Greene (Ellenwood, Ga./Cedar Grove) 9 a.m.
Accolades: 4 star recruit, Under Armour All-American
Deciding between: Alabama, UGA
Prediction: Greene has been committed to Alabama for a good while. UGA’s coaches have been getting after him pretty hard in the past few weeks, but I think he remains solidly committed to Bama. Not too much to talk about here.

DE/LB Kenderius Whitehead (Lithonia, Ga./Martin Luther King) 9 a.m.
Accolades: 4 star recruit, Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl selection
Deciding between: Clemson, NC State, UGA, UNC
Prediction: Currently committed to NC State. UGA has been chasing hard after Whitehead for a very long time, and he was giving lots of positive messages. However, 2 things have always held us back with Whitehead. First, Whitehead wants to play in a 4-3 as a DE, but Coach Todd Grantham wants him as an OLB in our 3-4 scheme. Second, Whitehead does not seem to want to compete with Jordan Jenkins and Josh Harvey-Clemons. Can you blame him? He sticks with NC State.

ATH Will Redmond (Memphis, Tenn./East) 9:30 a.m.
Accolades: 4 star recruit, Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl selection
Deciding between: Mississippi State, UGA
Prediction: Redmond is currently committed to Mississippi State, and they are pitching good playing time to him– that’s something UGA can’t do right now. Even though UGA just flipped his buddy, Sheldon Dawson from Memphis, I’m confident Redmond will roll with the other bulldogs.

DE/LB Josh Dawson (Tucker, Ga./Tucker) 10 a.m.
Accolades: 4 star recruit
Deciding between: UGA, Vanderbilt
Prediction: It’s not often that you see a player like Dawson playing the role of “plan B,” but that’s kind of what he is right now. He has been committed to Vanderbilt, but the ‘dores have seen some flips, and Dawson could very easily be another. I think Dawson will commit to Georgia, especially if Josh Harvey-Clemons decides to take his talent elsewhere.

JUCO WR Cordarrelle Patterson (Hutchinson, Kan./Hutchinson CC) 11:30 a.m., Live on ESPNU
Accolades: 5 star recruit
Deciding between: LSU, Mississippi, Tennessee, UGA
Prediction: Cordarrelle, a JUCO prospect, is the second recruit here that one can make a case for being the most important recruit for UGA on National Signing Day. The reason I say that is because I think he can help UGA win an SEC championship in 2012. Patterson is a one-and-done guy, who will leave for the NFL draft after a season, but that’s all UGA needs to win it all. Patterson has been leaning toward UGA for a good while, although he has flirted with a handful of schools. The two biggest things working in our favor with Patterson are his relationship with Tony Ball and UGA’s close proximity to Patterson’s home state of South Carolina. I feel confident he will land at UGA.

OT Avery Young (Palm Beach Gardnens, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens) 2 p.m., Live on ESPNU and ESPN3
Accolades: 5 star recruit, Under Armour All-American
Deciding between: Auburn, Florida, Miami, UGA
Prediction: Another of UGA’s most valuable pursuits of National Signing Day. After the loss of Chester Brown due to matters beyond his control, it’s critical that Georgia secures one more lineman in this class. Avery has grown up in and has family in the state of Georgia, and UGA has long been considered his leader with Florida also in strong consideration. However, Auburn has come on very strong in recent months. Additionally, seemingly out of nowhere, Miami, too, has stuck a claim for Avery. A claim strong enough that some think he could end up a hurricane. Unlike any other prospect on this board, I think Avery really could end up in one of more than just two places. This is a close one, but I think UGA will prevail, and the dawgs finally get some depth at tackle.

We won’t be in Tampa tomorrow, but there are a few good men that will be.  Be sure to check them out for all of your Outback Bowl news, commentary, and analysis.  And even something funny.

Ryan Black, The Red and Black

Fletcher Page, DawgPost.com

Mike Reiter, SportsWithMike.com

Might be doing some analysis from the Twitter account tomorrow, so follow that if you haven’t already.

Sam Smith of blogs.bulls.com joins Ace McNeil and Mac Little to break down the Chicago Bulls and their Central Eastern division counterparts.  Why has the buzz surrounding the Bulls been so quiet?  Are the moves the Bulls made enough?  And are the Pacers more of a threat?  All this and more are discussed.

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Eureka! Here’s the the first podcast out of our 12-Hour NBA Preview.  Josh Kinsey and Mac Little are joined by Michael Cunningham, the Atlanta Hawks beat writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The guys ask MC about the “No excuses mantra”, the development of Jeff Teague, a player to look for a breakout season (cough, Marvin Williams, cough), and MC’s plans had he missed an entire NBA season.  And some other things.

We’re having some technical difficulties here at WUOG Sports.  Apparently editing a twelve hour NBA Preview show is difficult for programs like Audacity and Garageband.

But we’re still trying.  Stay tuned.

It's back baby.

We here at WUOG Sports love the NBA.  We love it so much that we began to wonder what we possibly could do with all of our free time over the break.  With the lockout appearing like it would consume the entire NBA season, what were supposed to do Christmas Day and various other weeknights?  Talk to our family?  Sounds lame.

So when we found out that the players association and owners had come to a preliminary agreement  over the new collective bargaining agreement and were indeed set to tip-0ff on December 25th, our hearts inflated with joy.  No longer were we forced to talk to relatives with attentiveness, no longer would we have to labor through the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, no longer would we have to pretend college basketball was equally as entertaining.

No sir, the NBA is back.  And the unfortunate part is that while most of the big NBA headlines are being written, WUOG’s airwaves went into Break Radio.  How were we to share our excitement with the people of Athens and beyond?

Here it is: a 12-Hour NBA Preview Show brought to you by none other than the fine sports staff at WUOG.  We start tomorrow at noon and end at midnight.  This is not a show for the faint of the NBA heart.

The show will be split into six, two-hour segments.  Each segment will be talking about a main theme of the NBA season and then preview each division.

Want guests?  We got them?  Some of the best basketball writers from across the country are calling in to WUOG to help us in our fearless endeavor.

We’ll be talking trades, CBA, Hawks, Kobe, you name it.  We will talk about everything.  It’s time to step your NBA game with WUOG Sports.  Here’s a schedule of tomorrow’s programming:

12PM-2PM Ace McNeil and Mac Little, Top NBA Headlines and the Central East Division, Guests: TBA

2PM-4PM Josh Kinsey and Mac Little, Atlanta Hawks and Southeast Division, Guests: Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution

4PM-6PM Matt Ryan and Mac Little, Potential and Actual Player Transactions and the Atlantic Division, Guests: Vincent Thomas, SLAM Magazine and FSS Columnist

6PM-7PM Trey Roberts and Patrick Bender, the new guard of the NBA and the Northwest Division Guests: Darnell Mayberry, Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for The Oklahoman

7PM-8PM Mac Little, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Guest: Larry Coon, NBA writer and resident salary cap expert for ESPN.com

8PM-10PM Ken Nasse and Mac Little, Update on NBA Headlines and Pacific Division, Guests: Corey Butler, former UGA point guard, current coach at Stanford University and self-proclaimed Kobe Bryant lover

10PM-12AM Mac Little, Show Wrap Up and Southwest Division, Guests: TBA

Listen in at 90.5FM Athens or at this link anywhere else.  If you can’t listen tomorrow, we’ll be rolling out podcasts of all of our interviews within the week.

ATLANTA, Ga — It’s Saturday in Atlanta and it is time for some clean, old fashioned hate as the Georgia Bullodgs take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium

The Bulldogs (9-2) enter this game on a nine-game winning streak and have already clinched a berth in the SEC Championship game next a week from today in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets (8-3) began the season 6-0, but lost three of their next four games before beating Duke last Saturday.

You can read the rest of my prediction here

1st Quarter: Notes, Stats and Analysis

Georgia won the toss and defered the option to the second half. With its first drive, the Georgia Tech offense went three and out headlined by a 15 yard chop block penalty that put DeAngelo Tyson out of the game with an ankle injury.

Georgia took over at the 11 yard line, and was able to gain a couple of first downs. Murray threw an interception on a play where he got hit and WR Chris Conley didn’t realize it and overran the route.

Overal, Georgia’s defense has done a good job running on the outside, but has struggled containing the run on the outside.

On the offensive side of the ball, Georgia has been able to move the ball through the air and Murray has looked good. The sophomore quarterback is 6-for-8, 93 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Lone touchdown was to WR Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett, Tavarres King, Orson Charles and Malcolm Mitchell all have one reception. Branden Smith has two receptions for 13 yards. Mitchell is the leading rusher with 20 yards on 1 carry. Smith has 1 carry for 6 yards. Murray has one rush for 5 yards (QB sneak on fourth down).

Ken Malcome, the lone running back with a carry, lost three yards on the first offensive play of the game. Crowell has not played yet, and although he is dressed out, it appears he will not play.

Bennett isn’t the fastest receiver, isn’t the quickest, or biggest. but he makes plays and runs great routes.

Georgia 7, Georgia Tech 0

2nd Quarter: Notes, Stats and Analysis

This is Aaron Murray’s day, and we’re all just along for the ride.

Maybe it’s because Georgia Tech runs the ball so much in practice, or maybe it’s because Tech just doesn’t have the athletes. Whatever the reason, no one can stop Aaron Murray.

Outside of the interception (where he was hit), the sophomore quarterback hasn’t really missed any receiver and hasn’t really been hit (outside of scrambling).

Murray is 13-for-18, 193 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Charles is the leading receiver with 67 yards on four receptions. Mitchell, King, and Smith all have two receptions. Bennett and Conley have caught the two touchdowns.

If that isn’t enough, Murray is the leading rusher for the Bulldog with 35 yards on three carries. Which brings me to the next thing of note. Georgia has no rushing attack at all.

Of players with the listed position of running back, Georgia has rushed for 1 yard on 5 carries. Malcome rushed 1 time for -3 yards and Thomas rushed 2 times for 2 yards. Although Georgia has 61 yards listed on the stat sheet, 35 are from Murray and 20 are from WR Malcolm Mitchell.

On the other side of the ball, the Georgia defense has played fairly well and has held the Georgia Tech offense to 10 points.

The problem for Todd Grantham’s unit has been the outside and the “pitch” part of the triple option. There has been little success up the middle because of Jon Jenkins and Kwame Geathers.

Stat-wise, Georgia Tech has rushed for 164 yards on 30 carries and has held the ball for 17:36.

Alec Ogletree leads the Georgia defense with 6 tackles.

Georgia 17, Georgia Tech 10

3rd Quarter: Notes, Stats and Analysis

Another quarter is in the books, and the Georgia Bulldogs have continued to impress.

Earlier, I focused on Murray, and although he added two more touchdowns in the opening frame of the second half, the story of the 3rd quarter was the defense and it has played phenomenal.

Georgia Tech has been able to run the ball, but when it starts to pass, it’s absolute comedy.

It just can’t be done. Teven Washington threw two interceptions in that frame, one that was all-but-gift-wrapped to Michael Gilliard. The other, a phenomenal play by Shawn Williams.

This matchup featured both the second ranked rush defense (Georgia) and rush defense (Georgia Tech).

Through three quarters, the advantage goes to Todd Grantham and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 10

ATLANTA, Ga — It’s Saturday in Atlanta and it is time for some clean, old fashioned hate as the Georgia Bullodgs take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium

The Bulldogs (9-2) enter this game on a nine-game winning streak and have already clinched a berth in the SEC Championship game next a week from today in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets (8-3) began the season 6-0, but lost three of their next four games before beating Duke last Saturday.

A year ago, the Bulldogs came out with a 42-34 victory. The Jackets held the ball for more than 38 minutes, gained over 500 yards of total offense (411 rushing yards), and had 32 first downs.

The problem. Four turnovers.

And that’s the thing about the triple option offense. Even on a bad day, you will rush for 250 yards, but turning over the ball will hurt you and cost you the game.

For Georgia to win, it’s simple. Play assignment football. Whether it is the nose reading the dive, the linebacker reading the quarterback, or the defensive back with the pitch. Every single defender needs to play his assignment every single play.

But chances are, that won’t happen, because players make mistakes and Georgia Tech will be able to move the ball.

Or will they?

The biggest difference between last years game and this one. Jarvis Jones, Jon Jenkins, Kwame Geathers and Alec Ogletree (at inside linebacker).

Geathers and Jenkins have the size to maintain their ground and not allow Georgia Tech’s linemen to get the linebackers.

Jones is an absolute beast. His speed, size and talent is NFL-ready, right now. (Even though he says he isn’t and Richt says he still has room to grow)

Ogletree, along with the other inside linebackers (Christian Robinson and Michael Gilliard) have the size

The biggest advantage Georgia has in today’s game isn’t necessarily the talent of the starters, but the overall depth at every position.

When Alex Ogletree and Christian Robinson went down early in the season, many Bulldog fans panicked. But their injuries allowed other players to step up, and Michael Gilliard and Amarlo Herrera did.

As for the Georgia offense, it also comes down to the running game. Isaiah Crowell should be able to play, but how effective he will be and how many snaps he will take will be determined this afternoon.

Carlton Thomas will return from a(nother) one-game suspension and should get a fair number of carries, in addition to Ken Malcome and Brandon Harton.

As for the quarterback, Aaron Murray has to have a better game than he did against Kentucky. The sophomore quarterback seemed out of rhythm with his receivers.

Georgia has won nine straight games, and the defense under Todd Grantham is playing as well as it ever has.

The nation’s second best rushing attack meets the nation’s second best rushing defense in what should be a great matchup. Something has to give and whoever wins that battle will win the game.

That unit will be Grantham’s 3-4 scheme. His defense has a certain swagger to it that will result in a couple of personal foul penalties, but it also will contain the triple option attack.

Even though it’s easy to look ahead to another game in Atlanta next Saturday, the Bulldogs are the better team in Atlanta today.

Dawgs win 31-17 and will enter the SEC Championship game on a 10 game winning streak.

For live updates and analysis of today’ s game, follow me on Twitter @Mike_Reiter

ATHENS, Ga — It’s Saturday in Athens and the Georgia Bulldogs are in a position to do something they haven’t done since 2005.

Clinch the SEC East.

The only thing that stands in the way of an SEC Championship berth is a 4-6 Kentucky Wildcat team hungry for a bowl berth.

This is a game Georgia should win. This is a game that should be over in the first half. Georgia is the better team and they must take care of business. Plain and simple.

The defense has been playing lights out after allowing 35 points to Boise State. Aaron Murray leads the offense and is having a record breaking season.

The game will kickoff at 12:21 on the SEC Network.

1st Quarter: Notes, Stats and Analysis

It’s been a sluggish start for the Georgia Bulldogs with a berth in the SEC Championship game on the line.

The defense allowed Kentucky to drive into the redzone in its first drive, but stalled at the 15 yard line and Kentucky kicked a field goal to put the first points of the game on the scoreboard.

Georgia answered with a drive of their own, and tied the game at 3 after a 39-yard field goal by Blair Walsh.

After the first drive, the Georgia defense settled down and Kentucky’s next three drives consisted of 2 three and outs and an interception.

Play of the first quarter was a 53-yard interception return by Branden Smith that resulted in Georgia taking a 6-3 lead following another 39-yard field goal by Blair Walsh

Aaron Murray has thrown for 41 yards on 4-for-6 passing. Tavarres King leads all recievers with 18 yards on 2 receptions. Crowell is the leading rusher with 11 yards on 2 carries, but has been sidelined with an ankle injury. His return in questionable.

Kentucky has outgained Georgia 84-77, and the time of possession is about even (UK 7:33, UGA 7:27)

Georgia 6, Kentucky 3

2nd Quarter: Notes, Stats and Analysis

It hasn’t been pretty, but Georgia holds a 12-10 lead over Kentucky at halftime.

It doesn’t matter whether Georgia wins by 30 points or 1 point, all the Bulldogs need is a win to be in the SEC Championship game.

But this isn’t the type of effort and play you want to see from a team ranked 13th in the nation and on an eight game winning streak.

Aaron Murray has struggled so far. He has thrown for 64 yards on 9-for-18 passing. Murray is also the leading rusher with 19 yards on five carries including a long of 13.

Crowell still has not returned to the game after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter. He had 11 yards on 2 carries prior to the injury.

Malcolm Mitchell is the leading receiver with 4 receptions for 26 yards. King has 24 yards on 3 receptions.

Georgia has been outgained by Kentucky, 152-114 in the first half.

The four scoring drives for Georgia. 6 plays, 23 yards. 4 plays, 5 yards. 7 plays, 16 yards. 4 plays, 8 yards.

The Bulldogs have been unable to sustain a drive, and the longest drive of the day was a 9-play, 29 yard drive that resulted in a punt. Georgia’s average starting position for the first half was their own 45 yard line.

3rd Quarter: Notes, Stats and Analysis

Georgia’s defense is playing like they want to be in the SEC Championship. The offense, not so much.

The Kentucky offense had three drives in the third quarter. Two of them ended on three and outs, the other one ended on a fumble. Jarvis Jones and Shawn Williams are the two guys that have really stood out.

Georgia outgained Kentucky 149-2 in that quarter, but Georgia wasn’t able to put any points on the board.

Aaron Murray has thrown for 144 yards on 14-for-27 passing. Murray thew his first interception since the Florida game. In his last two games, Murray threw for nine touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Malcolm Mitchell leads all receivers with 26 yards on 4 receptions. Brandon Harton leads all rushers with 68 yards on 15 carries.

Harton isn’t the most physical back, and when he gets hit, he generally stops right there. Ken Malcome has rushed the ball for 23 yards on 6 carries.

It’s been a turnover filled game. Kentucky has turned the ball over four times, and Georgia has turned the ball over three times.

There are 15 minutes left in this game, and Georgia leads Kentucky 12-10.

The biggest question mark for the Georgia Bulldogs heading into this season was the production they would get from their big men. Losing their top three post players from last year meant minutes and points were up for grabs.

It looks like the young forwards are beginning to get comfortable with their roles on the team.

Donte’ Williams had a career-high 17 points to lead four players in double figures as Georgia defeated South Dakota State, 72-61, to continue their unbeaten start to the season.

“On the scouting report, we saw that they weren’t really a big team, so we put emphasis on going down low and winning the low-post game,” Williams said.

Georgia (3-0) trailed by as many as seven in the second half, but an improvement in rebounding and fastbreak offense fueled a 21-6 run that put the Bulldogs in control.

“We wore them down with a lot of bodies,” Coach Mark Fox said after the game. “We didn’t play particularly well throughout the game, but we played hard. Winning the rebounding battle keyed [the second half run], and the transition game was a big part of that, too.”

Gerald Robinson added 15 points, and Nemanja Djurisic scored 12 of his 14 in the second half. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also had 14.  It was the first time this season that Georgia had more than two players in double figures.

“I just felt more confident that I could score,” said Djurisic, a freshman from Montenegro.  ”I took advantage of my ability to run fast and get some easy buckets. They could spread out and shoot, but they were not as strong inside.”

Fox preached improvements in the rebounding game during halftime, especially on the defensive end. South Dakota State (1-1) had 13 second-chance points in the first half but only four in the second.

Another key to the improved play was containing the Jackrabbits’ backcourt tandem of Nate Wolters and Taevaunn Prince, who scored 15 and 13 points, respectively, but combined for just five in the second half.

The Bulldogs shot just 20 percent from downtown but had a 40-24 advantage in points in the paint and made the Jackrabbits pay for their 11 missed free throws.

It was Georgia’s second win in the 2011 Progressive CBE Classic. They defeated Bowling Green on Sunday, 63-54.

Georgia gets the weekend off and returns to action next Monday night, when they face California in a continuation of the CBE tournament.