BJ Thompson from CajunRedZone.com joins me to preview the opening game between Louisiana Lafayette and Georgia to inform Georgia fans exactly what ULL will be bringing to Athens.
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Heatin’ Up makes a big return with our most popular guest from last college football season as the Football Jesus and I dissect some preseason totals as well as other issues surrounding college football and gambling including how Georgia will fare this season.
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In the midst of being announced number 1 party school in the country, the football season is quickly approaching. In under a month, students, alumni, and fans will gather in Sanford Stadium for the biggest party that UGA has to offer…one that includes over 92,000 people. The 2010 season is littered with questions. Some include:
-How will Aaron Murray do as starting QB having no experience? (For the record, there is no experience behind him either…his backup is true freshman Hudson Mason…Logan Gray moved to WR)
-Tebow left Florida, will this be the year that the Dawgs defeat the Gators?
-How will Coach Grantham’s 3-4 look and perform?
These are just a couple of questions the face the Dawgs in the coming weeks.
However, there are some guarantees that can be made in regards to the opening game for the Dawgs: 1) Fans will be PUMPED. 2)This team will look different and have a more aggressive demeanor spearheaded by Richt and Grantham. 3)Runningbacks Washaun Ealey and Caleb King will take much of the load to keep pressure off of Aaron Murray. 4)It will be blazing hot. 5)It’ll be fun!
The first day of classes for students is August 16th, a mere 19 days until the opening Saturday for UGA football. Amid the rush to find tickets, learn about the team, and figure out where to tailgate, the students might find time to study a little bit…maybe.
So with the party and excitement for football theme, I’ll leave you with the Georgia Redcoat band playing All the Way Turned Up…because thats what we all are anyway. By the way, at time of publication, it is 2575825 seconds til kickoff!
My feelings can be summed up in 1:10 of this clip from Office Space. Just substitute “idea” with “song”.
I’m not going to link you to this video because that would just help it spread. One positive thing from this video? We finally have an image of Mark Richt crossing his arms and mean muggin’. Represent.
That's ju' boy repping the backpack. Man, I need to get a haircut. Thanks to Mark Bradley for the picture.
I’ll admit, the best part of being a part of this blog is that, unlike most well-distinguished and respected publications, we at WUOG don’t believe in “deadlines” and “quick turn-arounds”. We understand that our beloved readers are so dedicated to our writings that they will sit in front of the computer screen for hours, maybe even days, waiting for the next hot blog post from one of our extremely talented writing staff. We’re just that good. With that attitude in mind, let’s move on to what brought you out here in the first place.
UGA opened up camp Monday with a lot more questions than answers. In no particular order, here they are:
-Was redshirt-freshman quarterback Aaron Murray ready to be the starter after seeing zero snaps last season?
-Is the 3-4 defense really the remedy for such lack-luster defensive performances over the past couple years?
-Will distractions, such as an NCAA inquiry, player arrests and dismissals, and the Damon Evans saga be too much for Mark Richt to handle?
As I said, a lot of questions. But let’s be real here, none of these questions will be answered until the season is underway. If any of us were looking for answers at the first day of fall practice, we’ve essentially gone to the wrong place.
However, this esteemed sports writer has some “impressions” of what those answers may be down the road. First let’s start with Aaron Murray.
Is Aaron Murray ready?
According to everybody, he is. And when I mean everybody, I mean everybody. Almost every player was asked for their take on Murray, including defensive players. As if defensive-end-turned-linebacker Justin Houston didn’t have enough on his brain, some reporter asked what they thought of the former U.S. Army All-American. As one would expect, Houston replied that he’s “focused on the defense”.
Still, it was easy to see that above every other issue, the quarterback one was the most pressing. To his credit, Murray handled the swarm of reporters very well.
While he probably realizes that there will be a lot of attention coming his way, he maintained that he will simply try to be the facilitator, putting the ball in their playmakers hands.
“Extraordinary plays come from the simplest ones,” said Murray. “Just gotta make the plays.” He added later, “It’s like a chess match. They make their first move and you have to counteract their’ s.”
Not bad words from the young wipper-snapper (I’m one year older than him). Murray admitted that he’s talked to former Georgia quarterbacks David Greene and Matthew Stafford and understands the pressure he’ll be taking on when September 4th rolls around. However, Murray insisted that he’s going for his own legacy while he is here.
“I can’t be David Greene, I can’t be Matthew Stafford,” said Murray. “I can only be Aaron Murray.”
From all indications during practice, Aaron Murray might just work. I’ll admit, I was a little taken aback by Murray’s height, especially after seeing Clint Boling and thinking about Murray peeking over the O-line during games. But, then again, didn’t Drew Brees just win a Super Bowl this year?
During practice, Murray looked pretty accurate, which has always been one of his strenghts. The ball did come out a little shaky here and there, but Murray looked confident, and that may be the most important factor in Murray’s progression when it’s all said and done.
What can we expect from this 3-4 defense?
While it’s hard for me to guess what exactly we’ll see from this new defense, I can say one thing I expect to see. A deep rotation. If you haven’t read it already, there’s a good article from Chris Low talking with new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. One of the bigger things that stood out for me was Grantham’s plan to use a rotation system to keep his players fresh and focused the entire game. Houston seemed excited that his job as linebacker would simply focus attacking opposing offenses. However, he seemed equally excited that the system focused on using the entire defense team.
“We have a lot of rotation going on, so hopefully that’s for the better,” said Houston. “The more people we have…the more rested we will be in the fourth quarter.”
If any of you guys remember the loss to Kentucky last season or Georgia Tech the year before, words like this have to be encouraging. Under Willie Martinez, the Bulldogs almost appeared gassed at the end of games, whether it be giving up plays in the air or running game. While the “best” players won’t be on the field at all times, you can rest assured that they will be when the fourth quarter starts.
Didn’t get a good look at the defense during practice, mostly because it was a lot of setting up looks and not much defending of anything. I think as scrimmaging opens up, we’ll have a better idea on what to expect from this defense.
Distractions?
Granted, this was my first time around Mark Richt on such a close level, so I might be completely off-base here. But, the guy just seemed a little frazzled. Maybe he hadn’t eaten yet or something, but you could definitely sense a feeling of relief from him as he walked up to the podium. After seven player arrests, with three being dismissed, and an athletic director nightmare, Richt seemed happy to finally start football back up again. I’ve never been behind the whole idea of Richt being on the “Hot Seat”, but I’m sure even he can sense fans, alumni, and journalists alike waiting the get the burner going.
As expected, Richt declined to discuss the NCAA investigation, but he did say all players were clear to practice.
Well, that’s all I pretty much have to say about the beginning of fall practice. They gave all the media folk a practice schedule so I’m planning on dropping by Butts-Mehere a little more throughout the pre-season to supply some updates here and there. We’re also looking into getting some players on the airwaves here at the ‘ole station, so look out for that.
Sitting in the Sanford Stadium Media room after talking to Coach Richt, Aaron Murray, Justin Houston, and a slew of other Georgia players. Obviously the biggest questions centered around the young Murray taking over at quarterback and new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s new 3-4 defense. The decision to eliminate two-a-days almost entirely from pre-season practice is also a pretty big topic around the journalism water cooler. I still have to go through my recorder, but here are a couple of quotes that stuck out from the interviews. Practice is scheduled for 3:25 PM, but the word on the street is that it is pretty much a dog and pony show. That’s good because I love ponies.
Mark Richt
On the alarmingly thin and young depth chart at quarterback:
“The quarterback room may be the youngest in the history of college football…Coach Bobo will really earn his pay.”
On the injury to inside-linebacker Akeem Dent, the “quarterback” of the defense:
“It definitely hurt us.” Richt still holds hope that Dent will be back in time for the September 4th opener against University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
On Logan Gray, who currently will not get snaps at quarterback during pre-season practice:
“We’re asking him to mentally prepare for us.”
On the importance of the running game with Washaun Ealey and Caleb King:
“I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t run the ball well…we have to run the ball well.”
On the comparison between former Georgia quarterback David Greene and Aaron Murray, made recently by offensive coordinator Mike Bobo:
“David was a tremendous student of the game…Aaron has a tremendous work ethic…you have to prepare your mind as well as your body to play quarterback.”
On the mobility of Murray, and whether or not Richt and company will ask him to use it:
“We don’t want him to prove his manhood as a runner.”
On his expectations for Murray:
“All he’s gotta do is do his job…you don’t have to be the hero on any down.”
On the record-setting hot summer and the possibilty of players getting injured.
“We just have to keep an eye on everybody.”
On how intriuged he is to the new defense Grantham has installed:
“We’re all intrigued.”
On the decision to eliminate (sort of, there will be a couple here and there) two-a-days from the pre-season practice schedule:
“Instead of breaking them down and building them back up, let’s just build them up from the get go.”
I gotta hand it to Richt, he’s honest. I think a lot of coaches would look at a quarterback situation like this and try to sugar-coat it like it is not as bad as it seems. But let’s face it, it’s bad. Or at least has the potential to be. You have Murray, who hasn’t taken one snap in a college football game then Hutson Mason, who hasn’t taken one snap in a college football practice. Forgive me for not mentioning the two-walk ons, Parker Welch and Greg Blingham, but I think you get the point.
Richt understands that, even admitting that Mike Bobo will “earn” his pay this year. Still, Richt is confident that the running-back tandem of King and Ealey, the veteran-filled offensive line, and weapons like AJ Green will make up for the inexperience at quarterback.
Richt is also pretty confident that nixing two-a-days will be a big help to both his offense and his defense. Per NCAA rules, the one-a-day practices will also allow a walk-through every morning as well as a worthwhile weight-lifting session. Before, Richt says, the two-a-days would tire players out and leave them fatigued. Lifting sessions would happen, but they were short and lackluster. While Richt insists that he’s not softening his approach, he also insists that two-a-days left his players worn out and that the new practice schedule should allow his players and opportunity to get stronger as well as be mentally prepared on both sides of the ball.
To be honest, I really like this approach. In a year where you are installing a new defense as well as a new quarterback, important fundamental concepts could be as important as ever, so to keep the players fresh both physically and mentally may be the difference in those late-fourth quarter games where most players are worn out and going purely off adrenaline.
That’s it from me for a bit, getting ready to head over to the Butts-Mehere complex to take in the first practice of the year. Player quotes and thoughts should be up later this evening. Until then, follow me on Twitter for live updates.
