BACKTO

BACKwww.HI-Athens.com

Benson’s Hospitality Group congratulates Coach Richt and the Back to BackSEC Eastern Division Champions.

H o s p i t a l i t y G ro u pA t h e n s , G A

H o s p i t a o u pa l i t y G r

ESCsenB

DEC Et hich RacoCatiposs H’’no

hCiiDikace Bhd tna

p cuory Gtlia

ihkaco Bk t

etalutragnco s

A t h G Ae n s , ES

.Hww.ww

n DertsaEC E

ms.coenhtHI-A

hn CsioivDi s.niopmah

THE ROAD TO

CRYSTAL GOES

THROUGH ATLANTA

©2012 Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser® Beer, St. Louis, MO

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 3

SEC Championship

FOR ADVERTISING OR TO SUBSCRIBE: 1-877-456-4624

www.bulldawgillustrated.com

Cha Cha Cha Publishing Inc.

Editor Vance Leavy

Editorial & Ad DirectorCheri Leavy

Sports GuruJeff Dantzler

SalesCaroline Kinney, Holly Stanfill

SportsMurray Poole

Travis Ragsdale

Layout/DesignCheri Leavy, Vance Leavy

Cover designBoyd Martin

Sports PhotographyRob Saye

ColumnistsCarlton DeVooght

Al HicksonRob Sherrell Loran SmithChad White

Student Online EditorTravis Ragsdale

InternsAnne Maxwell Douglass, Fan Hughes,

Katherine Parke, Pierce Persons. Mary Sloane Stribling, Annie Trice

DeliveryHatton Abernathy, Martin Cameron

Jake Davis, Will Hayes, Frank Sinkwich IV, Champ Vance

SEC Championship , November 27, 2012

From the editor : vance leavyWell the time has finally arrived as our Bulldogs find themselves

one victory away from earning a spot in the national championshipgame. Man, I don’t know about you, but I’m still digesting that whatI have dreamed and wanted for decades is within four quarters of re-ality.

This is a great time for everyone in the Bulldog Nation, but thequestion now for all of us is whether our team, our coaches and fanbase can avoid getting caught up in the emotion of the situation.Yes, the 2012 season has beenspecial, but walking out of theGeorgia Dome Saturday nightwith a victory is going to requireplaying flawless football in allphases.

And if you go by what’sbeing said in the national mediaand the odds makers in LasVegas there’s very few that areeven giving our Bulldogs achance. And personally, I ab-solutely love that.

Once the Tech game wasin hand this past Saturday, I wasfinally able to begin discussingmy thoughts on whether Geor-gia could take down the mighty,Alabama Crimson Tide.

I most certainly think itcan be done and believe one ofthe biggest reasons why is howlast year’s SEC championshipended. Despite going toe to toe with LSU in the first half, our teamwas blown out of the building by game’s end. Call me crazy, but Ithink that terrible feeling from a year ago will have our boys in redand black vowing not to leave the Georgia Dome feeling emptyagain.

At the beginning of this season, our seniors came up with themotto “Our Team, Our Time, No Regrets.” Andfor 11 out of 12 games, they have lived up totheir pledge. And for that, I join Knox Cleve-land who is pictured on this page in salutingthem for their awesome efforts this season. Andnow, I call on those guys to dig deeper than everbefore when the ball is kicked off on Saturday.

Surely by now, everyone should know thata Nick Saban led football team means disci-pline. The question is whether our guys areready to match the Crimson Tide in that de-

partment. Again, I like our chances because I’m absolutely convincedthat this team will not be embarrassed in the Georgia Dome this timearound.

Beyond playing with discipline as a team, it will take some out-standing individual efforts as well for a Georgia victory.

Despite breaking record after record while in Athens, AaronMurray’s ability to play well in big games is still in question. Well, thestakes won’t get any bigger as the winner Saturday gets their shot at

the crystal trophy inMiami in January. This is agreat opportunity for #11to finally get that monkeyoff his back. But person-ally, I think a solid per-formance by him will bemore about what he does-n’t do, than what he doesdo. Without question, thestellar Alabama defensewill be swarming ourquarterback. And whenthis happens, will he liveto play another down orwill he be careless with thefootball?

On the other side ofthe ball, we in the BulldogNation need Jarvis Jonesto have another block-buster performance. Canyou imagine what the

Georgia Dome will sound like if he causes an early turnover? Ka-boom … Kaboom!

Well I have to wrap things up now, but certainly hope you willenjoy this special extra SEC issue of BI. Jeff Dantzler did most of thewriting for this one, despite being on the road with the Lady Bull-dogs. And his computer was on the fritz, so he definitely deservessome accolades for digging deep for his love of the Dawgs. Andplease make sure you don’t miss Rob Sherrell’s one on one interviewwith D.J. Shockley (page 14). He was the perfect fit for this issue ashe was the last Georgia quarterback to hoist the SEC Championshiptrophy in the Georgia Dome.

And finally, after a long layoff, our guys Gruff and Grump areback with a column (page 15) that will have you ready to pack yourcar and head to the dome immediately. G&G thinks we do in facthave more talent than Bama and are ready to shock the world Sat-urday night.

Let’s do this thing … Go Dawgs!

GOD BLESS YOU LARRY MUNSON

He’s Pouring sUGAr from the Sky!

GO DAWGS! SEC EASTCHAMPIONS!

ELBDOGMYRRALruoPs’eHhtmorf

U OYSSENOSNUM

rAGUsgni!ykSeh

WADOGAECESIPMAHC

!SGWTSA!SNO

htmorf

!ykSeh

All Forms of Commercial And Individual InsuranceAlternative Risk Management

GO DAWGS!BEAT BAMA

2230 W. Broad St706-549-4265

475 US Hwy. 29706-549-0067

1124 Prince Ave.706-543-0522

3825 Atlanta Hwy706-613-0340

150 Gaines School Rd.706-543-8010

1741 Epps Bridge Pkwy.706-227-9200

The Egg White Delight is here ...The Egg White Delight is here ...

only 260 caloriesonly 260 calories

3040 Atlanta Hwy.800-362-0498

www.athensbmw.com

{BMW & Bulldawgs}The ULTIMATE

Driving MachinesATHENS

4 Bulldawg Illustrated

For the first time in the now 21 year his-tory of the event, Alabama and Georgia squareoff in the Southeastern Conference Champi-onship Game. At stake, the title of the tough-est league in the land and a berth in Miami toplay Notre Dame for the national champi-onship.

This is Alabama’s eighth trip to the SECchampionship Game. The Crimson Tide wonthe inaugural affair in Birmingham, toppingFlorida in a 28-21 thriller that vaulted Ala-bama to the Sugar Bowl, where the Crimsontide topped Miami 34-13 to win the nationaltitle. Alabama played in the first four SECChampionship Games, losing the next threeto Florida, including the 1994 contest whichwas the first played in the Georgia Dome aftera two-year stint in Birmingham. Bama wouldagain lose to Florida in 1996. In fact, this is thefirst time that Alabama has played in the SECChampionship Game and not faced Florida.All seven of their previous appearances cameagainst the Gators. Bama won three, most re-cently the 32-13 victory in a 2009 battle of un-beatens that catapulted the Crimson Tide to anational championship win over Texas inPasadena.

It’s the second consecutive year thatGeorgia has played in the SEC ChampionshipGame. The Bulldogs quite frankly shouldhave faced off with Alabama in the first oneback in 1992, but a talented Georgia squadlost to inferior Tennessee and Florida teams bya total of five points. The Gators and Volun-teers would prove to be two of the nation’s topfour programs during the 1990s – along withNebraska and Florida State – and Georgiacouldn’t break through. The Bulldogs finallydid in 2002, pounding Arkansas 30-3 to cap-ture the program’s first SEC crown since the1982 powerhouse led by the likes of HerschelWalker, Terry Hoage, Kevin Butler, Guy McIn-tyre, Jimmy Payne and Freddie Gilbert. Thisis the Bulldogs fifth trip to the title tilt. Geor-gia returned in 2003, falling to eventual na-tional champion LSU. In 2005, the Bulldogsbeat LSU in Atlanta. Last season, en route tothe BCS Championship Game, where theywould lose Alabama, the Fightin’ Tigers roaredpast Georgia in the second half to win 42-10.

So in the 11 previous trips for Alabamaand Georgia, 10 times the opponent has beenFlorida and LSU.

Finally, Georgia and Alabama, titans ofthe SEC, meet for the championship. And thewinner will have the opportunity to extendthe conference’s incredible string of six con-secutive national championships.

At the helm for Alabama is Nick Saban,unquestionably the premier college footballcoach of the 2000s. He took over at LSU in2000. The Tigers had posted a losing recordin eight of their previous 11 seasons. In 2001,LSU won the SEC Championship. In 2003they did it again and won the aforementionednational title, downing Georgia and thenOklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. It would be thefirst of three times in an 11 year period thatSaban would kiss the crystal football. And ohyear, in two of those years, he couldn’t, be-cause Saban coached the Miami Dolphins in2005 and 2006.

Alabama lured him from the NFL in2007. The following year, the Crimson Tidewent 12-0, but lost to Florida in the SECChampionship Game. The Gators went on towin the national title. In ’09, it was Bama’sturn. The Tide won it again last year, aveng-ing the 9-6 loss at Bryant-Denny Stadium witha 21-0 domination of LSU in New Orleans.

Though only in his sixth year, and withall due respect to Frank Thomas and WallaceWade, who both led Alabama to great success,only the greatest college football coach, theTide’s ultimate, all-time unquestioned heroshadow-caster Paul “Bear” Bryant can be heldin greater esteem by the Capstone faithful.And not even the Bear led Alabama to threenational championships in four years.

That’s the history Saban is trying to make. By the way, Alabama has a very small sen-

ior class. There’s a good chance they will bethe preseason No. 1 in 2013.

Standing in the way of Alabama’s marchto history is Georgia.

At the Bulldogs helm is Mark Richt. He guided Georgia to those aforemen-

tioned conference crowns in 2002 and 2005.There were a couple of “shoulda been” tripsto Atlanta in 2004 and 2007, the latter ofwhich could’ve led to a national champi-

onship. But Georgia came up short. The Buldogs dipped after going 11-2 and

finishing No. 2 in the land in 2007. A talentedGeorgia team underachieved at 10-3 in 2008,including a 41-30 Sanford Stadium blasting atthe hands of Alabama and Saban.

Georgia went 8-5 in 2009 and finished awoeful 6-7 in 2010.

Last year, Georgia lost its first two gamesto Boise State and South Carolina, then reeledoff 10 straight wins and returned to the cham-pionship game for the first time since 2005.A good Georgia team was beaten by a greatLSU one. The Bulldogs then blew a 16-0 leadto Michigan State in Tampa and finished 10-4.

That’s 16 losses in three years. Over that same stretch, Alabama lost four

times and won two BCS Championships. But the Georgia program unquestionably

had made big strides in 2011. The quest thisseason was to return from good to great.

With outstanding returning talent, highexpectations and a favorable schedule – asmuch so as one can be in this league – this wasthe minimum for 2012, a return to Atlantawith a mark better than last season’s 10-2.

Mission accomplished. After being embarrassed 35-7 at South

Carolina and then eking out a 29-24 win atlowly Kentucky, the Bulldogs sat at 6-1 and atouchdown underdog at Florida.

This season and the direction of the pro-gram hung in the balance in Jacksonville.

Well behind Jarvis Jones, Todd Gurley,Malcolm Mitchell and a relentless defense theBulldogs upset the Gators 17-9, marking theprogram’s sorely needed second straight winin Jacksonville. After that, the Bulldogs cameback from a 10-0 deficit to Ole Miss to win37-10 between the hedges. Georgia thenbludgeoned Auburn 38-0 on the plains toclinch the SEC East and a berth in Atlanta.Next up were in-state foes Georgia Southernand Tech and their triple option attacks. TheBulldogs struggled through the first halfagainst the Eagles, but led 17-7 at intermis-sion and won 45-14. Baccarri Rambo’s stripand return turned a likely 7-7 game into a 14-0 Georgia lead in the Bulldogs 42-10 rockingof Tech between the hedges. Not that theywere all easy, but since that ground-breakingwin over the Gators, which ended a stretch of10 straight losses to ranked (at the end of sea-sons, assuming that the 10-2 Gamecocks willbe ranked after their bowl), Georgia won by27, 38, 31 and 32.

With the exception of their 29-24 loss toTexas A&M and 21-17 victory at LSU – ar-guably the two best games of the year in theSEC – Alabama beat everyone else by similarcounts. Of the Crimson Tide’s other 10 vic-tims, the closest was Ole Miss, which fell inTuscaloosa. 33-14.

Georgia’s performance against rankedteams was the Elephant in the room. The winat Florida eradicated it.

Now Georgia is in a position it hasn’tbeen in since a 38-18 victory over Tech in1982 capped a perfect 11-0 SEC champi-onship season that sent the top-ranked Bull-dogs to New Orleans to play Penn State. If theDogs win, Georgia will play Notre Dame forthe national championship. The history ofthat would be as obvious as, well, an elephantin a room.

Standing in the way is Alabama, who’smascot is, of course, an elephant.

With a four-team playoff – that will likelyquickly expand – set to begin in 2014, thisyear and next are the last two chances to winthe whole thing without having to play anextra game. For Georgia and Alabama, andeveryone else, this year and next are the lastchances to win without a playoff. Though thebeauty of college football, lost on far too many,is that the regular season is just that – a play-off.

A win over Alabama would be Georgia’sbiggest since slaying Notre Dame on January1, 1981 to capture the national championship.It could also start Georgia back on a path tosustained greatness. Everything is in place forGeorgia to do what Alabama and LSU havedone, and that is to be in the conversation yearafter year.

But it starts with this penult pant show-down with the SEC’s ultimate Elephant, andthe whip-wielding circus tamer, under collegefootball’s big top of champions, the GeorgiaDome.

Bama and the Dawgs finally meet in the Dome

jeff dantzler

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 5

3200 Atlanta Hwy Athens, Ga1-800-969-0347

w w w . p h i l h u g h e s h o n d a . c o m

©2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. All information contained herein applies to U.S. products only. Please see our Privacy Policy and Legal Terms and Conditions.

Proud supporters of the Georgia Bulldogs since 1976

financing available on all new 2012 Honda Accords now thru September 4th. See dealer for details.0.9 %

APR

2012 Model Year End Clearance

Accord EX-L V-6 Sedan

e

%0.9 w thnoicnanfi

APR

u September 4th. Sehr2wenllanoelbaliavagn

ails.or dete dealer fs droccAadnoH2102

dan

Georgia BullProud sup

ldogs since 1976pporters of the

Please see oAmerican Honda Motor C2 1©20

. p h iw w w

320

erms and CTTeegal olicy and Lacy Privour Pained hereinormation contAll infCo., Inc.

l h u g h e s h o n

1-800-969-034700 Atlanta Hwy Athens, G

Conditions... products only.Sn applies to U

n d a . c o m

Ga

MASCOT MATCH-UPRed Elephants

Big AlBulldogs Uga IX

The story of how Alabama became associated with the “elephant” goes back to the 1930 season when Coach Wallace Wade had assembled a great football team.

On October 8, 1930, sports writer Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal wrote a story of the Alabama-Mississippi game he had witnessed in Tuscaloosa four days earlier. Strupper wrote, “That Alabama team of 1930 is a typical Wade machine, powerful, big, tough, fast, aggressive, well-schooled in fundamentals, and the best blocking team for this early in the season that I have ever seen. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes.

“Coach Wade started his second team that was plenty big and they went right

every inch of ground.

that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, ‘Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,’ and out stamped this Alabama varsity.

knocked me cold, men that I had seen play last year looking like they had nearly

Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as “Red Elephants,” the color referring to the crimson jerseys.

The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. It shut out eight opponents and al-lowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. The “Red Elephants” rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions.

Abraham Baldwin, was a Yale man and the early buildings on campus were designed from blueprints of the same building at Yale. But on Nov. 3, 1920, Morgan Blake of the Atlanta Journal wrote about school nicknames and said “The Georgia Bulldogs” would sound good because there is a certain dignity about a bulldog, as well as ferocity.” After a 0-0 tie with Virginia in Charlottesville on Nov. 6, 1920, Atlanta Constitution writer Cliff Wheatley used the name

One of the best known mascots in the country, Uga is from a line owned by

with Uga I, a solid white English Bulldog who was the grandson of a former Georgia mascot who made the trip to the 1943 Rose Bowl. Perhaps the most famous Uga was Uga V who made appearances in the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. He also graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. Uga

was photographed with Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. He was also

WeAreBulldawgs.com

Photograph by Rob Saye

www.rolltide.com www.georgiadogs.com

6 Bulldawg Illustrated

GeorgiaSeptember 1 – AthensGeorgia – 45, Buffalo – 23 On a scorching Saturday in Athens, the Bulldogs were far from impressive in a 22-point win over Buffalo. Georgia needed a goal line stand to lead 24-16, instead of24-19 at the half. But the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half. The highlight ofthe game was the debut of sensational freshman tailback Todd Gurley, who ran for100 yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score that gavethe Dogs a 14-7 lead.

September 8 - ColumbiaGeorgia – 41, Missouri – 20In the Tigers first intra-league game as a member of the Southeastern Conference,with a rocking stadium, they led the Bulldogs 3-0, 10-3, 10-9, 17-9 and 20-17. Theyburned the Bulldogs defense, depleted by suspension, injury and attrition, for a cou-ple of long strikes. But in the final minute of the third quarter, Aaron Murray hit Mar-lon Brown for the go-ahead touchdown. Marshal Morgan hit his second big field goalto put the Dogs up 27-20. Then Gurley had a big run and the great linebacker JarvisJones delivered. In the first of his two dominating performances of the year, Jonesput the Tigers away in the fourth quarter. He returned an interception to the one-yard line that gave the Dogs a 34-20 lead. He then forced a fumble that Georgia re-covered inside the 10, which set up the finishing score. Over the final 16 minutes ofthis game, the Bulldogs showed they had a chance to be really good.

September 15 – AthensGeorgia – 56, Florida Atlantic – 20It was 14-14 in the second quarter. Georgia’s defense was again giving up too manybig plays. But Murray hit Michael Bennett for a long bomb with under two minutesremaining in the first half to give Georgia a 28-14 lead. Gurley hit the 100-yardmark again, and the Bulldogs dominated the second half to put overmatched FAUaway.

September 22 – AthensGeorgia – 48, Vanderbilt – 3In what is undoubtedly one of Georgia’s top performances of the year, the Dogscompletely dominated the ‘Dores, racing to an eye-opening victory. The Bulldogsscored four first half touchdowns to take a 27-0 lead and held Vandy to a field goalin the red zone inside the final minute. Gurley and fellow freshman tailback KeithMarshall both had over 100 yards rushing and highlight-reel touchdowns. Jones hada monster fourth down sack which sent the crowd into a frenzy. Murray had a bignight throwing, though the Bulldogs had several passes deflected or batted down,which would come back to bite Georgia in the following weeks. This Vanderbilt teamwent 5-3 in SEC play. The Commodores three losses were 17-13 to South Carolina,31-17 to Florida and this blowout in Athens. Like in the final 16 minutes at Missouri,the Georgia team on display this Saturday night looked like a championship caliberone.

September 29 – AthensGeorgia – 51, Tennessee - 44 In one of the wild shootouts in Sanford Stadium history, in a game filled with emo-tional swings, the Bulldogs pulled it out to beat Tennessee for a third straight sea-son. It was 7-0 Georgia, then Tennessee returned an interception for a tyingtouchdown. Marshall raced 75 yards to put the Dogs back on top. Gurley had aspectacular touchdown run and the Dogs took a 27-10 lead. Both rushed for over100 yards. Everything then turned. Poor special teams and a myriad of turnoverswere cashed in by the Big Orange and Tennessee took a 30-27 second quarter lead.Morgan hit a 51-yard field goal to end the half and tie it at 30-30. Murray andMichael Bennett connected to put the Dogs back on top. Georgia’s struggles withextra points continued, and Marlon Brown, who had a tremendous season, caught aclutch two-pointer. Tennessee got its offense cooking against that Georgia defense,which had the suspended players back, but clearly, the unit was far from complete.With the Bulldogs clinging to a seven point lead, Georgia came up with turnovers onTennessee’s final three possessions to pull it out. It was clear that the Bulldogs werea talented team, but also an unsound one.

October 6 – ColumbiaSouth Carolina – 35, Georgia – 7A defense that got gashed on South Carolina’s first possession, an interception off atipped pass, a defense that again got gashed and then a Gamecocks punt return fora touchdown. It was 21-0 in the first quarter. Georgia couldn’t score from the SouthCarolina two in the final two minutes of the first half and went to the locker roomdown by that same count. The Gamecocks went up 35-0 and Georgia was embar-rassed on national television. It was a 10th straight loss for the program against ateam that would wind up in the final national rankings (assuming that South Carolinawill). It was a third straight loss to South Carolina, a series first. Steve Spurrier wasgrinning big. This was not the way Georgia wanted to head into its open date.

October 20 – LexingtonGeorgia – 29, Kentucky - 24A really bad Kentucky, a 26-point underdog, went back and forth with Georgia. Itwas scary for the Bulldogs. On the heels of that embarrassing performance at SouthCarolina, the Dogs were on the brink of one of their biggest upset losses in programhistory. But Murray had a big night, throwing for four scores and the Bulldogs otherNo. 11 – Connor Norman – recovered a Wildcats on-sides kick that saved the day. Awin is a win, but this two-game stretch was far from championship level. The Geor-gia faithful weren’t exactly brimming with confidence heading to Jacksonville. TheGators had routed South Carolina 44-11 earlier in the day to move to No. 2 in thecountry with a 7-0 record. It was the Gamecocks second straight loss, as they fell atLSU the week prior. So the door was open. For a Georgia team with such talent andgreat expectations, any chance to have a special season depended on the followingSaturday.

October 27 – JacksonvilleGeorgia – 17, Florida – 9It was the Bulldogs biggest win in at least five years. Georgia’s defense pulled to-gether, forcing six turnovers, Gurley scored and topped the century mark, the electricMalcolm Mitchell – who began the year on defense – made the offensive play of thegame on the Bulldogs lone third down conversion, and Jones capped off a LawrenceTaylor-esque performance by forcing a fumble that put the Gators away. Jonesforced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles chalked up three sacks, five and a halftackles for loss and 13 stops. Georgia overcame three interceptions thrown by Mur-ray and 14 penalties. Gurley’s ten yard touchdown put the Dogs on the board.

teams hit second half field goals and Georgia led 10-9 midway through the firstquarter. Finally, Georgia converted a third down, and Mitchell raced to the lefthash, split two defenders and struck paydirt for a 45-yard score that put the Bull-dogs ahead 17-9. Florida was driving with a chance to tie with a TD and two-pointer. Jordan Reed hauled in a Driskell aerial, and while pushing for extrayardage was stripped on the five. The ball rolled right to Sanders Commings inthe back of the end zone. A big Gurley run and critical Florida penalty let theDogs take that precious victory formation. It was two in a row over the Gatorsand suddenly Georgia had control of the SEC East race.

November 3 – AthensGeorgia – 37, Ole Miss – 10There was concern over a letdown. And it showed. Ole Miss pulled ahead 10-0and Georgia was in trouble. But Murray connected with Brown for a 66-yardtouchdown on a trick play. The teams exchanged four turnovers on five plays.The Bulldogs were going backwards and chewing up clock on a two minute drill.Then Murray rolled right and hit Tavarres King for a 40-yard touchdown in theclosing seconds. Somehow, Georgia led 14-10 at the half. Damian Swann andJordan Jenkins, both of whom have given the Bulldogs defense a huge lift, bothhad excellent days. Swann recovered two fumbles. Brown made a great play toextend the Bulldogs second half opening drive. Murray then hit Mitchell for atouchdown. The Bulldogs would pull away with one of their halves of the season– scoring the final 37 of the game and outdistancing the Rebels 23-0 after inter-mission. Alec Ogletree recorded a safety. Twin brother Xander Ogletree ran for atouchdown. The downer – Brown was lost for the season with a knee injury.Georgia was a win away from a berth in the SEC Championship Game.

November 10 – AuburnGeorgia – 38, Auburn – 0 In this rivalry which has featured so many upsets and season-spoiling shockers,the Georgia people were leery of the Tigers, despite the Bulldogs 8-1 record andAuburn’s 2-7 record. Well Georgia put on a clinic. The Bulldogs scored on fourstraight long first half scoring drives, while the defense and special teams ex-celled. It was 28-0 at the half. Surreal. Georgia added a long third quarter fieldgoal drive and Marshall broke off a 62-yard touchdown dash to put the finishingtouches on this rout and clinch a berth in the SEC Championship Game. Gurleyand Marshall both ran for over 100 yards and Murray was magnificent through theair. It was the Bulldogs sixth win in the last seven meetings with the Tigers. Overthe past two seasons, Georgia has pounded the Tigers by counts of 45-7 and 38-0. That’s 83-7 in 2011-2012 over Auburn. As for Georgia’s defense, it had sur-render 9, 10, and 0 in wins over Florida, Ole Miss and Auburn – allowing just onetouchdown. But before a date in the Dome, there would be the two in-state foesto deal with.

November 17 – AthensGeorgia – 45, Ga. Southern – 14This was scary for the Bulldogs in the first half. The Eagles famed triple optionwas cutting through Georgia’s defense. With the Dogs on top 10-7, Southern wasmarching deep in Georgia territory. But a chop block penalty pushed ‘em back ona converted 4th-and-1 inside the five. The Eagles would miss a tying field goal.Georgia then drove, and Murray hit Mitchell for a 29-yard touchdown with threeseconds to go in the half, pushing the lead to 17-7 at intermission and allowingthe Bulldogs faithful to exhale a bit. Murray tossed three more touchdowns in thethird quarter as the Dogs pulled away – including one to Chris Conley, his secondscore in as many weeks. It was the second straight home game where the Bull-dogs hit a critical touchdown with under five seconds to go in the first half. Therecord was now 10-1, and on deck – Tech, in the biggest game of all.

November 23 - AthensGeorgia - 42, Tech - 10Make no mistake, the play of the game was Baccarri Rambo's strip and return fromthe Georgia two to midfield with the Bulldogs leading 7-0 in the first quarter. TheBulldogs offense kept pouring the points on, led by tremendous line play, greatrunning from Gurley and Marshall, and a Murray and Mitchell-led passing attack.The defense gave up a bunch of yards, and Tech had seven possessions insideGeorgia territory. But the Bulldogs turned the Yellow Jackets back time and timeagain. Rambo also had a clutch interception that led to the Bulldogs fourth scoreand a 28-3 halftime lead. Gurley's freshman season is the second greatest ever bya Bulldog tailback. This one goes down with the 44-7 victory on the flats in 1981and 51-7 triumph between the hedges in 2002 as one of the most impressiveGeorgia victories in this series over the last 50 years. The tackling lacked attimes, but there's no way to call this anything but an "A-Plus" performance. It willtake that and more for the Bulldogs to topple the Crimson Tide in Atlanta.

The road to the Dome

photo by Rob Saye

Georgia #3 Todd Gurley, TB

When Isaiah Crowell was dismissed from the Georgia team, there was a major concernthat the Bulldogs wouldn’t have standout play at tailback. And therefore, wouldn’t have aspecial season. Well, Georgia upgraded. Big time! Gurley joins Herschel Walker as theonly two freshmen in program history to rush for over 100 yards in a season. In his firstgame, he cracked the century mark and ran a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown.Gurley’s play and ability took Georgia’s expectations to another. He can score a touchdownany time the ball is in his hands. He’s physical, fast, goes forward on tackles and has aknack for the first down marker and end zone. Fellow true freshman Keith Marshall can gothe distance, and has been an outstanding counter-puncher to Gurley, who is cut from thecloth of those great Bulldog tailbacks of the 1980s. Touchdown runs against Vanderbiltand Tennessee, and the toughness displayed in Georgia’s win over Florida were reminis-cent of the Goal Line Stalker himself.

Georgia #29 Jarvis Jones, LB

There is no defender in America who had two games this season that compare to whatJones did in Georgia’s wins over Missouri and Florida. Quite simply, without him, Georgiawould likely have two more losses and most certainly wouldn’t be playing Alabama for theSoutheastern Conference championship. He is the total package - sacks, interceptions,tackles for loss, forced fumbles, recovered fumbles and bone-jarring stops. Jones could bethe No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. He has been a great leader on the team and has been oneof the key figures in the Bulldogs rejuvenation. Georgia has beaten Florida in back-to-backseasons for the first time since 1988 and 1989. Jones two games against the Gators arethe two best individual performances in consecutive contests against Florida since Walker’sincredible trio of showings in the victories of 1980, 1981 and 1982.

Georgia #26 Malcolm Mitchell, WR

It was an intense recruiting battle between Georgia and Alabama for the lightning fast play-maker out of Valdosta. It was a huge win for Georgia. One of the best freshmen in Amer-ica a year ago, Mitchell played corner in the Bulldogs first two games due to Georgia’ssecondary suspensions to start the year. He then moved back to receiver – as well as re-turning some kickoffs and punts – and has been tremendous. Mitchell has made arguablythe biggest play of the year offensively, with his touchdown catch-and-run that gave theBulldogs the final score in the 17-9 victory in Jacksonville. He also hauled in major touch-down receptions in wins over Ole Miss and Georgia Southern. Despite season – ending in-juries to standout receivers Michael Bennett and Marlon Brown, Georgia still has severaloffensive weapons. The two that worry Bama most – make no mistake – are Gurley areMitchell.

Georgia #11 Aaron Murray, QB

In three years as Georgia’s starting quarterback, Murray has broken numerous programpassing records. He’s also an outstanding runner and is at his best, especially againstfierce defenses, when on the move. The next big step for the fourth-year junior out ofTampa is to lead the Bulldogs to a title. In Georgia’s 10-game losing streak to rankedteams, Murray was behind center for all of them. He struggled in the loss, as did everyonein red and black, at South Carolina. He struggled mightily in the win over Florida, throwingthree interceptions. But when the chips were down, he led Georgia on the big drive, andgot the ball in Mitchell’s hands for the big play – on the Bulldogs lone third down conver-sion of the contest – that put the Bulldogs up 17-9. He was tremendous against Kentucky,Ole Miss, and Auburn. Now comes arguably the best defense Georgia will face this season.Records and statistics are great. Legacies are comprised of victories and championships.

The studs that got them there

photos by Rob Saye

— By Jeff Dantzler

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 7

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 98 Bulldawg Illustrated

Georgia 42Ga. Tech 10

Jeff and Kathy Ramsey Ben Jones and Thomas Settles Ellen and Lewis Petree Kaitlin Kehoe and Russ Snell Savannah Downing and Brittany Kimbel Malcolm Mitchell and Damian Swann Emily Stockert and Erin Gish David and Evelyn Dukes Bobby and Sandra Poss Mary Griffin Tate and Whit Orians Jon Stinchcomb and Darryl Jones

Margot Wallis, Sanders Wallis, Molly Lloyd, Tim and CeCe Wallis Jay and Aimee D’Meza, Steven Farmer and Skip Plemmons Zakaria Sheikh, Nirav Patel, Krunal Patel, Anjali Patel, Amee Patel and Dhara Patel

McKinley Cropp, Matt Hansen, David Cumsden and Abby Bergquist

Doris Ramsey and Michael and Mary AdamsOlivia Oyegunle, Loni Gibson, Jessica Burkhalter and PerryWright

Peter, Tom,

John Paul and

Benedict Hoover

Josie,Jennifer,Williamand BuffLeavy

LindsayScott,

CooperSpires,CopeSmith,Knox

Cleveland,Jase Smith,

Ellie Cleveland

AdamCantrelland AJ

Cantrellwith

Uga IX

MattAdes, Al andAngelaHickson

and GregSteffy

Jack andLaurenLindsey

with Uga IX

Ali Hymson, Taylor, Terry and Cole Brown

Brian Clark, Daniel Mickle and Chris Whalen Jake Stanfill, Lindsay Scott and Holly Stanfill Justin Blair, Russell Henley and Chase Stribling Michael and Mary Adams Ansley Walker, Chandler Balentine, Catherine Johnston andKathryn Foley

Sharon Mathis, Liz Williams and Pam Gates

Chris Haddock

Delinah Kozup, Jeremy Kozup, Barkley Richey, Dana Lopez, Mike Blanton, CrystalAllred and JR Allred Robert Stanley and Campbell Adams Jamie Shipes, Brandi Shipes and

Carl Shoemaker

MikeCavan,BarrettTrotter,

John Jenk-ins andRichardSamuel

3207 Paces Ferr y Place | Atlanta, Georgia 30305404-233- 8000 | www.millerbrothers.com

DAVID POLLACK

WEARS MILLER BROTHERS

ESPN analyst and Georgia Bulldog, David Pollack

www.TheSouthernC.com

ENJOY MEMBER : PHOTOS RECIPES

JOIN GROUPS :

THE SOUTHERN COTERIEthe social network of the South

581 S. Harris St. • Athens, GA 30605 • 706.548-7803 • LOCOSGRILL.COMLOCOSGRILL.COM

Dine in • Takeout • Delivery • Catering

AWARD-WINNING WINGS • BURGERS • SANDWICHES • SALADS

gameday…everyday!Crazy Good.

Since 1988 Locos has been serving up game changers like our award-winning jumbo wings and signature burgers. In the past 25 years one thing has never changed—our desire to give you great food, fast, in the ultimate place for fun, beverages and catching the game with friends.

online

ordering

availablenow!

FIRE UP THE DAWGS WITH MAGIC 102!PRE AND POST GAME SHOW EVERY HOMEGAMElive @ Harr is Street

What a season it has been ...donʼt let up Dawgs,

Miami in January is the goal!

MACON550 Professional Dr.

478-741-3007

WARNER ROBINS6084 Lakeside Dr.

478-333-2370

AlabamaSeptember 1 – Arlington, TexasAlabama – 41, Michigan – 14The defending national champions left no doubt that they would be right inthe thick of things again in 2012. Despite losing All-American Heisman Tro-phy finalist Trent Richardson and four star defenders – all five of whom wereamongst the top 35 picks in the NFL Draft – Alabama didn’t miss a beat. Ittook just one game to show that this was a re-load, not a rebuild. It was amatch-up of the defending champs against the 11-2 Sugar Bowl winningWolverines, piloted by Heisman contender Dennard Robinson. Freshman tail-back T.J. Yeldon went over 100 yards and the defense was ferocious, over-whelming Robinson and the Woverines. The signature play was aninterception return by Dee Milliner, which ended with Robinson trying tomake the stop and getting knocked back a couple of yards.

September 8 – TuscaloosaAlabama – 35, Western Kentucky – 0 Nick Saban was happy with the performance against Michigan for an hour ortwo, then at his ensuing weekly press conference berated the media for notgiving enough credit to Western Kentucky, saying it made it tougher for himto keep his players focused. Bama jumped out to a big early lead and Sabancalled off the troops as the Crimson Tide overwhelmed the Hilltoppers. A.J.McCarron had another strong performance, with limited passing, and the de-fense was once again dominant.

September 15 - FayettevilleAlabama - 52, Arkansas - 0 Before the season, it looked like this would be a top match-up with majorchampionship and top ten ramifications. But then Bobby Petrino and that tallblonde and that motorcycle thing happened. Then Arkansas lost toLouisiana-Monroe and the women with the hog on her head made that musicvideo. You could kind of see this one coming. Right? Talk about two teamsgoing in different directions. It was a quick strike for Alabama and they justkept pouring it on. It marked two straight shutouts for Alabama. Throughthree games, their defense had given up a total of 14 points, that's less thanper game up to that point. The offense was showing that it was just aslethal as the defense, and there was no doubt that Alabama was amongst thevery best in the nation, if not No. 1.

September 22 - TuscaloosaAlabama - 40, Florida Atlantic - 7Well the only drama in this one was whether or not Alabama would ring up athird consecutive shutout. But the Owls from Florida Atlantic, who werebeated 56-20 in Athens the week before were able to strike paydirt in thesecond half. The Crimson Tide's margin of victory was absolutely off thecharts at this point.

September 29 - TuscaloosaAlabama - 33, Ole Miss - 14Take note of this, and you can bet that Texas A&M, Kevin Sumlin and JohnnyManziel certainly did. Ole Miss hung in there with Alabama. In fact, prior totheir instant classic at LSU, it was the fewest points they'd scored in a gameand the most they'd allowed. Bama actually trailed 7-6 for less than 10 sec-onds, but struck for a long touchdown to quickly regain the lead. However,Ole Miss's hurry-up offense gave Bama a hard time. Saban even belly-achedabout it, asking at a press conference, "is this what people want to see?"Well what Ole Miss was doing was trying to negate Alabama's superior depthand catch the Crimson Tide defense in advantageous situations. For theTide, wide receiver Amari Cooper was showing that he could be the next JulioJones caliber Crimson Tide wide receiver.

October 13 – ColumbiaAlabama – 42, Missouri – 10This was one of the more bizarre games of the year in the Southeastern Con-ference. The Crimson Tide were doing their usual domination thing, high-lighted by a typically stingy defense and long run from Eddie Lacy. Then itstarted raining, and raining and raining. Then lightning. Elephants andTigers were seen walking two by two as the walkways cascaded rainwater.The game was delayed for over an hour. When it finally started back, therewere less than 1,000 people in the stands. Who could blame them? Thelengthy delay came in the first half, so when the game went to intermission,the actual halftime Mlasted five minutes. Well Bama had a couple of miscuesand gave up a kick return touchdown. But order was quickly restored and Al-abama had chalked up yet another impressive win. Missouri sure got intro-duced to SEC play with Alabama and Texas A&M as their West Division foes.

October 20 – KnoxvilleAlabama – 44, Tennessee – 13In this longstanding, bitter rivalry, played most years on the third Saturday inOctober – and it was nice that this year’s game was actually played on thethird Saturday in October, since tradition doesn’t seem to mean much intoday’s college football landscape – there have been some long win streaks,and conversely droughts. Well Tennessee is in a drought against Alabama,and the Crimson Tide are on a roll against what was once their secondbiggest rival. I think it’s safe to assume that LSU has taken that mantle, atleast for now. McCarron and Cooper hooked up for a wide open score, andthe young freshman’s dynamic play at wide receiver had given the potent Al-abama offense yet another dimension.

October 27 – TuscaloosaAlabama – 38, Mississippi State – 7In a match-up of 7-0 Southeastern Conference unbeatens, you rarely see a23.5 point spread from the boys in the desert. Well, as almost always, theywere onto it. Alabama flat out rolled Mississippi State, delivering the knock-out blow in the first half and never looking back. For a State team that hadits best passing game since maybe John Bond 30 years ago, they had no luckwhatsoever in solving the rugged Crimson Tide defense. McCarron was againlights out, and the trio of Lacy, Yeldon and Cooper again showed that theywere amongst the nation’s best. Bama couldn’t have drawn this up any bet-ter with the Titanic battle that awaited.

November 3 – Baton RougeAlabama – 21, LSU – 17The history between these two over the last five years has been nothing shortof incredible. There was Bama’s overtime win in Baton Rouge in ’08. LSUwon by three at Tiger Stadium in 2010. Then you might have heard, last year,the Fightin’ Tigers beat Alabama 9-6 in overtime in “The Game of the Cen-tury,” pitting No. 1 vs. No. 2. You may also have heard that there was a re-match in New Orleans for the BCS Championship. Alabama dominated in theSuperDome and won 21-0. Talk about a bitter taste for the Tiger faithful.And oh yeah, then there’s that Nick Saban thing. You know, he used to coachthe Tigers. LSU had been struggling offensively, lowlighted by a 14-6 loss atFlorida. But the Tigers got their swagger back with a roaring 23-21 win overSouth Carolina in Death Valley. This would go down as one of the top fivegames of the year in college football’s regular season, if not No. 1. LSU had acouple of gambles backfire and the Crimson Tide took a 14-3 lead to thelocker room. But the Fightin’ Tigers fought back. LSU took a 17-14 fourthquarter lead, but the Tide stuffed a Spencer Ware quarterback sneak andfourth and one and a half. The Tigers proceeded to miss a field goal thatwould’ve put them up six. Then came “the drive.” It will live forever in Tidelore. McCarron quickly and efficiently piloted Bama downfield, then dumped ascreen pass against a blitz to Yeldon. Touchdown Bama! With under a minuteto go. That was all she wrote and Bama had prevailed in one of the mostphysical, emotional games any fan will ever see.

November 10 – TuscaloosaTexas A&M – 29, Alabama – 24Physically and emotionally worn from the battle in Baton Rouge, Bama was introuble against the Aggies. Texas A&M, behind their wonder of a quarterback,redshirt freshman sensation Johnny Manziel, raced to a 20-0 first quarter lead.You just don’t see that. Manziel’s signature play came on a third down deepin Bama territory with the Aggies sporting a 7-0 lead. Alabama had him bot-tled up, but Manziel broke free and threw a touchdown pass. Of course Ala-bama came back, making it 20-14 at the half, and then 20-17. But the Aggiescontinued to take the fight to Alabama. They would build a 29-17 fourthquarter lead. Alabama fought back again, with McCarron throwing a longtouchdown and then hitting another bomb down to the Aggies six. But theTide didn’t score, and McCarron was intercepted on the goal line on fourthdown. With the Aggies set to punt on fourth-and-one with 40 seconds to go,stunningly, Alabama jumped offsides. Yes the Crimson Tide could’ve won atthe end, but A&M left a lot of points on the table with a missed extra point,failed two-point try and missed field goal. Perhaps the classic from the weekprior had been topped as Game of the Year.

November 17 – TuscaloosaAlabama – 49, Western Carolina – 0 The Catamounts came into the game at 1-9. They were one of the worstteams in Division I-AA, now known as the FCS. Bama was favored by 51.5and could’ve doubled that. As it was, Alabama raced to a 42-0 first half leadand threw only six passes for the entire game. Then came the night of may-hem, as Oregon lost to Stanford and Kansas State fell at Baylor. When thepolls came out, the defending champs were right back at No. 2, controllingtheir path to play for the SEC and BCS Championships. On deck, their arch-enemy in the midst of their worst season since going 0-10 in 1950. Only theMiddle East harbors more animosity between two sides than Alabama andAuburn. To say everyone in Crimson was “licking their chops,” or “chompingat the bit,” or whatever cliché you want, would be, well, a cliché-esque under-statement.

November 24 – TuscaloosaAlabama – 49, Auburn – 0This will go down as one of the great days in Alabama history when it comesto flexing the muscles against arch-enemy Auburn. It was 14-0 at the end ofthe first quarter. It was 35-0 at the half. The final was 49-0 – the same scoreas the week before. It was Alabama’s fourth shutout of the season and thebiggest margin of victory in the series since it was brought back in 1948. Ala-bama moved to 11-1 and would play Georgia in the Southeastern ConferenceChampionship Game for a shot at the national title. Auburn finished 3-9 andwent 0-8 in the league, the Tigers first winless SEC campaign since 1980. Yesthe Paul Finebaum Show has been rather one-sided for a few weeks now.

— By Jeff Dantzler

The road to the Dome

photo by www.rolltide.com

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 11

Alabama #75 Barrett Jones, C

The reigning Outland Trophy Award winner as the nation’s premier trench stalwart, Jonesis the centerpiece of college football’s most dominant offensive line. He’s been a standoutat tackle, guard and now center. Jones is very smart and a great football player. He maynot even be the best player on the offensive line. Guard Chance Warmack is an absolutebeast – a bulldozer and tremendous athlete who gets to the second level, creating longgainers. And Bama’s tackle duo of D.J. Fluker and Cyrus Kouandjio are incredible speci-mens. This offensive front is the heart and soul of Alabama’s football team. They set thetone physically and lets a superb cast of skill personnel flourish. Jones is the front-man.For a school that has produced some of the greatest offensive linemen in the history ofthe sport, like all-time NFL legends John Hannah and Dwight Stephenson, Jones, an inte-gral part of two national championship teams already, has a place in Bama’s “Big Ugly”Hall of Fame.

Alabama #10 A.J. McCarron, QB

Putting together one of the better seasons of any quarterback in Alabama annals, McCar-ron is the triggerman for a juggernaut offense that has put up a slew of points. As asophomore and first year starter last season, McCarron got the ball to Trent Richardsonand was charged with distributing the football and not turning the ball over. This season,Tide coach Nick Saban has been able to lean on McCarron to lead the offense. There’s agreat offense line and tremendous backs to work with. Now he’s got Bama’s next greatreceiver to throw to, the sleek freshman blue-chipper Amari Cooper. His touchdown to in-terception ratio is off the charts and McCarron has proved to be a stellar big game per-former. The hit-list with McCarron at quarterback over the last two years includes LSU,Auburn, Tennessee (twice each), Florida and Michigan. He was behind center for lastyear’s national championship game victory over the Bayou Bengals, and now eyes Geor-gia’s defense and an SEC crown.

Alabama #28 Dee Milliner, CB

Almost all of Alabama’s defense from last season’s national championship squad is inthe National Football League. Four of the top 35 picks in the draft were Crimson Tidedefenders. But half of that tremendous secondary secondary is back, with Milliner, theSEC’s top corner, and fellow All-SEC performer, Robert Lester, a stellar safety. Milliner isphysical, fast, tough, agile and has a nose for the ball. One of the signature plays ofthe season came in the opener against Michigan, as he picked off Dennard Robinsonand then when the Wolverine signal caller tried to tackle Milliner on the return, he gotknocked flat backwards. There are few corners who can jam receivers on the line,make sure tackles on premier tailbacks and run down the field with the league’s burn-ers at receiver. Just like fellow corner Dre Kirkpatrick, a first-rounder from a year ago,he’s coveted by pro scouts.

Alabama #4 T.J. Yeldon, TB

What a year it has been for freshmen tailbacks in the SEC. Todd Gurley of Georgia,LSU’s Jeremy Hill and Yeldon have established themselves as some of the elite tail-backs in college football. Yeldon and junior Eddie Lacy are one of the country’s bestone-two tailback punches – if not the best. Lacy has power, breaks tackles, sniffs thegoal line in the red zone and can bust the long one. Yeldon is the total package. He isshifty, breaks through arm-tacklers, has excellent speed – even through cuts, is elu-sive, fast and has body lean. With Bama’s bruising backs and powerful offensive line,the pile always seems to move forward when the Crimson Tide runs the football. Yel-don burst onto the scene in Alabama’s 41-14 season-opening pounding of Michigan inDallas, topping the century mark. Bama had the premier tailback in America last year,Trent Richardson, the third pick in the draft. And the running game hasn’t missed abeat, thanks in large part to Yeldon.

The studs that got them there

photos by www.rolltide.com

— By Jeff Dantzler

Great gift for BULLDAWG

alumni and fans!

Available for sale or pick up at the Baxter Street Bookstore

360 Baxter Street, Athens, Ga. 30605 November 24th December 4-7th December 14th

thehedgefun.com

980-475-4750OR ORDER ONLINE at

Buy a piece of the University of Georgia® historic hedge.Only $30.00 plus shipping and handling.

31 Greensboro Hwy.,Watkinsville, Ga.706-769-7285

4099 Jefferson Rd, Athens, GA706-546-1371

4 Dogwood Plaza, Greensboro, GA.706-453-7549

717 N. Broad St., Monroe, GA770-207-0674

6131 Eatonton Hwy.,Greensboro, GA706-453-0237

1010 Mars Hill Rd.,Watkinsville, GA706-769-6817

591 West Main St., Lexington, GA706-743-8644

8874 Hwy 29 South, Hull, GA 706-227-9966

801 Lamb Ave., Union Point, GA 706-486-4416

16 Lexington Ave., Washington, GA 706-678-5292

10244 Hwy 72 West, Hull, GA 706-353-7795

1237 Historic HomerHwy 441 S, Homer 706-677-4620

100 Wrightsboro Rd.,Grovetown, GA706-863-2175

5171 Macon Hwy.,Bishop, GA706-769-1220

769 N. Main St., Madison, GA706-342-0599

204 E. Hancock St.,Milledgeville, GA478-452-4417

12923 Broad St., Sparta, GA706/444-6889

Call Ahead for Large Orders

GODAWGS

The Match UpJeff Dantzler

JD - Georgia's offensive line wll have its toughest test of the season, and for theBulldogs to win, the unit must have its best game. Georgia has game-breakingstars in Todd Gurley and Malcolm Mitchell, and other weapons that Alabama willhave to account for. But this Crimson Tide defense is tremendous. Four of the top35 picks in the NFL Draft were Alabama defenders. Rebuild right? Reload. TheCrimson Tide leads the nation in scoring defense and is second in total defense.They'll will come after Aaron Murray hard. Georgia MUST get him out moving. Thisdefense is better than South Carolina's, which held the Dogs to seven points, andFlorida's, which allowed only 17 in Georgia's victory. The Dogs have to avoid thecatastrophic turnover. If Georgia can do that, ride Gurley and give Mitchell a coupleof shots to make plays the Bulldogs will have a chance to produce enough points towin. But it starts up front.

Murray - If the Bulldogs’ defense does its part Saturday, then it’s going toput the game in the hands of Aaron Murray and the Georgia offense to scoreenough points to chalk up the win. And that means freshman tailbacks Todd Gurleyand Keith Marshall, along with sophomore bulldozer Ken Malcome, are going tohave to pound the Tide defense and thereby open up the passing lanes for Murrayand his capable receiving corps. And for the Bulldogs to run the ball satisfactorily,the Georgia O-line will have to achieve a stalemate against a Bama defense thatranks second overall in America and gives up only 75 yards rushing a game. TheBulldogs simply have to handle an outstanding linebacking corps that features lead-ing tackler C.J. Mosley, Nico Johnson and Adrian Hubbard as well as safeties RobertLester (13 picks over last three seasons) and Vinnie Sunseri.

Travis - The Alabama coaching staff is one of the best in the country; partic-ularly on the defensive side of the ball. They know that Georgia's success on of-fense relies on the success of the running game. Bama will try to fill the box andstop the run. This means that when Georgia has the ball, Aaron Murray has to beon the top of his game.

When Georgia has the ball

JD - In Georgia's five wins over Florida, Ole Miss, Auburn, Georgia Southern and Tech,the Bulldogs defense has held its own. The coverage on kickoffs has been excellent andCollin Barber has emerged as a weapon at punter - along with Adam Erickson. Mitchell isa big play threat on kickoff returns, though he has brought a couple out of the end zonethat he probably should have downed. It was Mitchell's long kick return that got the Bull-dogs 42-10 pounding of Tech going. Alabama is once again rock solid in the kicking game.They swarm in coverage and are dangerous on returns. It's vital for Georgia not to makethe big mistake on special teams. Remember, last year in the Georgia Dome, it was TyranMathieu's punt return for a touchdown that ignited LSU's runaway victory.

Special teams

Murray - This area is downright crucial for the Bulldogs having success in beatingAlabama. There can be no hiccups in Georgia’s kicking games and kick coverage, as wasthe case in several games this season. Freshman Marshall Morgan is going to have to beperfect on his makeable field goals and PATs, freshman Collin Barber is going to have tokeep the Crimson Tide backed up, with poor field position, with his punts, and it goes with-out saying Georgia’s coverage teams, on both kickoffs and punts, can’t allow Alabama’s ca-pable returners to break anything big.

Travis - Finally, it seems like Georgia has some things straightened out on specialteams after years of struggles. There aren't those huge mistakes anymore. But Alabamahas a stud kicker in Jeremy Shelley. If it comes down to a last second field goal, you cancount on this guy to put it through the uprights. Edge: Alabama.

JD - This is Georgia's biggest game since January 1, 1983 when the top-ranked unde-feated Bulldogs fell to No. 2 Penn State 27-23 in the Sugar Bowl for the national champi-onship. There are enormous stakes in this one, two precious gems on the dream wishlist,a Southeastern Conference championship and berth in the national title game. The winneris the champion of the toughest league in the land plays for the big prize. Alabama is seek-ing its third BCS crown in the last four years under Nick Saban's watch. Bama knows howto win the big game. Georgia had lost 10 straight to teams that wound up ranked in thefinal polls but beat Florida. So it's 1-0 in the last one. And since that victory in Jacksonville,the Bulldogs margin of victory has been impressive. Georgia sniffed the crystal ball in 2002and 2007, but now it's right there for the taking. For the second time this season, I mustquote the Nature Boy Ric Flair - "To be the Man, you gotta beat the Man." Perhaps it isGeorgia's time. This much is clear, it will take AT LEAST Georgia's best performance of theyear to hoist the SEC championship trophy.

Intangibles

Murray - I mean, how much more motivated can either team be for this game,what with a berth in the BCS national championship game staring both the Bulldogs andCrimson Tide smack in the face? Yes, indeed, the emotion is going to be soaring to theroof of the Georgia Dome come Saturday afternoon. Both Georgia and Alabama, with theupset losses of then No. 1 Kansas State and No. 2 Oregon, were given new life to make itto Miami and the Jan. 7 title game so the incentive factor has to be dead even for theDogs and Tide. That means the winner of this game will be determined by which teambests controls those emotions and executes the game plan. Yes indeed, the Dome is goingto be rocking come 4 p.m. kickoff Saturday.

Travis - Shhh don't tell anyone...It's been a closely kept secret but Georgia hasbeen playing better football in the past month than Alabama. Momentum is on the Dawg'sside. But Alabama has been there before. They know how to win championships, some-thing that can't be over looked, especially in a game of this magnitude.

Travis - Alabama's offense is very similar to Georgia's in that their successrelies heavily on the rushing attack. If Eddie Lacy and TJ Yeldon get rolling,Georgia's defense is going to be in loads of trouble. Georgia has to force quar-terback AJ McCarron to beat them.

Murray - The Crimson Tide will be bringing an extremely balanced attack into theGeorgia Dome as, entering the finale against Auburn this past Saturday, Alabama was av-eraging right at 210 yards a game on the ground and 219 per contest through the air. SoTodd Grantham’s defense really can’t concentrate on one particular area in trying to slowdown the Tide attack. In junior tailback Eddie Lacy, who had rumbled for 870 yards and 12touchdowns going into the Auburn game, and freshman T.J. Yeldon, who had rushed for809 yards and 9 scores, Alabama will throw a two-pronged ground attack at the Dogs, butstymie this running game is what the Georgia defense must do to win the SEC title. Neu-tralize a Bama O-line that includes Outland Trophy winner Barrett Jones, slow down Lacyand Yeldon and make Tide QB AJ McCarron beat you through the air would be the Bull-dogs’ best bet. Certainly, however, with McCarron having thrown for 2,291 yards and 21TDs entering the Auburn game, Jarvis Jones and the UGA pass rushers will need to be inhis face the game long.

JD - Georgia's defense will have its hands full with the best offense they've seen allyear. Alabama is led by the nation's most dominant offensive line, one of the country'smost accurate and mistake free quarterbacks, a tremendous pair of elite tailbacks and anelectric wide receiver. Since the narrow escape at Kentucky, despite giving up some yards,Georgia's defense has been exceptional. The Bulldogs have allowed 9, 10, 0, 14 and 10over the past five games - that's 8.6 per dating back to the victory in Jacksonville. JarvisJones has had two of the all-time great individual defensive performances in program his-tory for Georgia this season. He was the national player of the week at Missouri and inJacksonville. He will be the Bulldogs unquestioned emotional leader and the Dogs needhim to make the big plays. But it comes down to the trenches. If Bama candictate with its running game, Georgia is in big trouble. If the Bulldogs can con-trol Alabama's powerful rushing attack, Georgia will have a shot.

When Bama has the ball

Murray Poole Travis Ragsdale

Bulldawg Illustrated’s sports writers break down Georgia-Alabama

photo by www.rolltide.com

photo by Rob Saye

/UGABookstore

Get the gear and show your pride as we follow the Bulldogs to victory

SEC EAST BOUNDGO DAWGS™

SHOP IN-STORE OR ONLINE TODAY

CSE

AST BC E

BOUND

Get the

f l

CSEGO

gear and show yll h B lld

AST BC EWAAWO D

your pride as we

BOUNDS™W ™GS

™

fol

SHOP

llow the Bulldogs

ORE OR ONTP IN-S

s to victory

YAAYODNLINE T

/UGABo

eortoks

Other than Herschel, who is your favorite Bulldog and why?

Ryan - David Pollack because he never took a play off and was a greatleader.Lilly - Knowshon Moreno. He was a great RB that helped us win the SugarBowl.Charlie - Brandon Boykin because he was a great cornerback and kickreturner.

Who is your favorite player on the current UGA roster and why?

Ryan - Jarvis Jones. He has overcome a lot of adversity and came back so hecould try to win a title.Lilly and Charlie - Gurshall. Lilly likes Gurley because he runs like a“gurl” and Charlie likes to watch Marshall break a long run!

Which one of our rivals do you enjoy beating the most?

Ryan - Hands down, the Gators. This was my 21st trip to Jacksonvilleand I enjoyed win #5. I sure hope the next generation of Dawg fansenjoy a better record!

What is the most memorable play you have experienced in person?

Ryan - David Greene to Michael Johnson on 4th down on the Plains to clinch the East in 2002. Led to 1st SEC title since I was Charlie’s age.Lilly and Charlie - Knowshon hurdling a Chippewa in Athens.

What makes you a true Bulldog?

All - We have all been going to watch the Dawgs as long as we can remember and there have been some great memories. The kids go to one road game a year and we’re undefeated. They went to Jacksonville and kept thestreak going!

What makes your tailgating scene so special?

All - love to see family and friends, throw the football and eat some greatfood while we try to predict what lies ahead between the hedges.

FANS OF THE WEEK TRIVIA CONTESTRyan, Lilly and CharlieRutherfordfromAtlanta, GA Winner: Ronnie Kitchens

from Augusta, GA

Whose interception sealed Georgia’s 27-25 win at Alabama in 2002?

Answer: Thomas Davis

Go to bulldawgillustrated.comChance to win $25 gift cards for

the UGA Bookstore at TATE if you answer trivia correctly.

WWW. .com

Ryan Rutherford, Randy Rutherford, Charlie Rutherford, Lilly Rutherford and Cindy Rutherford

WWWW

..WWWWW.W.

m.com

dRutherforand CharlieRyan, Lilly

FANS OF

THE WEEK

Answ

27-2Who

TR

wer: Thomas Davis

25 win at Alabama in 200ception sealed Gose inter

RIVIA CONTE

02?s gia’Geor

EST

Other than Hersche

Atlanta, GAomfr

el, who is your favorite Bulldog

Lilly Rutherford, Randy RutherRyan Rutherforrd

g and why?

Answ

omfrWin

dd and Cindy Rutherforrdrrdd,d, Charlie Rutherforrdrforrd

wer: Thomas Davis

m Augusta, GA nner: Ronnie Kitche

if you answerthe UGA Boo

Chance to win bulldawgto Goens

.ectlyy.r trivia corrreTE Ae at TTAokstorre

ds for $25 gift carrdgillustrated.com

GLill dCh licould try to win a title.

Jarvis Jones. HRyan -

Who is your favorite

nerr.eturrnrreBrandon BoCharlie --

Bowl.KnowshonMorLilly --

leaderr.David Pollack --Ryan

h ll Lill lik G l b

come a lot of adverHe has overrc

ent UGA rroe player on the currre

eat coykin because he was a grre

eat RB that heeno. He was a grrerre

because he never took a play o

yaA

W

LthR

h lik

rsity and came back so he

oster and why?

nerback and kickcorrn

elped us win the Sugar

eatf and was a grreofff

k i !te undefeated. Theyear and we’rre

eae have been some grreandtherree have all been going to wWWeAll -

What makes you a true Bulld

Knowshon hLilly and Charlie -- the East in 2002. Led to 1st SE

eene to MichaeDavid GrreRyan --

ey went to Jacksonville and kepat memories. The kids go to onwatch the Dawgs as long as w

dog?

dling a Chippewa in Athens.hurrds ageEC title since I was Charlie’’s

el Johnson on 4th down on the

pt theoad game ane rro

ememberwe can rre

s.e.e Plains to clinch

d!ecorrdenjoy a better rreand I enjoyed win #5.

Hands down, Ryan --

Which one of our riv

“gurl” and Charlie likes GuLilly and Charlie --

e hope the next generation I surrethe Gators. This was my 21st t

vals do you enjoy beating the

eak a longs to watch Marshall brreurshall. Lilly likes Gurley because

foA

W

s

on of Dawg fanstrip to Jacksonville

e most?

ng run!e he runs like a

edict whafood while we try to prrelove to see family and friendAll -

What makes your tailgating s

eak going!strre

at lies ahead between the hedgow the football and eat sods, thrro

scene so special?

ges.eatome grre

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 13

14 Bulldawg Illustrated

one on oneBy Rob Sherrell

First off tell us what one of the all-time fa-vorites of the Bulldawg Nation, DJ Shockley, is upto now so everyone knows where to find you?

I'm doing a couple things right now. I'm theHigh School Football color commentator for Chan-nel 2. We've got playoff games coming up now. I'malso doing a couple of Georgia shows for CSS andChannel 2. The Dawg Report of CSS comes onWednesday nights at 6:30 pm. Then I also do theSEC Football Tonight show for CSS as well. Thenthe last thing is doing radio for the Falcons postgame show for 790 The Zone.

When Mark Richt came to UGA he said his firstpriority was to sign DJ Shockley. He obviouslywanted you pretty bad. So no matter what hap-pens going forward, you will always be the firstbuilding block of the Mark Richt legacy. When youthink about that, it's got to be pretty flattering?

It an honor to have been recruited by so manypeople. But then to have been recruited by CoachRicht, his track record speaks for itself as far asquarterbacks go. I tell people all the time that Iwas his first recruit at UGA. I take pride in that.That's awesome. And I wanted to play for a guy ofhis caliber. Not just on the field, but what he rep-resents off the field. That's why we're still goodfriends today. So it's definitely an honor to be hisfirst recruit and a guy he really wanted. And thefeeling was mutual.

Everyone knows of your athletic ability, butnot many know you actually were on the SEC Ac-ademic Honor Roll. Can you tell us how hard thatis to do with your schedule and how much itmeant to you?

I took pride in how I represented myself on andoff the field, and I took pride in my education.There are so many stereotypes of athletes, in par-ticular football players, about how they don't dotheir work. So I took that personal and I wanted tomake sure when people looked at me they knewthis guy was a student athlete. I wanted to bethought of as a guy who not only excelled on thefield but also was an intelligent guy in the class-room. So whenever I go speak to kids, I tell themthe two things no one can ever take from me aremy high school diploma and my college degree.

I know in 2005 you obliterated Boise State ac-counting for six touchdowns. For you to be aGeorgia Bulldog, after watching us get whippedin three phases, especially both lines, of the gamein the Georgia Dome last year, was that embar-rassing for you or is it something where you justsay we have to learn from it, move on, and getbetter?

I think it's a little bit of both. At UGA, we al-ways look at ourselves as an elite program. We feltlike we could always dominate who's across fromus. As a spectator and a former player, I was dis-appointed because I know the preparation. I knowwhat goes into it. I know Coach Richt and thoseguys prepared so well for it. But at the same time,our guys did not do enough to get it done. Like yousaid, it all starts up front. If the big boys up frontaren't getting it done, it's going to be a long day. Itwas definitely disappointing, but you have to learnfrom it. And I think the guys did learn because theyended up back in the dome for the SEC.

Well speaking of embarrassing, to me thegame that sticks in my craw during your time atUGA was the '05 Sugar Bowl. I still hurt from thatone. That's not on you as you had a great game. Ifyou had one game you could play over again,which one would it be?

The game I really wish I had back was theFlorida game I didn't get to play in. Auburn wasdisappointing because it went down to the last sec-ond. West Virginia was probably the most disap-pointing because it was on the national stage. Thenwe got down 28-0. We just didn't start the way weshould have, especially since it was the Sugar Bowl.But everybody fought back. It was just a new lookas they did some stuff on offense and defense weweren't used to. By the time we figured it out, itwas too late. I talked to Coach Rodriguez after thatgame, and asked him why he did the fake punt. Hesaid there was no way I was giving you guys theball back because we haven't stopped you in thesecond half.

Well let’s talk about better times. How aboutyour first game at UGA. You're under the lightsagainst Clemson and you showed out. Greeniewas off that night and you really saved the day.How much fun was Athens for you that night?

When I first got to Georgia and saw how bigthe guys were, I said this is ridiculous. I'm not

going to be able to play with these guys. Overtime you gain confidence and you get better. Myfirst game I'm nervous as all outdoors. So it's myfirst game and I just go out and react. I throw atouchdown to Terrance. I ran one in as well. Imean there's nothing like Athens on a Saturdaynight and it was my first game. It's hard to ex-plain how good of a feeling it is to be in that en-vironment. It's definitely something that I willalways remember.

You talked about talking to kids earlier. Iknow in Athens that you and Greg Blue spent alot of time working with kids. Is that somethingCoach Richt said you should do, an order thatcame from your parents, or just something youchose to do on your own because a lot of kidsdon't have father figures these days?

It's really a collection of all those things.They always put it out there that it good for youguys to do this. Then growing up, I come from afamily where you always want to help others. Butfrom my mind frame, it was just we were in sucha good position to be role models for that youdon't know how much it means to kids. And aftera while it feels real good because you walk in aroom and kids' eyes light up. You know you'vechanged their day, which is remarkable.

This is a two-part question. Since the adventof the reality show, wives are making husbandswatch some truly awful TV. What bad TV are youcurrently being forced to occasionally watchand what TV shows do you currently enjoywatching?

Yeah. My wife watches all those "BasketballWives.” All those crazy shows. "Love and HipHop,” this and that. She really loves those shows.So I watch those. But the ones I like right noware "Sons of Anarchy" and "Breaking Bad.” I'mjust watching them religiously right now.

When we got thumped in Columbia thisyear, it was horrible. We looked inferior in allphases of the game despite having what manyfelt to be better talent. Basically, we were justflat. We were out coached and outplayed. Whatdoes Coach Richt need to avoid that from hap-pening again?

I think it's a couple of things. From beingaround Coach Richt and being in a scenariowhere we have to go into a hostile environment,trust me, he had those guys ready. I'm sure theyhad a great game plan. But sometimes thingsjust don't go right or players don't come to thegame with the same mentality that they're goingto take over and be that productive. Not to saythat this was the key part of the game, but thatfirst series when they throw it deep, There,Rambo has a chance to intercept it and doesn't,That was kind of like the tell-tale sign of how thegame was going to go. We were there to makethe play, but just didn't make it. It's not so muchthe coaches all the time. They can only do somuch. The players have to go out and they haveto play the game. They've got to execute well.When I played in 2005, guys took it upon them-selves to say, "Hey, we've got to play this game.If we want to make something of our season, wehave to do it." Once you get between those lines,you've got to do it.

When Coach Richt hit the SEC in 2001, winswere there for the taking. I think Mike Shula was atAlabama, Loose Bolts was at South Carolina, Zookcame in the next year at Florida, Chan Gailey wasat Tech, and so on. Now, you've got Saban at Bama,Spurrier back, Johnson at Tech, and Urban Meyerwon two BCS titles at Florida before moving on.The coaching landscape has changed and it's got-ten tougher. How would you rate Coach Richt inthe current class of SEC coaches?

I think the most obvious thing you have to startwith is National Championships. That’s what every-body is pretty much graded on. I know LSU has acouple, Alabama has couple and Florida has as well.But if you look at Coach Richt's tenure, he's averag-ing nine or ten wins a season. And people talk aboutgetting rid of Coach Richt. I think it's just crazy forpeople to say that. If you bring another guy in,you're going to expect him to win immediately. If hedoesn't win ten games a year, then you're going tobe like "We should have kept Coach Richt." CoachRicht is a coach that gets the most out of his play-ers. When I was there, players always gave every-thing they had for him. To have that kind of respectis awesome. To go against the guys he's goingagainst now, Les Miles, Saban, and Spurrier? I meanit's a who's who of coaching in the SEC because theSEC is the top conference. Everybody wants to playin it and the coaches want to be in it. And expecta-tions are always high. For the most part, Coach Richthas lived up to them for the most part. The biggestthing is just trying to get that National Championshipout of the way.

After college everyone knows you ended upwith the Falcons for four years. You never reallygot a chance to start early there and then MattRyan took over later in your career. A lot of guyscan't handle that situation and can disrupt teamchemistry because of a "Me First" attitude. Wereyour three years at UGA backing up Greenie some-thing you could use to stay ready as a backup inthe NFL?

Yeah, absolutely. It definitely prepared me forthat backup role because I knew what it took to pre-pare for it. Everyday I prepared just like I was goingto be the starter. When I was at Georgia. I knew Iwas always one play away. That was the same wayin the NFL. I knew I had to be ready when my timewas called. You know if you're not ready, then theyreplace you. You had to be ready at all times. I justhad the mentality "I'm going to be the starter so I'vegot to prepare like a starter." I did everything astarter did so when my time came no one could eversay, "This guy wasn't ready."

I know you're married with a daughter aroundthe age of three, what was she this past Hal-loween?

I am married with a daughter. I also have a son aswell. He's seven months old. My daughter is two and ahalf and she was Minnie Mouse for Halloween. She lovesMinnie and Mickey. So she was Minnie Mouse and shewalked around with the outfit on and went trick or treat-ing everywhere.

One of my favorite stories about you is whenthe Athens zoo got that bear and they let the gradeschool kids name it. They could pick any name inthe world and they picked DJ Bear, after you obvi-ously. I don't know anyone else with a bear namedafter them. How proud did that make you feelwhen it happened?

Aw, man! That was probably one of the high-lights of my life right there. Some little kids not onlyknew who I was, but wanted their bear that wasbeing moved in to the zoo to be named after me. Igot a good joy out of that. I actually still have theframe and everything they gave me for naming thebear DJ. So that was a pretty cool part of my liferight there.

There's lot of great players in the NFL. Many ofthem played at some very storied programs. Whatis the overall perception of Mark Richt and thestate of the UGA football program by players in theNFL?

For the most part, everybody respects Georgia.Everybody loves their own school, but everybody re-spects Georgia, especially in the SEC because every-body knows the talent it puts out. They know thetype of guys that we are and the type of guys thatthey've played against. Obviously, you think aboutthe teams that are winning National Championships,and they're kind of put on a different pedestal. Andthen you have Georgia and everybody else that'ssort of right on the cusp of being that NationalChampionship talk. But they still respect it in thatsame class. People know we're playing in BCS bowlsand winning lots of games. So we're definitely re-spected.

Getting Shocked: D.J. Shockley

photo by Rob Saye

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 15

2125 N. Decatur Rd. Decatur, GA 30033

404.634.6294 Go Dawgs!

We are more talented ...

Gruff & GrumpBy Chad White and Al Hickson

Dawgs beat the Nerds … again. Itnever gets old. Now, moving on …

11-1. You’d have to admit it doeshave a nice ring to it. The boys have comea loooooong way from that dismal night inearly October. Who would have believedthis that night? Not us. Not you either.

What many have waited a lifetime tosee is now before us. Those that have seenit, have not seen this situation in 30 years.For the first time since the days of Her-schel Walker, the University of Georgiafinds itself in an after November matchupwith real and honest to goodness meaningin the chase for the Crystal Ball.

Let us not cloud these waters. This iswhat it is all about. SEC championshipsare great. National Championships arebetter. Like a wise man said over theweekend, an SEC championship game is abusiness trip. It is a time to get to workand get it done. But, unlike the previousfour trips to the Dome, this time it is evenbigger. This time we are on a business tripthat happens to be to play in game for theNational Championship.

So, first things first. Big, bad Alabama awaits us. We say

bring em on. Apparently so does BacarriRambo. It probably is not the best thingthat ajc.com has his words on the frontpage. Surely, they have found their way tothe walls of the Alabama locker room.

“We are more talented,” says Rambo. Well, you know what? We think so

too. We are loaded. Totally and com-pletely loaded. Our defense has NFLplayers all over the place. Jarvis Jones isthe best football player in the country andif there is a better linebacker than AlecOgletree not named Jarvis it could not bemore than one or two. We could rattle offall the rest of the names on our defense butwe all know them. And, yes, we will printShawn Williams. We should probably sayShawn Williams just as many times as pos-sible. You know, Shawn Williams reallydoes appear to be the spark of this resur-gence. Just like that, Shawn Williams wassaid three times. Or was it four? Eitherway it is still not enough.

The challenge is that talent is just that.Talent. Will it go unrealized is the ques-tion. Alabama has plenty of talent, as well,

rest assured. And, they have the best headcoach in college football. They are a teamthat plays with incredible focus and exe-cution. Let’s be real about this, a lack offocus and execution has derailed many adream of Dawg fans in the past.

This game will be huge in the legacyof Aaron Murray. Clearly the record bookswill forever show him as an all-time typequarterback. That is not why we playthough. We play for championships. Weplay for the ring. If Murray can play as heis capable, he can jump to the front of theline in the discussion of Dawg quarterbackgreats.

The last time we squared off with Al-abama has become infamous and also agame that many point to as the point intime that the Dawgs lost their way. Thatwill all change with a victory SaturdayNight. It will not be easy. We see threekeys to this game:

1) How will Aaron Murray play andcan he give us a complete game in thebiggest one of his career?

2) Playing a clean game and avoid-ing sloppiness in turnovers and penalties.This goes without saying every week. But,it REALLY is imperative this week.

3) Stopping the Bama run. Their of-fensive line is tremendous. It is the criticalmatchup, we believe.

The way we feel is like this. We couldnot have scripted this any better. Saturdaynight we will get to play right down theroad from our campus against the premierteam in all of college football. The Dawgswill have their chance to take the next stepto becoming that team. We get to drive tothe game. They will have to fly. Granted,the temperature will be the same for bothteams. Nothing we can do about that.

And, who better to beat for the SECtitle than Alabama? They are pretty muchjust a lower life form of people (excluding,of course, our friends from that state) whohappen to have played a higher form offootball than have most in the past century.We say that all ends this coming weekend.It is time for the University of Georgia Bull-dogs to take what should rightly be ours.

The time is now. Let’s get to it boys.We will be hollering for you.

Go Dawgs!

photo by Rob Saye