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Staying Alive: Road to the Dome

Posted on Oct 7, 2008 by Austin Keeble  | 

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Athens—It is officially fall football. Apparently, temperature and intensity in Athens have an inverse relationship. After a devastating loss to Alabama, the Dawgs are backed into a corner with two critical SEC East opponents, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, on the horizon. This is not only the midpoint of the season and the meat of the schedule; it also conjures up memories from 2007 that many had hoped to forget. After already losing to SEC East opponent South Carolina, the Dawgs were thrashed by the Volunteers 35-14 in route to their second division loss in the first half of the season. The next week, Vandy kept it close – too close. The perceived tailspin cultivated a new Richt and a new season as Knowshon exploded onto the scene the following game against Florida. Trinton Sturdivant and Jeff Owens will be on the sidelines. The black jerseys didn’t work. Nobody is dancing to Soulja Boy. The Bulldogs need to find a way to win down the stretch in 2008.

The first thing I noticed today at practice was the intensity. I was talking to the producer of the Mark Richt Show who was filming bits for his next segment when Coach Richt interjected, “no video today”. Coach Richt wasn’t interested in friendly fire from the cameras, even for the show that bears his name. Richt, always amiable to the media, has his reasons. The Bulldogs need to win this week. Coaches hollered at Demiko Goodman for letting the ball hit the turf and punished Ramarcus Brown with pushups following a pass interference call in the end zone. It’s only practice, right? Wrong. This is where the Georgia coaches will try and turn around one of the only things within their control: penalties. This is the time to mold our defense’s energy into calculated chaos and correct the mental mistakes on offense that stymie the otherwise efficient attack.

Tennessee will visit Athens with the Great Pumpkin, Philip Fulmer, at the helm. Fulmer realizes that another loss will most certainly jeopardize his job security considering the team’s lackluster performance in recent years. Who would have thought that we might be in danger of overlooking Tennessee due to a 5-0 Vanderbilt? The leaves are beginning their annual exodus and the temperatures are consistently dropping. It’s my favorite season. College Football season.

Tagged: tennessee, penalties, richt, fulmer, bulldogs