It’s always an interesting exercise to watch a sports columnist try to shoehorn a few quotes and vague observations into a definitive diagnosis and prescription for a team. Jeff Schultz gives it his best shot.

The suggestion that Mark Richt is soft or bland or an unemotional robot isn’t new. It’s been the favored position of many message board denizens for years. I don’t blame them. They just see Richt on television or hear him on radio where he is calm, polished, and even a bit boring.

In fact, Georgia was dealing with this same perception five years ago. In 2002, Georgia beat Alabama in the Bulldogs’ most recent trip to Tuscaloosa in the famous "Man Enough" game. It’s a coincidence on the eve of another trip to Alabama that Schultz does his best Pat Dye impersonation and calls the Dawgs "soft" while questioning Richt’s ability to light a fire under the team.

This is one of those topics that tells you quickly who has spent much time at a Georgia practice or speaking with players about the subject. A Georgia practice isn’t church, and Richt is as intense about his job as any of his peers. How do you last for 20 years coaching major college programs without that intensity? Details like that are no match for a columnist at a press conference with a story in mind:

There are all sorts of theories as to why Georgia lost to South Carolina, not the least of which has to do with Steve Spurrier, needles and a little puppy voodoo doll he keeps on his nightstand. Matthew Stafford was off target. His receivers were off kilter. His offensive coordinator was off his rocker.

But here’s another possibility: They’re soft, and their coach is lacking in the verbal equivalent of a forearm shiver.

Let me translate: "Ignore all that football stuff and let’s run with my pet theory."

Schultz tries to bolster his point with a very selective (and incorrect) memory about Richt’s approach to team discipline.

Richt used to be soft on crime. Telling Odell Thurman to run stadium steps wasn’t going to fix the problem. But it was residual from Bobby Bowden’s school of discipline. Eventually, Richt changed. Even he grew tired of the arrests and the criticism. He got tougher.

Odell Thurman was actually kicked off the team in 2002 for disciplinary reasons and spent that season at Georgia Military College. The Dawgs started the 2003 season at Clemson with eight players suspended. Do you remember the name Randall Swoopes? Georgia’s center of the future was kicked off the team in 2003. Jasper Sanks was shown the door during Richt’s first season, leaving the Dawgs with only a fullback named Haynes to carry the ball. Schultz’s argument that Richt’s toughness in disciplinary matters was a reluctant evolution is exactly opposite of the historical record.

Just as Richt’s approach to discipline didn’t need or receive a sudden injection of toughness, Richt’s personal toughness is grossly underrated by those who just see the public face of the program. A former player wrote on the DawgVent several days before Schultz’s column,

Mark Richt is as intense as they come. He is an obsessive hard ass. And he’s tough. I don’t think any of these posters commenting that he’s too "soft" or "calm" or "lacks killer instinct" have ANY clue what he’s really like as a coach. The renewed toughness of our program didn’t come from VanGorder or Fabris or Garner – it was a mandate from Mark Richt. He is the last coach on our staff any player wants to cross or upset, and the competitive fire burns hotter in Mark Richt than any one person in our program.

I don’t know what measurement of physical toughness Schultz is using. A new offensive line with two freshmen going against an experienced defensive front seven was able to match South Carolina’s running game production. The Dawgs defense bowed up and kept Spurrier and his senior quarterback from doing much damage. The Western Carolina head coach said this week, "I feel that Georgia will be the most physical team we have faced since I’ve been here at Western. They appear more physical on film than was Alabama, so this week will be a big challenge for us this weekend." Sounds "soft" to me.

I also don’t see many problems with the mental toughness of a team and coach that stared a 6-loss season in the face last year and rebounded from a horrific midseason with three straight wins over ranked opponents. They also refused to fold down by several touchdowns to the #1 defense in the nation.

Richt will remind no one of Woody Hayes. He’s not going to get into a trash-talking competition with Steve Spurrier. Schultz and others seem to be waiting on Richt to club a player on the sideline to show his intensity, but all they have to do is open their eyes to how this program has operated for six years. Schultz downplays several times the effects of youth and maturity on this team, but sometimes the answers are just that simple.

The Crimson Tide have added an expansion to the north side of their stadium since we last visited in 2002, and the seating arrangements have changed as a result.

Most Bryant-Denny seating charts don’t tell you much, but this one from the Tide Pride booster program tells you everything.

Georgia’s sections will be:

• Lower level: partial sections LL, MM, NN in the northeast corner
• East upper deck (U4): complete sections AA, BB, PP, QQ, RR
• North upper deck: Sections 418-429

With the exceptions of those in upper AA and BB, all visitor tickets are on the north / northeast sides of the stadium.

If you get a chance, come in from the north side of the stadium. Part of their expansion project was a very impressive entryway and plaza leading from the Denny Chimes area of campus. It’s really well done. From the 1980s when Bama didn’t even play many of their home games in Tuscaloosa, the stadium has come an awful long way. When you see the improvements, there’s no question that they’ve taken the lead in the in-state stadium arms race.

While fans continue debating who should be fired, shot, or just merely ridiculed after a loss, we could all probably take some pointers from the prospects who were at the game.

Lineman Omoregie Uzzi has offers from all over the South. His comments after Saturday’s game?

"That loss has nothing to do with me or my situation," he said. "It doesn’t mean anything at all to me. Georgia is still Georgia and it is not a big deal."

Tight end Dwayne Allen also didn’t seem too bothered.

"It was a great atmosphere at Georgia on Saturday," said Allen. "Georgia did not come out on top, but the crowd was great, the team played hard and it was a lot of fun. They lost, but I had a great time overall."

Safety Nick Williams had a pretty level head about the loss.

"The loss doesn’t hurt Georgia at all," he said. "Georgia is a good team and they will bounce back. This is football. Any team can win on any given day. Both schools played hard and Georgia came up a little short, but that doesn’t mean anything to me. I still like them a lot."

By the way, Williams, a four-start safety prospect from Bainbridge, committed to Georgia on Sunday.

Taking timeout from my usual provincial focus for a quick word about the USC-Nebraska game this weekend:

1. Southern Cal shows up for big games. Your best chance against them seems to have them sleepwalk into a game. Build it up into a really meaningful game, and they’re usually up to the challenge. Few teams seem to relish the spotlight consistently like the Trojans. Nebraska can’t help placing a lot of "we’re back" emphasis on this game, but that’s really not the game you want to play with SoCal.
2. LSU (and to some extent Oklahoma) used a high-profile opportunity last weekend to make some noise early in the season. LSU moved into a near dead-heat with SoCal in the AP Poll after whipping Virginia Tech, and Oklahoma jumped to #3 after destroying Miami. With Notre Dame becoming more and more of a non-factor, this Nebraska game is pretty much SoCal’s last chance for a significant nonconference win this year.

With that in mind, I see Southern Cal laying it on the Cornhuskers this weekend. It’s their chance to reclaim some of the spotlight – they are #1 after all – and they have to have noticed the impressive wins by LSU and Oklahoma last week. Getting a nice, big, high-profile win on the road this weekend would do a lot to remind people who still controls the national title discussion.

I do agree that it does seem like 2003 again when LSU, Oklahoma, and Southern Cal seem to be making claims as the top teams (agreeing also with CFR’s observations about the subtle differences between the two seasons). But the season is young, and other teams like Florida and West Virginia will still have plenty to say along the way.

Fourth down calls

I like the new "Water Girl" segments on the Mark Richt show where Kathryn Richt plays the role of the "what the heck are you doin’, coach?" fan and asks her husband a question about the game. The two questions to this point were very reasonable and probably crossed most of our minds at some point. This week, she asked about the decision to kick a field goal on 4th and 15 with 5 minutes remaining.

Most people I’ve read since the game seem to have the right perspective on that call. There was certainly a decision to be made, but few have argued that the field goal was flat out the wrong choice. Most saw a reasonable chance that Georgia could get the ball back in time for a final attempt at a touchdown drive, and I agree.

Earlier in the game, Richt faced another fourth down decision. The Dawgs attempted a 4th and 2 conversion from the South Carolina 32 early in the third quarter. The attempted play-action pass backfired spectacularly, and South Carolina soon drove a short distance for a field goal. This was such a turning point in the game. Georgia, trailing 10-3, had just received the most electrifying run by a Bulldog in Sanford Stadium since Michael Cooper’s breakaway in 2003 against these same Gamecocks. Richt gets so much grief for settling for field goals, but I’m surprised not to see anyone suggesting that a field goal in this situation might have been the right call. Though the first down was tempting, it was just soul-crushing to get nothing from Moreno’s great run. Instead of getting something positive, the Gamecocks soon extended the lead to 10.

What do those two fourth down calls have in common? The focus shouldn’t be on fourth down – it should be on Knowshon Moreno and the subsequent three plays in each series.

In the third quarter, Moreno had just ripped off a run from deep in Georgia territory to bring the ball near the South Carolina 40. He followed that up with a 5-yard run on first down. On the next play, Moreno went in motion leaving Southerland as the lone back in the backfield. Southerland managed just a couple of yards on the carry. Thomas Brown was stuffed on third down leading to the pivotal fourth down decision.

In the fourth quarter, the Dawgs were once again the beneficiary of some nice Moreno carries. He had consecutive 10-yard runs to move the ball to the South Carolina 11. From that moment, Moreno disappeared. Three incompletions and a penalty set up the relatively easy 4th and 15 decision.

I admit that it’s painful hindsight to make the case that Moreno should have been more of a factor in those series after some nice runs. Passes or other backs can be and sometimes are effective changes of pace when a defense is keying on a certain guy. Still, the "what if" of not using Moreno in those situations is as big of a question in the game as those pivotal fourth down calls themselves.

Relishing that great win over UAB

When it was introduced several seasons ago, the pregame video featuring Larry Munson was fresh and gave the crowd a charge. Now, the production is stale and more or less dead air for a couple of minutes. The Redcoats take the "hymn" in "Battle Hymn" literally and play the piece at a nearly inaudible level. But the worst of it is the absolutely forgettable footage that passes for great moments in Georgia football history. Of course you have to tip the cap to 1980 and Herschel and that era. Then we get treated to a series of highlights against…UAB and Mississippi State. Thomas Brown’s kickoff return in a loss to Tennessee is also featured.

I understand that they want to feature current players, but Matthew Stafford has done a bit more in his brief career that is worth reliving than a meaningless mop-up touchdown run against UAB. Nothing from the Auburn game? Massaquoi’s catch for the ages against Tech doesn’t make the grade? The comeback in last year’s bowl game is left on the cutting room floor. That’s just laziness – update the video and keep it fresh. Weekly would be best – there are only seven home games for Pete’s sake. I’ll get by somehow without reliving a dramatic sack of Michael Henig one more time.

I should say that the other video additions during the game have been well-done for the most part. When you get past the Georgia Power or Chrysler advertising, they come at appropriate times when the Redcoats aren’t playing and do the job of getting the crowd stirred up a bit.

"Evil" I can accept

It’s been since 2001 that a team coached by Steve Spurrier beat Georgia. That’s ancient history to most of Georgia’s players. When it comes to Bulldog fans with long memories though, Spurrier is still very much in their (our) heads. How so? Even after a game in which the Dawgs failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2001, we’re still talking about Spurrier. No South Carolina team since 1996 has scored more than 21 points on Georgia, yet here we are talking about the Evil Genius beating us. Spurrier has been about as effective with his offense as Skip Holtz was. Not many of us know a thing about the guys who have really been a thorn in Georgia’s side. Men named Charlie Strong and Tyrone Nix have been far more problematic for the Bulldogs than anyone named Holtz or Spurrier.

This same point applies in Jacksonville as well. While it will be Meyer-this and Meyer-that, his offense has scored just 14 points in each meeting against Georgia so far. Meanwhile, Georgia has broken 20 on the Gators just three times since 1993. There’s Charlie Strong’s name again…someone find that guy a head coaching job.

It’s going to be the overused stat you hear for some time thanks to Steve Spurrier. Georgia’s 1-4 mark against the SEC East last year coupled with Saturday night’s loss means that Georgia is 0-5 against the SEC East since winning in Columbia last year.

What you won’t hear is that the Dawgs currently hold at least a one-game winning streak against every single SEC West school.

Both bits of trivia are about equally relevant to this year’s prospects and to the state of the program. One will be cited a lot more than the other until the Dawgs play Tennessee in a few weeks.

Georgia is #25 in the coach’s poll and #23 in the AP poll.  South Carolina entered the coach’s poll at #23 and are at #17 in the AP poll.  Georgia’s next SEC opponent, Alabama, is still unranked but could earn their way in with a win over Arkansas next weekend.

Last night’s 16-12 loss to South Carolina was nearly a perfect storm of ineptitude on offense. The line had its problems with protection, especially in the first half. Then when Stafford had time, he made several poor decisions and throws. Then when Stafford was close to target, the dreaded drops plagued the Dawgs again.

But when he faced the inevitable barrage of questions after the game, Stafford was quick to fall on the sword.

“I lost us the game,” said Stafford, without hesitation. “There’s no question about that.”

That statement might be stretching it a bit much – as I said above, most players on offense (save Moreno)  could do with some introspection today.  Not to pile on Stafford, but it is good to see him taking a very critical look at his performance last night.  He should – it wasn’t good. 

The protection will have lapses.  Receivers will drop passes.  But Stafford still had the chance to make several more plays than he did.  His growth and progress won’t be linear, and bumps in the road like last night should be important lessons along the way.  We know that he can and will have much better games, but they won’t come without much more work.

Stafford arrived with much hype and promise, and his performance at South Carolina last season stepping in for the injured starter got the ball rolling.  Though he finished the 2006 season much better than he started it, I think he would be the first to tell you that he’s not there yet.  Last night was an opportunity for him to place a struggling and lethargic offense on his shoulders, and he wasn’t up to it. 

Stafford was harsh on himself, but there was no finger-pointing.  “I’ve just got to go back to the film room and do what I can to get better,” he said.  That’s exactly the approach you hope for from the leader of the offense, and, given Stafford’s talent, it’s slightly reassuring to know that he’s not satisfied with his performance either.

In 2nd-and-long (7+ yards) situations, Georgia was nearly twice as likely to run as they were to pass. (11 runs / 6 passes)

Even allowing for the late-game clock-killing strategy, 8 of those runs came in the first three quarters. The results were mixed. Five of the runs went for at least four yards. There were a pair of long-ish runs on 2nd-and long: one each by Stafford and Thomas Brown. Only 1 of the 11 yards went for a loss.

The Dawgs only had one run on 3rd and long, and it was a sack of Stafford in the 4th quarter.

While this stat is probably meaningless, it is a small window into Coach Bobo’s commitment to the running game. Running on 2nd and long didn’t make the Dawgs more likely to eventually earn a first down, but it usually did make 3rd down more manageable. Thomas Brown’s 17-yard run on a 2nd and 27 moved the ball to midfield and set up Stafford’s 3rd down strike to Bailey which turned into a big play (and of course an eventual touchdown).

Does bouncing back against Oregon really prepare Michigan players to have their wives run off with drummers in 20 years?

I’ll be more or less out of pocket for the rest of the week. It’s just as well – it will keep me from dwelling too much on the last game or the challenges of the next opponent.

There will be intermittent posts, but we’ll be back in force after the South Carolina game.

It’s amazing how some guys making plays can make coaches look good.

Now that Neil Callaway has left the staff, the three coaches that catch the most crap are John Eason, John Jancek, and Willie Martinez. Eason gets the blame for a legacy of drops (even when it’s not a receiver dropping the pass). Jancek gets criticism mainly because he follows a linebacker coach who worked with guys like Boss Bailey and Odell Thurman. Though Martinez had a top 10 defense last year, fans remember Tennessee’s 51 points and late drives by Vanderbilt and Kentucky and of course the West Virginia game of 2005.

After Saturday’s season opener, these three maligned coaches suddenly look like Broyles Award candidates. (OK…we won’t get ahead of ourselves.)

The receivers have said that they have something to prove this year, and the early returns are very promising. I saw only one ball I’d consider a flat-out drop, and Tony Wilson did plenty to make up for it. What a debut. Sean Bailey – welcome back. He looked like a senior ready to make the most of his final season. Massaquoi didn’t have many catches, but his blocking and that special teams play showed how an upperclassman makes an impact even when passes aren’t coming his way.

The linebackers were everywhere. If Ellerbe wasn’t in the backfield, he was chasing someone down. Miller was knocking people silly. Curran had an impressive debut. I admit that I was worried about the unsettled alignment moving Ellerbe inside, but there is no question that it worked.

So for the second time in three seasons, a team widely picked as a possible upset special because of a sophisticated offensive scheme gets handled in Athens. We knew that Georgia had speed and talent on this defense, but there was a question whether or not the inexperience would hurt. Being “all over the field” isn’t just a cliche with this defense.

The defense set the tone for the game. Oklahoma State elected to receive, and the Bulldog defense held the Cowboys to a 3-and-out. The appreciative crowd rattled the long-snapper, OSU muffed their punt, and Georgia grabbed the momentum barely a minute into the game. The Georgia defense allowed only one OSU drive over six plays and over 50 yards.

Georgia was well-prepared on defense, executed nicely for an opening game, and made the self-proclaimed “greatest show on earth” look average. OSU looked like the team with the freshmen offensive line. Georgia pressured Reid with stunts, twists, blitzes, and just straight speed from the undersized ends. Howard settled any questions about his ability, and fans now know who Roderick Battle is. Even Lomax and Dobbs had an impact. The pressure clearly got to Reid – he made several throws under pressure that would make Reggie Ball wince. Some of Georgia’s biggest defensive headaches last season came against mobile quarterbacks, and the Dawgs handled this one well.

Here’s where I make the usual disclaimers. It was only one game against an unranked opponent. It wasn’t an SEC game where you only get one week of preparation. Let’s hold off on proclaiming Georgia an SEC contender based on one game. There is still plenty to work on.

All of that is true. But for one game, Georgia had as good of a performance as most of us could expect in a season opener. The coaches had the team prepared, and players at almost every position came through. Is this the best the Dawgs will offer in 2007, or is it just the beginning?

I want to go back to U-G-A,
Back to dear old Athens town,
Back where we say “To Hell with Tech!
Back to where I spend my check.
Want to go back to U-G-A,
Back to dear old Athens town
Want-a go back,
Gotta go back
To U-G, U-G, G-E-O-R-G-I-A.

I was going to add some last minute insignificant analysis, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Athens calls. We’ll see you post-game with thoughts, stats, and hopefully a little video. Whatever happens this season, enjoy the trip the Dawgs take us on, and remember why we keep going back.

Kudos to Marc Weiszer of the ABH for raising this topic. Often a game that is hyped as a showdown between units or players ends up turning on something else entirely. A great pitcher’s duel turns into a slugfest. A basketball battle between dominant centers is won by outside shooting. Happens all the time. There are other people on the field, and the real opportunities and threats can come from places other than the matchups in the spotlight.

Weiszer highlights OSU tight end Brandon Pettigrew as a possible x-factor in Saturday’s game. A good mix of size and speed comparable to Leonard Pope, Pettigrew could present matchup problems for linebackers and defensive backs in the middle of the field. That’s a good pick by Weiszer, and we’ll have to add the tight end now to the list of things to watch.

We’ve been over the Dawgs so many times that it seems like a wasted effort to try to uncover that hidden angle. You could mention Georgia’s placekicker Brandon Coutu, but he’s hardly a secret weapon. With Matthew Stafford in the spotlight on offense, one might even pick a running back like Thomas Brown or Knowshon Moreno as Georgia’s x-factor. Weiszer went with OSU’s tight end; will Georgia’s be as much of a concern for the OSU defense?

Since I don’t know what I’m talking about anyway, I’m going to go out there and make my pick of middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe as Georgia’s x-factor in this game. He’s played well enough on the inside during the preseason to make the coaches scrap their Brandon Miller experiment. Against a diverse and balanced offense, the man in the middle will be put under tremendous pressure, and I look for Dannell to come through.

Construction

Construction is a given on campus, and this year’s construction will impact the gameday experience for many fans.

Work continues on the new art school on East Campus. I believe this construction was already underway last year, but the lot below the Performing Arts Center is still unavailable. If you have any questions about parking or similar topics, visit the Gameday Gameplan Web site.

The biggest change will be the work on the Tate Center expansion and addition. A large parking lot adjacent to Sanford Stadium (at the site of the former Stegeman Hall) is unavailable during this construction. The project will create an underground parking deck on top of which the Tate expansion will sit. This construction will especially impact the DawgWalk. While the lane from Lumpkin Street to the stadium is still there, there is much less space in which to congregate and move around. If you’re planning on being part of the DawgWalk (scheduled for 5:05 p.m.), allow extra time to get around the construction and find a place.

Concessions

• Moe’s and McAlister’s Deli will open locations in the stadium. Moe’s will be in the west endzone concessions, and McAlister’s will be up on the 600 level.
• Stadium souvenir cups will honor Larry Munson this season with a set of seven cups featuring seven of his most famous calls.
• For more stadium-related shopping and eating enhancements, read this press release from the University.

Characters

Finally, congratulations to my friend Thomas Lanford for well-deserved recognition in the Atlanta paper today. He puts an incredible amount of work into hosting a tailgate party for each game, and a group of some great people has been built up and sustained for some ten years now around his generosity and effort. While they might not all have the culinary chops of Thomas, many of us have those people in our tailgating groups that hold things together. They might cook. They might be the first ones there at the crack of dawn to grab the traditional spot. They might open up their RV as home base for the day. We wouldn’t enjoy nearly the gameday experience we do without these people. Football season is in part a chance to reunite with some friends we see all too infrequently, and the reunions begin this weekend.