Can Mark Richt-as-head-coach recover from a game like that?

UGASports.com is reporting that Bulldog mascot Uga VII has died. Few details are available yet, but apparently an effort will be made to complete the burial in time for Saturday’s game.

Uga VII, “Loran’s Best”, was introduced to the Bulldog Nation less than fifteen months ago in August of 2008. His two years of service was by far the shortest among the Uga line; Uga II served from 1966-1972.

It’ll be interesting to learn more details; Uga VII had developed a reputation for being somewhat lethargic and sleepy in sharp contrast to the relatively energetic Uga VI. His health probably wasn’t all that great to begin with.

William C. Hartman Jr. Fund contributors can begin ordering University of Georgia football bowl tickets online today.

William C. Hartman Jr. Fund contributors will be mailed a football post season ticket application on Tuesday, November 24. This application provides William C. Hartman Jr. Fund contributors the opportunity to request Bowl Game tickets until the priority deadline of 5:00 pm Friday, December 4. The letter will include ticket prices as well as a patron number and PIN/email information. Orders will be accepted by mail, phone and online.

All games in which Georgia may be selected to play will be listed. William C. Hartman Jr. Fund contributors should request only the venues in which they are willing to travel. The Athletic Association will not charge your card until the bowl bid has been officially determined. Orders will be filled only for the game in which Georgia is selected to play and tickets will be assigned based on William C. Hartman Jr. Fund cumulative score. Any orders received after the priority deadline will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of priority.

In the event that the demand for tickets for a particular game exceeds Georgia’s supply, it would be necessary to reduce and/or cancel orders. For more information, log onto georgiadogs.com and click the link for tickets or call the Ticket Office at 1-877-542-1231. Only Visa and MasterCard credit cards will be accepted.

Mark Curles and colleagues have had a rough go of it this year, but none of them would trade places with Martin Hansson this morning.

A.J. Green got jobbed, but at least it didn’t cause an international incident like this call.

We’ve mentioned that the Athletic Board recently approved going ahead with the Reed Alley project, and the ABH has more details in today’s paper.

By next football season, dingy Reed Alley beside Sanford Stadium could look more like the plaza at Atlanta’s Turner Field, with dozens of new restrooms and concession areas and giant TV screens so fans can buy a snack and still see what’s happening on the football field.

The project could start after graduation in May and be done in time for the 2010 season.

This should be released any minute now:

The Georgia Tech-Georgia game, scheduled for Nov. 28th at Bobby Dodd Stadium, will kick-off at 8 p.m. and will be televised by ABC (reverse mirror on ESPN2).

The debate rages this morning over Bill Belichick’s unorthodox decision to go for it on 4th-and-2 from his own 28. Here’s the thing though – as gutsy as the call was, New England might get another shot at Indy in the playoffs. At worst, Belichick’s decision cost his team homefield advantage (not insignificant, I grant). The decision, which was probably the right one, ended up costing the game and homefield advantage, but it didn’t end his team’s chances at a championship.

Imagine if Belichick were coaching Texas and faced the same decision. A loss doesn’t just cost a game and a future advantage – it removes your team from the inside track to the BCS championship game. Does that change the parameters of the decision? Do you make the same call?

It’s too soon by any stretch of the imagination to call the Lady Dogs “back”, but Sunday’s season-opening 62-51 upset of Oklahoma showed that things could be a good bit different this year.

Georgia asserted its advantage inside with Angel Robinson and Porsha Phillips, and Oklahoma’s Abi Olajuwon proved to be no Paris twin. The Sooners were uncharacteristically cold from outside until a flurry of jumpers helped them draw even at 43, but Georgia had more punch down the stretch.

Perhaps the biggest change so far is the impact of freshman guard Jasmine James. Her athleticism on the perimeter pairs nicely with Houts and gives the Lady Dogs an element they really haven’t had since Alexis Kendrick. James isn’t just an outside shooter – she can penetrate and looks to score inside the arc. Tasha Humphrey began a memorable Georgia career by leading her team to an early-season upset of a Big 12 opponent in 2004, and hopefully James’s 15 points in a similar win herald the arrival of another Lady Dog great.

James and the other newcomers, including Candace Williams, Jasmine Hassell, and Anne Marie Armstrong all had their freshmen moments, but all seemed to grasp the tempo and effort necessary to compete at the SEC level. The team overall looked a great deal more active and aggressive than last year when many offensive trips seemed to bog down until Houts threw something up as the shot clock expired. That didn’t happen much yesterday. Nine players saw action, and that helped the team stay fresh against an opponent who, as Robinson noted, “started to slow down” in the second half.

A strong early schedule continues for the Lady Dogs next Sunday when nationally-ranked Rutgers comes to town. Georgia lost an ugly game up there last year, and shaking off that loss with another win would show that this program isn’t ready to lose its spot among the national powers.

The start couldn’t have been worse. The formula was playing out as many of us had feared, and an Auburn touchdown followed by a Georgia three-and-out had the crowd responding as you’d expect.

A 19-yard punt return set Auburn up at the Georgia 44, and I don’t think mine was the only section where fans were debating leaving the game if Auburn posted another touchdown. Instead, we got this:

1st and 10 at UGA 44	Chris Todd pass incomplete to Mario Fannin.
2nd and 10 at UGA 44	Ben Tate rush for a loss of 2 yards to the Geo 46.	 	 
3rd and 12 at UGA 46	Chris Todd sacked by Geno Atkins for a loss of 9 yards to the Aub 45.	 	 
4th and 21 at AUB 45	AUBURN penalty Holding declined.	 	 
4th and 21 at AUB 45	Timeout AUBURN, clock 0:13.	 	 
4th and 21 at AUB 45	Clinton Durst punt for 42 yards, fair catch by Prince Miller at the Geo 13.	 	 
DRIVE TOTALS: AUBURN drive: 3 plays -11 yards, 01:15 AUBURN PUNT

Georgia didn’t exactly catch fire from that point, but they did start moving the ball, earned their initial first down of the game, and got on the scoreboard thanks to Cox’s throw, King’s block, and Troupe’s catch. It took another quarter or so for the offense to really get rolling, but the defense was solid from that point in the first quarter.

It’s not the the Georgia defense became dominant. Auburn drove inside Georgia territory five more times in the game. But they only got three more points out of those chances. Georgia’s defense began to respond with the plays to create turnovers and hold Auburn just shy of getting at least into field goal range. That in itself is a development – turnovers, for once, didn’t put the Georgia defense in a spot to

Most impressive? Georgia held the conference’s #2 rushing offense to 115 yards – a full 100 yards below their average. No Auburn back rushed for more than 67 yards. You can point to the success they had throwing the ball (why run when you’re completing passes at a 70% clip?), but this is still the SEC, and Tommy Tuberville’s patronizing advice to Mark Richt still holds true. Auburn’s inability to run effectively contributed to some of those drives petering out, and it made it easier for the Georgia defense to focus on the passing game as the momentum turned in the second half. After starting out 13-of-15 for 162 yards and 2 TD midway through the second quarter, Todd managed just 7-of-13 for 76 yards and 2 INT the rest of the way.

Best comment so far on the day’s events from MCG DAWG on the DawgVent…

After reviewing the videotape of the UT players’ armed robbery, SEC Replay Officials have overturned the ruling on the scene and have now charged two Mississippi State and one LSU player with the offense.

Cue up the Lewis Grizzard joke about not paying players…”We give ’em their own 7-11. They can rob it any time they want to.”

Only a story like that would overshadow another classic from Knoxville about a state legislator getting bounced from the UT-SC game a few weeks back for wearing a Mexican wrestling mask. Seriously.

This week’s heavy rains across north Georgia have left portions of the UGA campus too soggy for gameday parking this weekend.

The intramural fields and grassy areas around Aderhold Hall, East Campus Drive and the Ramsey Center are too waterlogged for safe parking and will be closed on Saturday.

If you’re used to parking on grass, it’s possible that your usual parking spot won’t be available this weekend. If you are able to park on a grassy area, you’re urged to consider not bringing heavier items that might cause more damage than usual on soft ground. Campus police “also ask those who normally bring pull-behind trailers to consider going without them so that we can have more parking available for other cars.”

For more information, visit the Gameday Gameplan web site.

The early signing period started today, and as expected Georgia got a letter of intent from their only verbal commitment to date, Cady Lalanne. Lalanne is a 6’8″ forward from Orlando rated among the Rivals 150.

Unfortunately the Dawgs lost a recruiting battle for another post player – 6’9″ Shawn Kemp (yes, son of that Shawn Kemp). Kemp signed with Auburn this morning in a decision that went down to the last minute. He failed to qualify after signing with Alabama last year, and Georgia and Auburn got back into the mix and offered him as a prep player. (I’m sure Alabama fans will welcome him warmly when Auburn visits.)

The signing period goes through November 18th, but there don’t appear to be any imminent additions to Lalanne’s letter of intent. After the early signing period ends, attention will turn to recruiting for the spring signing period. Georgia still has big needs at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Everyone seems to be on the same page as far as what Georgia needs to do in order to recruit the home state with success, but results aren’t happening overnight.

It’s the early signing period for the women as well. Andy Landers expects to get letters of intent from three verbal commitments: 5’6″ PG Ronika Ransford of Washington, D.C. – rated the #21 overall prospect by ESPN, 5’9″ SG Khaalidah Miller of Mableton, Ga. – rated the #36 overall prospect by ESPN, and 6’5″ C Ariel Johnson of Oak Hill Academy – rated the nation’s #18 center by ESPN.

The Tennessee Tech football team left Athens with a $475,000 payout, but one TTU player allegedly had a little more in mind.

A University of Georgia student thinks a Tennessee Tech football player may have stolen a laptop computer and iPod while staying at her West Athens apartment last weekend, Athens-Clarke police said.

The value of the stolen goods was around $1,600, and the story reads like a classic college tale of what can happen when friends of friends crash at your place while you’re out of town.

Hines Ward’s Pittsburgh Steelers got the better of the Denver Broncos last night, and Ward capped off the win with his own highlight against former Bulldog teammate Champ Bailey. (It’s at the 4:25 mark.)

The SEC officiating crisis was wearing thin weeks ago, and I’m glad that Nick Saban (of all people) is stepping forward as a voice of reason.

“If I was an official, and I was making what I made officiating because I love the game and I love doing it, and I was getting criticized by the media, including our announcers on TV, like these guys are getting criticized, I’d step back and say ‘I think I’ll go to the lake this weekend. You can have this.’ That’s what I’d do,” Saban said. “Can somebody stand up and fight for these guys and what they do for the game?”

Get all of the conspiracy theories and teacher’s pet stuff out of the way, and Saban’s on the right track. SEC officials are missing calls. There are possibly equipment issues. The point is that the refs are being held to the standard of perfection – a standard to which no other person in the SEC (well, OK, maybe Tim Tebow) is held. We go into hysterics every Monday over the latest howler (one, in this week’s case, that reasonable observers don’t necessarily consider a mistake). It’s easy to dwell on one replay, and we even had disagreement and discussion about this within the Georgia camp before the fateful call against LSU. At the same time the errors in execution, strategy, and playcalling by players and coaches that add up during a game are pushed to the side in favor of “yeah, but did you SEE THAT CALL?!?”

The caricature of the blind ref/ump is older than most of us. They’re going to continue to get some wrong as surely as your quarterback will throw an interception at some point. Though the imperative to improve both the system and the individual officials has to be there, the conference isn’t doing itself any favors by losing its head every time an impossible standard isn’t met.