Last year Alabama defensive end Wallace Gilberry said he had to “know where to send the flowers (to Matthew Stafford) after the game.” I assumed he was asking about sending condolences and not getting to know Stafford socially, but you never know. (By the way, neither Gilberry nor any other Crimson Tide defender registered a sack in the game.)

This year Bama strength coach Scott Cochran is the one talking about funerals (because Georgia’s wearing black! Get it?) in his own colorful language.

Everyone’s going to post this video, so I might as well too. The interesting part is around 1:04, and you need to turn your speakers up to get it.

We knew this day would come, but we hoped it never would. Larry Munson is retiring; the Central Michigan game was his last painting the picture for Georgia fans.

Legendary University of Georgia football play-by-play announcer Larry Munson, who began broadcasting Bulldog games in 1966, has announced his retirement from the booth.

Munson has done only home games thus far this season and in 2007; however, he has decided that the Central Michigan broadcast on Sept. 6, was his last. The current road game booth crew of Scott Howard and Eric Zeier will finish out the 2008 season handling home and away games.

“I can’t express enough my deep feelings toward the Georgia football fans,” said Munson. “They have been so friendly especially during this most recent period of time. I feel I owe them so much more than I can give. I’ll remember all the great times with the Dogs and have the fondest wishes and good luck toward them all.”

“Larry made the decision over the weekend after consultation with his family, doctor, and close friends,” said Michael Munson, Larry’s son. “The Munson family would like to thank Cox Radio, the University of Georgia and the Georgia people who have been so supportive of Larry throughout his long career and especially the last several months following his surgery in April. Larry plans to celebrate his 86th birthday this weekend watching the Alabama game with family and close friends.”

Michael Munson also indicated that after 60 years in broadcasting, Larry told him “There are lots of things I still want to do.”

“I want to thank Larry Munson on behalf of this great university for 42 dedicated years of delivering the Georgia Bulldogs to fans on fall Saturday’s around the world,” said UGA Director of Athletics Damon Evans. “I truly appreciate his return at the start of this season from surgery to give us all another opportunity to hear him describe the tradition and pageantry of Georgia football as only he could do it. This is a day that we all knew would come for the Bulldog Nation, Larry Munson is and will always be a part of what is great about being a Georgia Bulldog.”

Wearing black to Saturday’s game just became a million times more poignant.

I’m among those heading out to Tempe today, so it’ll pretty much be radio silence over the weekend. A few things I’ll be thinking about on the plane…

Next in line. The shuffling of the offensive line about which we speculated earlier in the week is underway. It looks like a starting unit of (L-R) Vance-C Davis-Jones-Boling-Anderson will take the field. There are concerns with three of the new starters – Vance’s speed and agility, Jones’ experience, and Anderson’s grasp of the assignments – that have been present since the staff began evaluating the line in the sprint.

I stress again that some of the line positions were close battles to begin with. Jones had been pushing Davis at center since the spring. Cordy Glenn’s rise to the starting lineup was one of the surprises of August’s preseason camp. Ability has never been the question with Justin Anderson; it’s only been a question of understanding the scheme. I don’t necessarily see this shakeup as a desperation move. The line did perform poorly last week, and that might have tipped some of these positional battles that were close to begin with. Tripp and Glenn aren’t going anywhere, and we should see each in the game on Saturday.

Where’s the hype? Maybe it’s a lack of perspective after the blitz for the SoCal-Ohio St. game, but is it just me or have things been pretty quiet this week? Oh, you’ve had a few nods to Georgia’s first trip out west in decades, and the Arizona press has done their part to spotlight the crazy SEC fans coming to town. You just don’t get the sense that there’s much buzz on the national scene for this game, and that’s not good news for a Georgia program hoping to grow its brand and national reputation through games like this.

In fact, if I go to ESPN’s college football page, I’m reminded that the national focus this weekend is back in the South and the SEC. Gameday will be at LSU-Auburn. Florida @ Tennessee is also getting plenty of play because, well, I guess we missed talking about Florida during their bye week. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being South Carolina-Wofford and 10 being Beanie Wells’ ankle, this game is only a 6 or 7 on the hype meter right now.

Something to prove? Though Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno put up some good numbers and highlights in Georgia’s first couple of games, their first performance last weekend in front of a national audience was pretty lackluster. The Georgia offense produced just one touchdown, Moreno was held well under 100 yards, Stafford was bailed out of his first INT of the season, and, worse, the Georgia coaches more or less surrendered to the fact that the line was getting beat and didn’t even let Moreno try to put the game away on their final two drives of the game.

It’s not that Stafford or Moreno have played poorly. Stafford is as good as he’s been at Georgia, and Moreno has 7 touchdowns already. But as Chase Daniels begins to pull away from the pack in the Heisman race, Georgia’s stars on offense could really use a big game in a high-profile setting. Of course they can only perform as well as the line and the hands of the receivers allow.

Getting pressure. The pass rush has been a hot topic this week, and it doesn’t help that the Dawgs are now down two starters. The loss of Jeff Owens got tons of attention in the first week, but defensive end Rod Battle missed the South Carolina game and is also out for Arizona State with a neck injury. The depth on the line is thin enough, and now half of the starting unit is unavailable. We made a lot out of Arizona State’s sack total last year, but they’ve been much better so far this year giving up just five sacks through three games. Whether that’s a factor of the competition, better-than-expected play from the patchwork line, or the result of scheming around the weakness, the job of getting to and disrupting Carpenter doesn’t seem as easy as it might have in July.

For everyone headed out to the game, be safe, and we’ll see you here on Saturday.

Georgia Southern (1-1) —

Central Michigan (2-1): The Chippewas bounced back from the Georgia loss by winning their conference opener at Ohio, but it wasn’t easy. CMU fell behind 14-0, recovered to lead 31-21, and had to hold on for the 31-28 win. In fact, CMU had to force a fumble on their own goal line to stop a late Ohio drive (sound familiar?). Next they get a chance for revenge against a team that beat them not once but twice last season. THIS WEEK: @ Purdue

South Carolina (1-2): It’s possible to attach too much significance to the loss to Georgia, but at 0-2 in the league the Gamecocks might already be reduced to a spoiler role in a year where people are beginning to question the direction of the program. Two easy games should have the Gamecocks back over .500 soon, but then what? THIS WEEK: Wofford

Arizona State (2-1): Whether the loss to UNLV was a case of looking ahead or a sign of bigger problems, it wasn’t how the Sun Devils wanted to go into this weekend’s big game. The bloom is off the rose somewhat with ASU dropping out of one poll, but they are still a very dangerous team. Everyone is focused on the matchup of Arizona State’s passing offense against the Georgia defense, but the Bulldog offense should also be in the spotlight after managing a single touchdown and just 14 points last week. THIS WEEK: Georgia

Alabama (3-0): The Tide had no problems dispatching Western Kentucky, and their 3-0 start has earned them a spot in the top 10. They will put that ranking to the test and start the SEC schedule with consecutive road trips. Arkansas shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but they can’t get caught looking ahead to Georgia. THIS WEEK: @ Arkansas

Tennessee (1-1): As expected, the Vols had little trouble with a horrible UAB team and earned their first win. The win still wasn’t enough to erase concerns with QB Jonathan Crompton, and he’ll be squarely in the spotlight for the SEC opener against Florida. Tennessee has to draw some confidence from Miami’s ability to keep Florida off the scoreboard (for a while, anyway). If they’re to have a chance, they must have at least as much success against the Florida offense, and the ground game that was abandoned at UCLA has to show up. The Vols were able to win the SEC East despite losing this game a year ago, but a 1-2 start with Auburn and Georgia coming up soon would put Tennessee in a tight spot. THIS WEEK: Florida

Vanderbilt (3-0): Halfway to bowl eligibility. Again they were outgained but came away with another win. They made up the difference in return yards and defensive adjustments that shut out a quality Rice offense in the second half. Their next four games include both Mississippi schools, Auburn, and Georgia. THIS WEEK: @ Mississippi

LSU (2-0): Les Miles was itching to play a game, and I guess playing North Texas qualified. The Tigers have had two lightweight warmups and a third delayed when their stadium was damaged by a hurricane. Was it enough to prepare the defending champions and their new quarterbacks for the SEC? We’ll find out right away – there’s a lot at stake and some history to overcome in their first conference test. THIS WEEK: @ Auburn

Florida (2-0): The Gators have had two weeks to prepare for the Vols, and that doesn’t seem to be a good omen for this weekend’s hosts. Percy Harvin is back, but the story so far has been the Florida defense. They’ve been stifling in their first two games, and if they can continue to remain strong against the Tennessee ground game, Florida should come away with the early advantage in the SEC East. THIS WEEK: @ Tennessee

Kentucky (3-0): I thought last week that Kentucky’s game against MTSU might be more interesting than it seemed, and it definitely was. Rich Brooks – stolen signs or not – is getting proper criticism for nearly blowing the game, but the Wildcats narrowly avoided becoming MTSU’s second BCS conference victim. So here they are at the bye week, undefeated, and will likely head into October without a blemish before the meat of the SEC schedule. THIS WEEK: BYE

Auburn (3-0): Everyone has had a laugh at the expense of Auburn’s 3-2 win at Mississippi State, and playing against the LSU defense isn’t a good prescription for an anemic offense. No one’s laughing at the Auburn defense, and they’ll be counted on to rattle an LSU quarterback making his road debut. Brad Lester’s status for the game is still up in the air, and his absence would be a big hit to Auburn’s chances. LSU’s stable of tailbacks and receivers should give them the edge, but the home crowd and a big play or two by the defense could flip the advantage. THIS WEEK: LSU

Georgia Tech (2-1): For the second week in a row the Yellow Jackets went on the road and played a tight, competitive ACC game. This time, at Virginia Tech, they came out on the losing side. The Paul Johnson offense has struggled to get out of the upper teens against conference competition, but the defense has kept the games close so far. The over/under for their next game might be in the single digits. THIS WEEK: Mississippi State

UGA has published a set of tailgating reminders for Georgia fans heading to Tempe. Some of the rules seem a little nanny-ish, but others are based on common sense due to the fact that YOU ARE TAILGATING IN A #$@*ING DESERT.

In other words, it’s not a good idea to sit outside from 8 AM on and pound Jim Beam. There are plenty of watering holes in the area to set up shop for the day and stay out of the sun. The UGA Alumni Association will be taking over Gordon Biersch (420 South Mill Ave), and there are several other good options elsewhere along Mill Ave.

Here is the law of the land:

• Tailgating may occur in the ASU’s parking lots and structures 3.5 hours preceding football games (1:30 p.m. [local time] for this Saturday’s game against Georgia).
• The consumption of beer and wine is permitted but under Arizona law, the consumption of liquor is not authorized.
• Individuals consuming beer or wine must be of legal age, i.e., 21 years of age or older.
• Formal organized events, such as when a company plans and has catered an event with food and alcohol, are required to obtain an alcohol permit.
• Grilling may be done in open parking lots and on the roof of parking structures. No charcoal grills are allowed.
• ASU police encourages the use of cans or plastic bottles.
• No one can bring any alcohol inside the stadium.
• Drinking games and binge drinking are prohibited. Other recreational games such as bean-bag toss, football, etc., are permitted as long as a competitive drinking aspect is not involved.

Mark Richt hinted at possible changes in Tuesday’s press conference. The unit as a whole was underwhelming on Saturday, and Richt admits that the time has come to “probably experiment a little bit.”

It’s not the end of the world and wouldn’t be unprecedented. History has nothing but good things to say about the 2007 line and Stacy Searels’ job getting the young unit to perform, but we also saw an early season shake-up last year. Anyone remember Scott Haverkamp?

We’ve now had a few games to see how individuals perform, and remember that some of these positional battles were neck-and-neck to begin with before the Sturdivant injury caused some shuffling. The changes in 2007 made way for players like Clint Boling, and if there are changes coming this week, it might be time for Justin Anderson or Ben Jones to shine. At least the staff finally has some options to consider up front.

We want to increase Georgia’s national exposure. What Georgia fan could disagree with that goal for the program? We want Bulldog football to be popular, ubiquitous, and successful like Coca-Cola, Google, Toyota, or any other respected and well-known brand. It’s a business, Georgia football is a brand, and Damon Evans, like any good manager, wants to grow that brand.

My only question – and it’s one that I’ve asked since we first learned about this road trip to Arizona – is this: is Georgia’s national exposure really a problem that needs attention?

• Recruiting: Georgia has had a recruiting class among the national top 10 (according to Rivals.com) for several years running. They have the advantage of being the flagship public school in a talent-rich state. Additionally, they have landed elite national prospects from as far away as Texas and New Jersey without playing in or near those states.
• Popularity: Georgia is among the 10 top-selling institutions represented by CLC. Georgia merchandise is in demand. Season ticket interest is through the roof.
• Reach: Thanks to the SEC’s popularity, over half of Georgia’s games this year will be on major national networks. Others will be on regional networks but available in homes and sports bars elsewhere through ESPN’s GamePlan. This isn’t 1940 or even 1985 when watching a team in person might be your only opportunity to get a look at them. It’s possible that interested persons in Gov. Sarah Palin’s town of Wasilla, Alaska, were able to pick up last Saturday’s game against South Carolina on rabbit ears via KTVA-TV in Anchorage.
• Finance: Georgia’s financial success is well-documented and a credit to the management of Damon Evans and his predecessor. No issues here.
• Reputation: If Georgia gets knocked for being a "regional program", it doesn’t show up in the polls. Silly issues like Knowshon’s hurdle aside, it’s hard to argue that Georgia gets slighted.

What am I missing here? I’m not impressed with the cliches – "in order to be the best you’ve got to beat the best." It’s not about ducking quality competition, but there are very real consequences to the team when you drop a trip to Tempe in the middle of the SEC schedule.

If Evans and Richt really see a perception and image problem with the Georgia brand, how about a national title or two first?

The First Lady of Georgia Southern football passed away on Thursday, according to the Statesboro Herald. Recall that Erk passed away just two years ago around this time.

“I don’t know if Jean ever recovered from his loss,” (friend Mary Lou) Robins said. “She was his biggest fan and supporter. His loss was almost more than she could bear.”

Our sympathies again go out to the Russell family.

The State is reporting news of a brawl on campus this afternoon allegedly involving South Carolina football players. Details are still thin, and a University spokesman adds that, “campus police are investigating the incident, but no charges have been filed.”

UPDATE: Looks as if this story is a non-issue. If you buy the sanitized version of the story that’s coming out, some off-campus troublemakers came into a campus food court, started something with a few football players, and that was the end of it. Of course that’s a common problem these days on any campus – random people coming in off the street and starting brawls with the football team over lunch. “The only thing I think I know about it is we’re victims,” said SC defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson.

The last thing college football needs is Ohio State being able to claim, “yeah, but that was without Wells” at the end of the season.

If there’s a "thanks, Captain Obvious" topic when talking about football, it’s the importance of turnovers. Turnovers matter? I had no idea. Still, there are some games in which turnovers factor more than others, and this weekend’s game in Columbia could be one of them. Whether it’s Quincy Carter’s five interceptions or David Pollack’s unbelievable play, turnovers in the South Carolina game at Columbia tend to stick out.

The Georgia Sports Blog correctly points out how turnovers in this series have either put Georgia in a bind or kept games closer than they might have been otherwise. They’ve also bounced Georgia’s way, and there is no better example than the second half of the 2002 game.

With that in mind, David Hale painted this picture yesterday:

So far the Bulldogs have played two clearly overmatched opponents, one without a true starting QB. Both of those opponents were clearly out of their element in front of the energetic Sanford Stadium crowd. Both games were lopsided, forcing those opponents to throw the ball in a desperate attempt to play catch up. And yet, with all that favoring Georgia’s secondary, the DBs have yet to record a single interception.

Good and timely observation. To be fair, the defense does have two interceptions, and both of those were at somewhat important times in the first half when the opponent was driving in Georgia’s half of the field. We like saying that Georgia started out 38-0 on Georgia Southern, but it took an interception in our own end zone (not to mention a missed field goal) to get there. He’s right, though. Georgia’s somewhat experienced secondary is still 0-for-the season. They’ve come close – Rashad Jones had an interception for the taking against Georgia Southern – but the plays haven’t been made.

You can credit what you like for Georgia’s turnaround and strong finish last season, but turnovers should be near the top of the list. We know that Matthew Stafford cut down the errors that led to some back-breaking turnovers in 2006, but the end of 2007 was also about what Georgia was doing on defense to score takeaways.

Through the first seven games of the 2007 season, Georgia managed a total of six takeaways. There were three games (South Carolina, Western Carolina, and Tennessee) in which the Dawgs struck out in the takeaway department. They had two multiple takeaway games (Ole Miss and Vanderbilt).

Beginning with the late and game-turning fumble recovery at Vandy, something changed. The only game down the stretch in which Georgia didn’t record multiple takeaways was the Kentucky game. The results were impressive: against Florida (2), Troy (4), Auburn (4), Kentucky (1), Tech (3), and Hawaii (6) Georgia tallied 20 takeaways.

So far this season Georgia’s offense has been outstanding taking care of the ball. The only turnovers have come on fumbles by a reserve tailback and quarterback. Stafford is – knock wood – still without an interception this year, and that’s much more important to the team than chasing the 300-yard barrier. Keeping that mark intact against a much better pass defense than we’ve seen so far will be a key to avoiding another nailbiter.

On the other sideline, South Carolina has already turned the ball over seven times through two games. Six of those turnovers were interceptions. The Gamecock quarterback position is unsettled, and it’s possible that their best receiver will be out or at least limited by a hamstring injury. Worse, their running game hasn’t done much to pick up the slack. It’s a scenario any secondary should salivate over.

So which gives? South Carolina’s propensity for throwing the ball up for grabs, or Georgia’s interception shutout in the secondary?

Georgia Southern (1-1) —

Central Michigan (1-1): Central Michigan will try to rebound from the Georgia loss with an interesting game at Ohio. Ohio is 0-2, but they’ve lost to Wyoming by a single point and took Ohio State to the wire last week. Will the Bobcats be in a funk over the missed opportunity, or will they be fired up by playing one of the big boys so close? THIS WEEK: @ Ohio Univ.

South Carolina (1-1): It’s the classic paranoia of Georgia fans to interpret the moping from Columbia since the Vanderbilt loss as anything other than a serious kick to the jimmy of the Gamecock psyche. "Sure they’re depressed…depressed like a FOX!" For the first time in a while, another team has done the job usually reserved for Georgia: bringing South Carolina back to earth. Vanderbilt (and even N.C. State to some extent) revealed some pretty big flaws with South Carolina. We’ve been in this position too often to take them lightly. It’s CBS, the SEC opener, and it’s too important a game through which to sleepwalk. THIS WEEK: vs. Georgia

Arizona State (2-0): If the ASU offensive line is a problem, it hasn’t slowed Rudy Carpenter very much. Carpenter hasn’t been sacked yet, is completing 76% of his passes, and has thrown for at least 345 yards in each of ASU’s first two games. The Sun Devils get another tuneup at home this week before Georgia comes to town. THIS WEEK: UNLV

Alabama (2-0): Last week I wondered whether the Clemson win proved that Alabama was a contender or if it was their one "where the hell did that come from" win of the season a la Florida 2005. It’s no surprise that they had a letdown against Tulane, but posting a single touchdown on offense after such an impressive display the week before is a head-scratcher. They’ll have another chance to beat up on someone before getting into SEC play next week. THIS WEEK: W. Kentucky

Tennessee (0-1): The Vols have had over a week to stew about the loss to UCLA, and UAB should provide no serious resistance as the Vols try to get things back on track for Florida. THIS WEEK: UAB

Vanderbilt (2-0): Wow. With an eye always on bowl eligibility, the Commodores are 1/3 of the way there through two games. They’ve played defense well enough to win, and the offense has just enough misdirection to make headaches out of defensive assignments. Let’s not forget though that they did only put up 225 yards on South Carolina, and punts don’t always bounce your way. Rice can score some points, so this is no breather for anyone, let alone Vandy. THIS WEEK: Rice

LSU (1-0): Damage to LSU’s stadium forced the postponment of the Troy game to later in the season. Now Hurricane Ike is forcing LSU AD Joe Alleva to consider alternate plans for Saturday night’s scheduled game against North Texas. You have to wonder how all of the disruption and uncertainty of the past two weeks will affect this team as they prepare for a real test at Auburn next week. THIS WEEK: North Texas…maybe.

Florida (2-0): They didn’t light Miami up, but so far the folks who assumed that the Florida defense has to be better this year are looking good. Now it’s another week to rest and heal before the big trip to Knoxville. THIS WEEK: BYE

Kentucky (2-0): The Wildcats easily handled Norfolk State, and they’ve only allowed five points through their first two games. Not bad. This week’s challenge is interesting: Middle Tennessee is coming off a win over Maryland. The Blue Raiders put a scare into Louisville last year, and last Saturday’s win over a reeling Terrapin team should have the visitors from Murfreesboro full of confidence for their visit to Lexington. Keep an eye on this game. THIS WEEK: MTSU

Auburn (2-0): Everything’s building for next week’s showdown with LSU. Auburn had few problems controlling a Southern Miss offense that was supposed to put up a better fight, and they should have an even easier time of it this week against a lesser Mississippi State offense. Though the new Auburn offense isn’t setting anyone on fire at this point, a few scores should be more than enough in their SEC opener. Could Croom’s men catch Auburn looking ahead? Doubtful, especially with last year’s embarrassing loss in mind. THIS WEEK: @ Miss. St.

Georgia Tech (2-0): Give them credit – they went on the road and won their conference opener. Paul Johnson isn’t just the architect of the offense; he’s the head coach, and he deserves as much praise for games in which the defense outshines the offense. Boston College had their chances but were forced to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns, and it put Tech in a position where one big play from the option could turn the game, and it did. Has Virginia Tech righted the ship now that Tyrod Taylor is back? Maybe, but I don’t expect the same lopsided Hokie win we saw in Atlanta last season. If Tech wins in Blacksburg, a Georgia Tech team everyone expected to struggle could be 6-0 going into the Clemson game. THIS WEEK: @ Virginia Tech

To arms! To arms! The SEC release trumpeting Knowshon’s well-deserved first PotW honor did not, I repeat did NOT contain photographic or video evidence of “the hurdle.”

Former Bulldog letterman and well-known Athens businessman Leroy Dukes has passed away at the age of 68. The Athens Ramada Inn that Dukes managed and its Frog Pond Lounge were landmarks for Bulldog fans and the place to be on Signing Day.

Congratulations to Vanderbilt. The Commodores are off to a 2-0 start and have an impressive road win and now a home win over a ranked opponent for the first time in a decade and a half. Neither were flukes, not even close.

After being stymied on offense in the first half, the Commodores feasted on South Carolina mistakes and flipped a 10-3 disadvantage into a 24-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. To South Carolina’s credit, they came back and had a chance to tie, but they stalled inside Vanderbilt territory.

From the Georgia perspective, yes, it’s always fun to see Spurrier go down, and it’s doubly enjoyable to see Vandy deliver the first dose of reality to Gamecock fans. Still, Vandy is slightly better than usual (let’s not overreact and build them up into what they’re not), and we considered ourselves fortunate to get out of there with a win last October. They’re not going to be much of a breather between Tennessee and LSU, and we know what happened the last time they came to Athens.

Is a win over South Carolina a given now? Hardly. We know how games go over there, and it’s still likely to be close and low-scoring. Georgia has scored over 20 only once against South Carolina in this decade. Georgia should bring an offense better than any the Gamecocks have seen to this point, and you like the Bulldogs’ chances of keeping South Carolina off the scoreboard again. A lot hinges on the hamstring of Kenny McKinley. South Carolina already looks pretty one-dimensional on offense, and if their best receiver can’t go, it will only make things more difficult for a shaky QB position.

On November 29, Vanderbilt will close the season at Wake Forest. That might not be a dog of a game for once.