Sibling Rivalry

Playing Auburn is like playing your brother.

We've known each other for all our lives and grew up fighting with
each other. When one had a chance to do something good, the other
would come in and ruin everything, and that went both ways. While I
truly loathe Auburn, I do respect them for being the other participant
in this historical rivalry for so many years. It really is like
playing your own brother. I've heard several Auburn fans over the
years claim to have the exact same respect for Georgia, even though
they hate our guts just as much as we hate theirs. They respect us for
being one of the only "big" schools to consistently play them in
Auburn over the years without making a huge fuss over it and they also
recognize the history involved when our two teams meet on the football
field. It’s the South’s oldest rivalry…and you can bet there’s always
something riding on this game.

Not only is Georgia-Auburn a great, important rivalry, but it is one
of the closest rivalries anywhere in any sport. When two teams can
play 110 times and only be separated by a grand total of twenty points
scored in the series, it certainly takes the cake as far as being one
of the closest rivalries...as I mentioned, in any sport at any level.

Many things have been at stake when Georgia and Auburn have played
each other over the years. Some games have been more important than
others. In so many games, this particular rivalry has decided SEC
Championships, winning seasons, winning streak stoppers and even
sometimes it has even had national championship implications. There
may be seven older rivalries than Georgia-Auburn, but there is no
rivalry out there in college football played as many times with so
much being on the line. The Georgia-Auburn rivalry is what started our
lifeblood known as college football in Dixie, and it is strong as
ever, even here in 2007. As has been the case so many times before,
there will be a lot on the line come Saturday night.

For Auburn, this game is very important. They are still hanging around
in the SEC West division race, trying to keep pace with LSU and hoping
that they can get some help in an effort to make it back to the SEC
Championship game. They have had a couple of setbacks this season.
Early in the season, Auburn was written off by many. Losses to
Mississippi State and South Florida stung the Auburn fan base and
cause much of the nation to forget about the Tigers. However, like
all good programs, Auburn has adapted and other players have stepped
up. They have not quit and as the season has progressed, Auburn has
quietly regained its position among the best teams in the nation. As
always at Auburn, their defense is playing tough and not surrendering
easy points to the opponent. The Tigers have given up the fewest
points of any team in the SEC. Auburn still holds out hope for a
division title and a chance to get back to Atlanta for the first time
since 2004 when they won the conference championship with a win over
Tennessee. They not only have that to play for, but they once again
have a chance to ruin the championship dreams of their old, brotherly
rival Georgia. No team has ruined more dream seasons for Georgia than
Auburn. It is an integral part of this rivalry...and it does indeed
weigh heavily on the minds of Georgia fans everywhere. Auburn has
played the spoiler role more often than many Dawg fans care to think
about. Beyond that, Auburn has the impressive record against Georgia
in Sanford Stadium. Auburn is 8-2 in the last 10 games against Georgia
played in Athens. In recent history, the road team in this series has
definitely been victorious more often than not. So, Auburn comes into
this game with Georgia with a lot on the line. Their own championship
hopes are on the line as well as bragging rights for the next 365
days…and, we may as well mention that Auburn has a bit of a revenge
factor working in its favor this year after Georgia went into
Jordan-Hare Stadium last year and knocked the Tigers from the top
five. There is a lot on the line for Auburn on Saturday.

Georgia plays to stay alive in an SEC Eastern division race on
Saturday. It goes without saying that this game is, like a few before
it, one of the biggest games Georgia has been a part of since the
"Glory Days" of the early 80's. Georgia won the division title in 2002
for the first time since the SEC split in 1992. That win came against
these Auburn Tigers. In 2002, Georgia finally broke through the
barrier and once again established itself as a champion. The
following year, Georgia won the division with a win over the Auburn
Tigers. In 2004, the Dawgs faced a very good, undefeated Auburn team
and despite the fact the Georgia wasn’t in control of its own destiny
as far as the SEC race went, the loss to Auburn in 2004 eliminated
them from contention all together. In 2005, Georgia met Auburn with a
chance to clinch the SEC Eastern division title and just missed out as
Auburn won a thrilling 31-30 contest in Athens. This year, a new
challenge is before Georgia. Georgia scored a rare win over the
Florida Gators a couple of weeks back (yes, folks, Georgia and Florida
have split the last four games played between them) and with a win
over Auburn, it would mark the first time Georgia has defeated both
Auburn and Florida in the same season since 1982. Not only that, but
Georgia faces a near “must win” type of game with Auburn if they are
to win the division and get a shot at the eventual SEC West champ.
Two disappointing losses to South Carolina and Tennessee have put
Georgia in a position where it has to have some help…but the Dawgs
must also keep winning. A win over Auburn won't win the division for
Georgia, but it will certainly help in getting them back to the SEC
championship game; the game that is a nationally televised event. The
game that will determine the best team in this storied conference. The
game that could see Georgia win three conference titles in a span of
six years. It's in our own backyard, but for many years, it has
seemed like the Georgia Dome was a million miles away. The Dawgs
welcomed back that championship feeling in 2002. They returned in
2003, but came up short against LSU. They took out revenge on LSU in
2005…and the way things are shaping up in the SEC West right now,
there’s a good chance LSU will be in attendance in Atlanta again this
season. Georgia had, by all accounts, a poor season in 2006 despite
finishing with a 9-3 record. You can bet that the Dawgs are itching
to get back to the title game and take a shot at whoever the SEC West
sends to Atlanta.

Most of the time since 2002, the road to the Georgia Dome has gone
through Athens for the teams in the SEC East. However, even the team
that calls Athens "home" finds an obstacle on that road...and once
again, like so many times before, that obstacle is Auburn. In 1982,
Larry Munson begged and pleaded the Georgia Bulldogs to "Hunker down
one more time" and was drenched with a bourbon and Coke thrown by an
Auburn fan in the booth next to Georgia radio booth:
“Georgia leading 19-14, needing a play of some kind, a break of some
kind. Hunker Down you guys! Dawgs are in a 6... actually only 4
standing, they're in a 6-4. They pitch it to Bo Jackson, one man
knocked him off balance, and we came up and got him…Ball back on the
21, and it's 2nd down now and 17, with 2:05 to go, Auburn trying to
break our hearts. 19-14 and the Dawgs lead. Again you guys, Hunker
Down! Auburn up to the line... Carver got him from behind! Back on the
30! ... Oh man! 2 big plays, 84 seconds ... 3rd down and 21. Auburn
back on the 30. Watch this now. I hate to keep saying it, but Hunker
Down! You didn't hear me you guys. Hunker Down! ... Pass complete to
the 21... Timeout Auburn. Timeout 49 seconds left ... 4th and 17, I
know I'm asking alot you guys, but Hunker it down one more time! ...
Pass into the endzone... and the Dawgs broke it up! They broke it up!
They broke it up! … The Dawgs with 42 seconds... I won't ask you to
do that again you guys…32 seconds, Lastinger up to the line...
Lastinger falls back on the 16 ... Georgia students and fans standing
and roaring 23, 22, 21 clock running, running… Oh, look at the sugar
falling out of the sky! Look at the sugar falling out of the sky! Here
comes a Georgia fan running out across the field. And now everybody
roars…3…2…1…and they're carrying Vince Dooley off the field. Dawgs
have won it. Somebody threw something on us. Dawgs have won it 19-14.
The defense hunkered this thing...we saved ourselves…we saved
ourselves…there won’t be many of us in Opelika tonight, but I’ll tell
you one thing, we’re going do something to Opelika. Dawgs a winner,
19-14.”
After the Dawgs had clinched that victory over Auburn 19-14 to win the
SEC and send them to the Sugar Bowl, Munson told the Dawgs that he
wouldn't ask them to do it again...but 23 long years have passed and
we find ourselves facing the same opponent with a championship
possibility on the line. We need one more thing and it's the exact
same thing we needed way back in 1982. Even though Larry said he
wouldn't ask them to do it again, we all need the Dawgs to "Hunker it
down one more time!" against the Auburn Tigers.

As has happened so often throughout the history of these two proud,
storied and elder southern colleges, one team stands in the way of the
other's hopes and dreams and goals. As a matter of fact, we stand in
each other's way.
Auburn needs to beat Georgia. Georgia needs to beat Auburn.

Somehow, that's the only way it should be in the south’s oldest rivalry.

GO DAWGS!
BEAT AUBURN!

On to Auburn

You knew it would be like that didn't you? I mean, come on. We were playing a good team in-between two of our three biggest rivals. No one, player, coach or fan, was fully focused on Troy. I mean, they had the scoreboard from the Florida game on the JumboTron four minutes before kicking-off for God’s sake. Auburn was just a week and 180 miles away. And it was homecoming.

Plus Troy's pretty darn good. But their coach is an egomaniac and a jackass. Really now. What's with all that standing up and looking at the bench before every single play? That's what they did you know. The whole team! And calling three time outs to score against the scrubs during garbage time is horse dung. But when you are a third-tier coach in a third-tier program in a third-tier league I guess you do that sort of thing. I wouldn’t be so upset (because I usually preach about playing a full 60 minutes) except for the fact that Quinton Banks got injured on that play. Ouch!

Quite frankly, my favorite game of the week didn't even take place between the hedges. It took place at historic Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium, on the Flats, near the projects, across the expressway from The Varsity on Thursday night because I enjoy seeing Tech get a beating about as much as I enjoy seeing Georgia win.

I think the favorite part of the evening was when Taylor Bennett called timeout before the first stinking play. That after a two-week layoff, understand. Of course each of the five interceptions were pretty sweet, too, as were the ESPN commentators berating the Yellow Jackets and their fans throughout the game including the now infamous TeleTubbies reference by Chri$ F0wler.

But we were talking about the Men from Georgia, not the Nerds from N.A.T.S.

For a guy that wasn't going to play the Troy quarterback had a pretty good day. I was encouraged by the way we contained him on the ground and, like our coaches, I was impressed that we held them to 3 points after spotting them such good field position after two early fumbles but dang! How did those receivers stay so wide open all day long? I hope it was just a passing fad, pun intended, because they lit us up a little bit through the air. Luckily, the Troy QB is way better than Brandon Cox. HA!

But how 'bout that Knowshon Moreno? Munson started calling him "New Jersey." Did he take off on that 80-yard sprint or what? He is putting up numbers like nobody's business. I just hope he can keep it up, and do you suppose we will see him and T. Brown in the same backfield at any point this season? I just hope “New Jersey” keeps getting 20-plus carries every game even after T.B. returns.

I don't want to jinx anybody but our receivers have certainly stepped up. Sean Bailey has been as steady as they come and Mo-Mass has turned into what we thought he would be all along. Tripp Chandler has turned to glue ever since his sister got on the radio and threatened the entire Bulldog Nation.

Matt Stafford continues to improve, however, I am not ready to anoint him as Saint Matthew just yet. His last two turnovers have really cost us and could have cost us games. He has got to know the fine line between a risky throw and a stupid one. His footwork has also got to improve further. But overall, for a second-year QB with a first-year O-line in front of him, he’s doing pretty well.

And so here we are. Seven and two with those danged Auburn Tiger/War Eagle/Plainsmen invading Athens next weekend. When you were walking back to your car after the South Carolina game, did you ever for one moment dream that this week's game would have such lofty implications on the SEC standings and National rankings?

But Richt has coached his team up while the Genius formally known as Evil has coached his team into the toilet. So again I say, here we are.

I don't know who will win Saturday but I do know this. To quote the immortal Erk Russell from a 1972 Thursday night pep rally in the McWhorter Hall parking lot, "What we need Saturday is the damnedest bunch of Dawgs you have ever seen getting after their asses, and I mean in the stands and on the field." That’s really what we need. Dawgs young and old to come early and come loud. The whole season depends on it. There is a F@cebook group entitled noise-out Auburn. That’s right, not red-out, black-out, or white-out, just noise-out. That’s what we have got to do to beat Auburn and Florida in the same season for the first time since 1982, BE LOUD! We have 92,000 seats, 80,000-plus of those seats will have Georgia fans in them. Now, let’s sound like it. You can look for me. I'll be the loud Dawg wearing red and black! Won't you please join me?

Go Dawgs!

75 Years of SEC Football -- Top 10 Head Coaches

This list is my opinion; you are welcome to your own. If you have an argument, post it in a comment below. The record indicated is the coach’s total career record as a D-1 college coach. Steve Spurrier is the only coach on the list still active. In order for a national championship to be considered undisputed or unanimous, more than three polls must have selected the team in question as national champion for that season. In order for a coach to be considered for this list, he must have coached (at least one season) in the SEC. Frank Broyles was a fine coach for Arkansas, but Arkansas didn't join the SEC until 1992.
Without further ado, the list...

1. Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant – Kentucky/Alabama (323–85–17)
6 National Championships (4 unanimous); 14 SEC Championships

2. Steve Spurrier – Florida/South Carolina (163-53-2)
1996 National Championship (undisputed); 6 SEC Championships

3. Vince Dooley – Georgia (201-77-10)
3 National Championships (1980 undisputed); 6 SEC Championships

4. ‘General’ Robert Neyland – Tennessee (173-31-12)
4 National Championships (2 unanimous); 5 SEC championships

5. Johnny Vaught – Mississippi (190-61-12)
3 National Championships (zero unanimous); 6 SEC Championships

6. Ralph ‘Shug’ Jordan – Auburn (176-83-6)
1957 National & SEC Championship

7. Wally Butts – Georgia (140-86-9)
2 National Championships (1942 undisputed); 4 SEC Championships

8. Pat Dye – Auburn (153-62-5)
4 SEC championships

9. Gene Stallings – Alabama (89-70-1)
1992 National & SEC Championship

10. Bobby Dodd – Georgia Tech (165-64-8)
1952 National Championship (unanimous); 2 SEC Championships

New face of terror for UF... MARK RICHT

By: Brandon Zimmerman, a sportswriter for the Gainesville (FL) Sun
Article can be found on this website
________________________________________________

The Gators needed a new villain.

After all, who was left for Florida football fans to truly hate?

Bobby Bowden? The Seminoles haven't beaten Florida since 2003. FSU is so far off the radar of Gator fans, the ridiculous Allstate commercial featuring Bowden's statue barely even draws their ire.

The Hurricanes? Please. It's hard to hate a rival that has lost 12 games the last three seasons, not to mention one that hasn't been on the schedule in that same span.

What about Phillip Fulmer? He hasn't beaten Florida since 2004.

Steve Spurrier? He was one moment from costing his former school a national title last year. But Jarvis Moss' finger tips twisted fate in Florida's favor.

Ohio State? Oh-for-two.

Florida fans entered this season in a very rare situation: They harbored no legitimate hatred toward anybody.

Then came Mark Richt.

Happy Halloween. The Gators have a new villain.

Richt didn't just upset the Gators Saturday in Jacksonville. He gave Florida fans a visual they will long remember: Seventy Bulldogs frolicking in the end zone as yellow flags rained down on them.

The amount of venom being spewed toward Richt from Florida fans has been overwhelming. Just click your mouse or turn on a radio talk show in Gainesville.

But that's just in Florida.

To gain a new perspective on Georgia's now infamous touchdown celebration Saturday, I turned to a close friend, Brian K.

Brian is a lifelong Tennessee Volunteer fan and spent eight years of his life attending school at UT (I know what you're thinking, but the eight years actually included grad school).

I figured Brian would have a non-biased viewpoint on what happened at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Florida fans called it classless. Georgia fans contend that Richt is a genius for finding a way to overcome the demons that have haunted the Georgia program in Jacksonville the last two decades.

Only Tennessee Brian could find the middle ground. So this is what Brian wrote me in an e-mail.

"As an objective bystander who legitimately hates both schools, I thought this was hilarious. I rose to my seat when I saw it happening. I also thought this would have been much worse by Georgia if Mark Richt had a reputation for being flamboyant or obnoxious, which he does not. If, say, Bruce Pearl tried to do this, I would think he was a total slime ball. But when Mr. Conservative himself has the (guts) to pull this trigger, you have to admire it."

I was still curious. So I asked Tennessee Brian how he would feel if this stunt was performed against Tennessee, and it led to a Georgia victory.

"I would be VERY angry."

This seems to be the final verdict on the situation. Richt's decision received praise nationally, but was met with ire in Gainesville.

When one of the most conservative coaches in America begins taunting the defending national champions " and then beats them " people take notice.

For one day, at least, the usually reserved Richt became Ralphie Parker from "A Christmas Story." In the movie, Ralphie unexpectedly rushes neighborhood bully Scott Farkus and pummels him to a bloody heap. This was an unexpected plot twist, and funny to everybody, except Scott Farkus.

On Saturday, the Gators were Scott Farkus.

Even the Florida players were upset. Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes called the move "classless." Safety Tony Joiner called it "fake juice."

Coach Urban Meyer told his team after the game to not forget what happened Saturday. Don't ever forget.

For the next 360 days, when the Gators reflect on the loss, they won't think about Tebow's six sacks, or Mohamed Massaquoi's 84-yard touchdown catch, or Mikey Henderson's 54-yard touchdown catch. The first visual will be the 70 Bulldogs dancing on the field.

And they'll be stewing for another shot at Georgia and Richt.

It's been a long time since Florida has suffered such a bitter loss to a rival, let alone one it had beaten 15 of the last 17 years.

So now they have a new villain... Mark Richt.

LSU @ Alabama Preview

Don’t miss it... be there!

Les "Mad Hatter" Miles vs. Nick “Satan” Saban in a no-holds barred grudge match.

Red Stick vs. Red Elephants.

“Coon A$%! Cajuns vs. “Bleeping Alabama.”

Matt "Mission Impossible" Flynn vs. John "Sarah Jessica" Parker Wilson.

Winner gets a trip to Atlanta and the SEC West heavyweight title belt.

Loser leaves the SEC West race.

The buildup to this game started in January when Saban agreed to coach Alabama for $32 million, a percentage of a future state lottery, and the stipulation that every third male child born in Alabama be named Nick. Not that the last one needed to be put in writing.

Saban immediately fired a double-barreled salvo toward Baton Rouge.

First, he noted that many of the players on LSU’s Sugar Bowl winning squad had been recruited by... him. He was right, but maybe not so tactful.

Not content to be merely pompous, St. Nick also tried to be funny. His off-color joke recounting certain Cajuns complaining about his taking the Alabama job resulted in Saban issuing a typical modern celebrity apology ... which basically said he was sorry if anybody was so stupid as to be offended by his comments. His attempts to be humble and apologetic were a lot funnier than the joke.

The Mad Hatter struck back in February.

At a gathering of roughly 5000 LSU faithful at the Bayou Recruiting Bash, an audience that included children (I mean age-wise), Miles used two profanities including one about having a new rival in “blanking Alabama.” (You can fill in the blank). Smooth coach.

At least you get the sense Miles is having some fun.

I think the last time Saban smiled was after winning the national title in 2003 and that was only when he got to holler at his players to “get off the blankety-blank field before all these blankety-blank Cajuns crush us.”

Although he might not have actually smiled.

Heading into this game, LSU stands in great shape to play for another national title.

If the Tigers roll past the Tide, they will be heavily favored in remaining games against Ole Miss, Arkansas, and an SEC title game with (most likely) Tennessee or Georgia. With only one-loss LSU would be almost a lock for the BCS title game.

For the Tide, the game also presents a great opportunity.

A win would reinforce what everybody already knows … the Tide is rising. While Bama would probably still need to win tough road games at Mississippi State and Auburn to reach the title game, a win over LSU would mark Alabama as the league’s new power in the West and Saban as king of the ring.

I don’t expect that coronation to happen this week.

The Bengal Tigers, while lackadaisical at times, play loose (yes, too loose on occasion), have all that talent, and can see a national championship opening straight in front of them.

The Tide is rising, but will have to wait another year.



______________________________________________
LSU at Alabama
October 29, 2007
By Bob Epling
From: http://thecampusgame.blogspot.com/2007/11/armageddon-in-alabama.html