As you probably know, National Signing Day for prospective college football players is a mere 6 days away. Traditionally Mark Richt and his staff have had the hay in the barn, so to speak, for weeks by now. 2012 however has been a little different, mainly for 2 reasons.
One is that the uncertainty (whether real or perceived) surrounding the Bulldog coaching staff's future during the spring and summer of 2011 put us behind the eight ball with many recruits. It's likely that many didn't want to get too attached to our coaches when there was a chance they wouldn't be around in 2012. Additionally, this time last year it appeared that Georgia would not have that many scholarships to offer. So the coaches began with a smaller set of prospects to work on. They were fairly stingy with offers inside the state of Georgia, not wanting to have to come back later and withdraw an offer from a kid at Calhoun or Sandy Creek or Warner Robins. That kind of thing is bad for business, even if only in the short term. But then Marcus Dowtin, Caleb King, Nick Williams, Washaun Ealey, Jeremy Longo, Brent Benedict and others cleared up some roster room.
Georgia now has 16 verbal commitments and is looking to sign 22-24 players. Who will round out the class? I don't know, but I've got some guesses, and I want to hear yours as well. We'll look at some of the contenders after the jump, and talk about your chance to claim bragging rights over your fellow Dawg Sports readers.
Insert picture of cows jumping into Sanford now. We got a million "play makers". I am tired of not having enough guards. Now, I get it. I liked to run and catch the ball. When I was 15. But at 40, I really wouldn't mind lining up and hitting that SOB in front of me. Think, Rocky XXXXXXXXIV. I think I screwed up my Roman. I listened to the podcast, checked myself, looked at the issues, and BOOM, we have needed, always needed, still need more, linemen. You think the post TD was sweet? I feel ya. When you see a pulling guard destroy a DB, then I'm listening.
Tell me how ya feel DawgNation! We need some Guards and Tackles!
Non paid disclaimer 1 (although, hell yea, send us the check): Chick Fil A opens here in a month. I can't wait for a wheat milkshake.
Disclaimer 2: If you are a UGA Alum, Admin, Prof, lover, hater, fan, you should be ashamed WSU is a better basketball school than us. I live here. It's embarrassing the Shockers could floor UGA. You wouldnt even know there was a college here. I aint joshing. For real.
Andy Landers’s Lady Bulldogs, playing on the road in Nashville’s Memorial Gymnasium on Thursday night, struggled mightily with a Vanderbilt club that came into the game sporting a 2-4 ledger in conference play, ultimately falling by a 68-48 final margin.
The Red and Black spent much of the game within striking distance of the Commodores, but the visitors could never quite bridge the gap. Trailing 31-26 at the break, the Athenians closed to within two points on the Anne Marie Armstrong jump shot that made it 39-37 with 13 and a half minutes to play. After that, it was all Vandy, as the home team stretched its advantage to 45-37 in the next 60 seconds on a fastbreak layup, a free throw, and a three-point basket, all by Christina Foggie.
The Commodores proceeded to pull away, shooting better than 50 per cent from the field (25 of 48) and draining nine of 20 from beyond the arc while Georgia found the bottom of the net on just 22 of 60 field goal attempts (36.7%) and made just one three-pointer and three free throws. Khaalidah Miller earned the women’s basketball equivalent of the Golden Sombrero, going 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-4 from way downtown. Armstrong’s 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists went to waste.
Depth continues to be an issue for the Lady Dogs, who used only eight players against Vanderbilt’s ten, but that excuse rings hollow in a game in which Georgia outscored the host squad off the bench (5-4). In fact, the Classic City Canines held a 12-7 edge in steals, committed fewer turnovers (17, to the Commodores’ 20), and matched the home team with 24 points in the paint. However, poor shooting, a goose egg in the block column, and a ten-rebound deficit on the glass translated to a 20-point setback for the Bulldogs, who aren’t supposed to lose like that in Tennessee except when they’re playing in Knoxville.
Go ‘Dawgs!
As Kit noted this morning, the last Wednesday before national signing day has been a slow news day. How so? So slow that Georgia has had two player arrests in the last 15 months yet is tied for the Fulmer Cup lead, Isaiah Crowell performed as well as any top-tier freshman tailback in the nation yet still is considered a disappointment, we may be on the verge of seeing a 19-game SEC basketball schedule and a seven-win football bowl-eligibility requirement, and Mark Richt going to church on a Wednesday night is considered newsworthy.
Basically, there is nothing new under the sun. Well, unless you count . . .
Good morning, kids! Last night, you either watched the State of the Union Address, or UGA fall to Kentucky in what was a more closely contested game than the score would indicate. Either way, you probably woke up today with a little cat scratch fever playing in your head, so we're here to help.
Unfortunately, there's not a ton going on. Yes, it's recruiting season, and the very height of it, but truthfully, there's not a ton of news from which to choose. However, we're going to make due with what we have.
Links after the jump...
The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats rolled into the Classic City on Tuesday night, and they found Stegeman Coliseum rocking and Mark Fox’s Georgia Bulldogs fired up and ready to play. In the end, though, it didn’t matter, as the visitors justified their ranking in a 57-44 win over the Red and Black.
The Athenians did not go gentle into that good night, however. In the outing’s opening 37 seconds, Terrence Jones gave the visitors a two-point lead and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tied it up with a jump shot at the other end of the floor. Thanks to three-pointers by Nemanja Djurisic, the home team hung tough, building a 14-11 advantage before the Blue and White went on a 10-0 run to carve out a football-like 21-14 lead.
Mark Fox's Georgia Bulldogs, fresh from an embarrassing loss to Ole Miss, host the Kentucky Wildcats, the consensus No. 1 team in the country, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern this evening in a men's basketball game being televised by ESPN. Yeah, that will end well, won't it?
Then again, I thought that last year, too, and it worked out all right in the end, so dive into the comment thread and cheer on the Hoop Hounds! Preferably, we'll be discussing a win; failing that, at least the gaggle of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fans who call Dawg Sports home will be able to discuss the fact that Ensign Robin Lefler was played by Ashley Judd, who reportedly smells like wildflowers.
Go 'Dawgs!
As if you needed any other reason to root against the Patriots next Sunday, the Giants' roster contains the lone representative of the Bulldog Nation: tailback D.J. Ware. (The Pats' roster, by contrast, contains 4 Floridians, including Brandon "The Optometrist" Spikes. Just sayin') The link includes a breakdown of college representation in case you want to check up on your secondary or tertiary affiliations.
