Georgia Notebook

Now that Georgia is 13-11 since the '08 Tech game, they are left to play spoiler as well as beat Tech. Both games are winnable. Tech has just as many problems as Georgia but beating Georgia is a season maker for the Jackets anytime it happens and thats why I like Tech as we stand 3 weeks out. A win against Auburn wouldn't be a season saver for the Dawgs but it would be a win over a quality opponent, something that hasn't happened in '10.

My game plan against Auburn would be to line up in 4 wides with Green, King, Durham, Wooten, and Charles rotating and throw the ball 50 times. Some would say you need to keep the ball away from Newton and control the clock. I'd rather have a track meet and see what happens. Auburn's secondary is poor and has a bunch of injury issues. The Tigers' D-line is solid and our run game, for multiple reasons, is pitiful. So why not scrap the whole run game, do what we've done best, and see if A.J. can have a game for the ages before hes gone..... Defensively, play a 3-5 with one safety who plays tight and man to man coverage on the outside. No matter what formation Auburn comes out in, send Houston every single down and spy War Cam with Gamble. Let the D-line play very conservative. If Newton throws for 400 yards then so be it. But try something out of the box and see what happens because every decent offense has put up huge numbers against us and Auburn will double those if we stick to our guns.

As far as Idaho State, Dantzler thinks this is easily the worst team Georgia football has played since at least WW II. Idaho State is 243rd in this weeks RealTimeRPI National Rankings and last in the Big Sky Conference. They are 1-7 after winning 1 game last year. Charles White might even get to play.

Basketball season unofficially starts Thursday. Stegeman renovations will continue through at least Thursday. I'm starting to figure out that Georgia likes to make it interesting when it comes to construction. The upgrades from the outside look good and probably should have been done a decade ago..... The last time the program had these type of expectatons was 2002-03. A very reasonable goal for a team that finished last in their division the previous season would be an NCAA birth. My expectations are an SEC East title and a win in the Tournament. They have the best 1-2 punch in the league and the best transfer. They have experience, depth, and a core group that is now entering their 3rd year together. The 2 guys that I feel can get Georgia to the upper tier of the SEC are Jeremy Price and Sherrard Brantley. Price has shown glimpses of being great but also has gone through spells where he did absolutely nothing. He's a big body that has gotten in shape and could be a force inside that Georgia would otherwise not have. Thompkins will play the 4 but Price is the more traditional low post guy who needs to produce. Brantley is the new McPhee. By no means does he need to shoot the ball as well as McPhee but he does need to be a consistent threat. The starting 5 doesn't have a pure shooter like Brantley and it will be huge if he can come off the bench, stretch the defense and bring some instant offense. Then theres freshman Marcus Thorton. He's been praised by his fellow teamates more than anyone in practice and if he's a player than Georgia could be scary good. The road is still a major hurdle and Georgia needs to get over that quickly if they want to be a true contender. Fox won't say it but this football season has done nothing but help the basketball program as a whole. That is if the basketball program can help itself.

Finally, McGarity is doing things. The firing of Anymouse's coach shows that he likes to do business. Firing a coach mid-season this soon after being hired is a sign that he is not cool with mediocrity, no matter what the sport. He has already taken a hard stance on the GA-FLA game staying in Jacksonville and has done and said all the right things. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Grantham has been called to ADGM's office for his embarrassing and juvenile display that might not even fly at T.A. Wright stadium. There's nothing wrong with being fiery and competetive but you can do that without being an idiot.