The decision not to wear a costume either means an
individual is too lame to party or too cool to party. Sometimes being too cool
is actually lame, and sometimes being too lame is actually cool. Texas A&M’s
season started off well, and then it started going not so well. Alabama bullied
them down the stretch, and Ole Miss finished the job with a 23-3 thumping.
Perhaps the heading is a bit dramatic, but certain
hopes and dreams quaked, erupted, and dispersed last week—have you heard talk
of Ole Miss or Georgia over the last week?—while other visions have only now
become clear in the bonfire smoke and leafy haze of early October. The season
marches on. It does not dwell. The past moves with it.
Long thought to have run dry, the swamp now looks to be swallowing everything.
Ole
Miss punishes the wrong man, a stranger out of New Mexico State.
This game will start at high noon. This time makes
sense for an old-fashioned shootout pitting a never was against an already has
been. Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze doubts his program is of an elite status.
They are in the room, I guess, but they are not centered. They sit over in the corner
somewhere with a bottle full of sorrow. In the liquid’s hue dance the last
embers of the old homestead. A mustached Aggie with a bandanna around his neck staggers
towards the swinging doors. He trips. The table flips. Whiskey soaks into the
sawdust. A man draws a gun. A blast shouts from the corner. The man who fired
it walks out into the street, paying for nothing, and with no one caring about
where he might go next. West, East, North, South? For the time being, the
debacle in Gainesville is in every town and field.
Georgia and Tennessee to commiserate on the
field of play around 3:30.
Neither team can quite win the big one, but one of
these teams has to win this one. After a 38-10 loss Alabama game, Georgia can
no longer pretend to have a legitimate quarterback. Greyson Lambert isn’t
exactly awful, but neither is he good. Last week’s game featured a lot of
mistakes on offense, special teams, and on defense, but the Dawgs may have lost
the game on the first play from scrimmage. After a hesitant stutter step, Malcolm
Mitchell ran free up the right sideline, Lambert watched the route develop, and
fired at his receiver. The ball sailed wide of the sideline. Most likely, this
drifting just wide of the target will epitomize Georgia’s season, just as
Tennessee’s season appears so far to be a surrendering of leads that cannot
help but remind Volunteer fans that their idea of self too might be slipping
away into the ether. Entering today, the all-time series between these rivals
is tied. It can’t stay that way, right?
LSU
to snap a chicken neck and boil water in a pot.
LSU looks really good—special even. South Carolina
does not. This game may die early and quick and with an air of certainty. Do
not expect the body to dance around without strings in the barnyard. Expect the
tiger to swallow it whole. I think we’re done here.
Arkansas
to pay its yearly dues to Alabama.
The helmets look good on the field next to each
other, like old time rivals from an age when uniforms were stubbornly simple,
like the game itself. This game, however, doesn’t really seem to have much in
the offering. The collection plate will go ‘round, and Coach Bielema will eye
it as if paper currency were the raw material of the leper’s bandages. But by the
time Saban conducts the last hymn, Bielema will have pulled out his wallet and
placed every last dollar on the velvet pad of a brass bowl. Last week’s win
against Tennessee for Arkansas doesn’t really suggest any other outcome today
is likely. Tennessee, after all, is no Alabama.
Florida
stakes a claim in Missouri.
No one saw it coming, at least that I know of, but
Florida barnstormed the hell out of Ole Miss last week, moving to 3-0 in the
SEC. Is a letdown possible? Sure. But a letdown now appears as unlikely to
occur as the undefeated start once did. Mizzou has won the SEC two years
running, which means there is no reason for the Gators not to take the new
bloods seriously. No one saw it coming, but the boys from Gainesville are in
the driver’s seat of the SEC East going in to today and most likely will still
be in it once the day ends.
"We'll play some old ones, but with a new twist. You can't play it the same way twice."
South
Carolina visits Missouri with a familiar yet unrecognizable playlist.
The above photo has invited jokes comparing Steve
Spurrier to a veteran blues singer. He also stated this week that he does not
listen to rap music. None of this has much to do with football, but neither
does discussion of the Gamecocks status these days. In fact, everything about
the Gamecocks currently has to do with the age of the ol’ ball coach. Does
anyone remember a time when he was simply the ball coach? Did such a time ever
exist?
Retribution is a Star Wars film made by UGA wide receiver Christian Conley. I first heard of the film on Clay Travis' siteOutkick the Coverage. The film features cameos from prominent figures in the Georgia program, including running back Todd Gurley and head coach Mark Richt. (In fact, Richt's cameo could be interpreted as a strange bit of commentary on how unaware college coaches are of their players' extracurriculars.) Perhaps, though, what the film sells best, beyond Star Wars and Georgia football, is the Classic City itself. Sanford Stadium is the perfect setting for action, the campus is idyllic, and the city streets made me long with nostalgia for sleepy autumn mornings in the breast of the south. Enjoy:
Well, with another college season done, it's never too early to start ranking teams for next year, so without any further ado and after much deliberation, here are our early rankings for next season.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Coming off its secon national title, Nick Saban's squad will have to overcome a weak early schedule that includes non-SEC opponents such as little known Virginia Tech.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
UGA will be losing a lot on defense, but they will still feature an amazing tandem of sophmore running backs and got great news when quarterback Aaron Murray announced he would return for his final year of eligibility. However, their biggest challenge, like 'Bama, may be their weak schedule which includes several non-SEC schools, like Clemson and Georgia Tech, who have very little football tradition.
3. Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies weak schedule (about half their games are against non-SEC schools) should prevent Heisman winner Johnny Manziel from feeling any sort of sophmore slump. In other words, Scoooobiiiieeee Dooooobiiieeeee Dooooooo!!!
4. Florida Gators
If Florida can rebound from an embarrassing bowl loss, it should be able to play well enough in overcoming its weak non-conference schedule that features such second rate schools as Florida State and Miami.
5. LSU Tigers
LSU features a non-conference schedule similar to A&M's which could really hinder them come BCS time. Their Athletic Director should probably work on scheduling every other SEC team on their schedule twice.
6. South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina's title hopes probably depend on their ability to beat Clemson by more points than Georgia. If they can do that, then defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney should be able to carry them against much weaker and lesser known opponents such as North Carolina.
7. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Coming off an 8-5 season, the Bulldogs will have to do their best to overcome a rather weak schedule that sees them playing several non-SEC schools.
8. Vanderbilt Commodores
Coming off a 9-4 campaign and having given its coach an extension, the Commodores should look to build off their success by playing several games against non-SEC schools.
9. Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas must hope that it can rebound from a weak 2012 campaign and an even weaker schedule. They will only play Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State once apiece.
10. Missouri Tigers
Other than playing Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida once apiece Missouri's schedule is rather weak and could hurt them down the stretch when the computers start deciding who will play whom come Bowl season.
Others Receiving Votes:
Tennesse Volunteers, Kentucky Wildcats, Ole Miss Rebels, Auburn Tigers
SEC Tennessee v (5) UGA @ 3:30 on CBS:
Another bad week of games in the SEC. Tyler Wilson and Arkansas travel to Texas A&M, giving the Aggies their first SEC win. John L. Smith is just an awful substitute for Bobby Petrino, even with all the chaos and lack of loyalty the latter can bring. South Carolina plays Kentucky in Lexington. We all know how this ends and it won't be pretty. LSU plays defending CAA champion Towson. Towson has an extremely talented RB in Terrance West. But they have no chance in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss goes to Alabama, moving their SEC record to 0-1. Missou takes on UCF in Orlando. This could actually be worth watching, but neither team is really good enough to enforce it as a must-watch. I like UCF with the upset.
Now, most of those games aren't much worse than this as UT still hasn't been able to build depth neccessary to push the best of the SEC for four quarters. The saving grace is the rivalry. UT leads the series (21-18-2) but UGA has won the last two. To end the streak, UT will need to get a sizable lead before the 4th. With their complete lack of a running game and a questionable secondary, I don't really see the Vols being able to hold a small lead late in the game. With their receiving corps, the Vols always have a chance to get a jump on the competition. However, with Jarvis Jones coming after Bray and Aaron Murray passing against the aforementioned weak secondary, I like UGA in a close one. UGA 20, UT 14.
VA
Nothing to see here, seriously. VT plays Cincinnati at Fed Ex Field. After losing another early-season game against a supposedly lesser opponent, VTs season capsule should almost mirror 3 of the last 4 seasons (save for 2009). UVA hosts unbeaten Louisiana Tech. This is the second game that could have been a good one. But the QB controversy is still unsettled and until it is, they'll struggle. The winless Tribe of W&M play host to the truly awful Georgia State Panthers. Whoever loses this game will go winless. Lastly, the 4th ranked ODU Monarchs and NCAA record-holder Taylor Heinicke play at UofR. The Spiders sit at 3-1, however they haven't been tested this season and are coming off a season where they went winless in the CAA. Until the Spiders beat someone of note, their games won't be of note. JMU, VMI and Liberty all on the bye.
I hadn't heard the voice of Larry Munson in a long time before last night when I found myself listening to a lot of his old calls on YouTube, and I'd forgotten how much that voice means to me. Hearing it again, now, I feel three feet tall and like my hand is something small reaching for the big, thick palm of my father's, to guide me through a sea of red and black ebbing out of Sanford Stadium, past the old rail tracks and back toward the First Presbyterian Church. And that's what Munson's voice was: a constellation crackling through the radio, guiding an entire state through the course of an SEC season, unafraid to make football out to be more than it is. It sparkled. It flared. It cracked. And it bled. Rest in peace, Larry. We will surely miss you.
Goliath, being a giant and all, casts a shadow that goes well beyond the walls of a Sunday School room or even the farthest church pew from the pulpit, and like any figure from ancient times, he goes by many names and comes in many forms. The first Goliath I ever met was William Lattimore: he was the fastest kid in the third grade, and despite shooting a basketball like a Mujahideen with a rocket launcher, he never missed. Then there was Quentin Moses who in middle school stood like a Philistine above a bunch of musty-smelling adolescent Hebrews, and the list could go on to include Michael Hudson of Battlefield Middle or Reed Fairchild of Spotsylvania Middle. Different names. Same effect. When coach asked you to guard one of them one on one or you found yourself eye to eye with them across an imaginary yard marker, you knew they were better, that your legs weren't fast enough, that your arms weren't long enough--that you needed the miracle of a slingshot to slay the giant standing before you.
My thoughts going into today's Georgia-Florida game are up at Clay Travis' site Outkick the Coverage.
The above picture is a view my dad and I used to share every fall Saturday, only it was obscured by cigar smoke back in the day.
With a twenty to twelve victory over the Tennessee Vols, Mark Richt notched his one hundredth victory as the head coach of the Georgia Bulldawgs. The first half was a grudge match, a fist fight, one of those moments in the kitchen when you and a loved one can't get the lid off the jar: the score was six to six, both teams having notched just a couple of field goals. It was one of those games that you talk through, sip beer through, find anyway to hide that you're nervous through.
Clay Travis is a busy man, running a radio show, launching a website, being a husband, raising two kids, but he managed to find enough time back in the summer for reading over a portfolio that I sent him at Langston's suggestion. He liked some of what he saw, mainly that I love writing about the teams that I root for, and offered me an opportunity to write at his SEC-centered website Outkick the Coverage. I've sent him ideas for articles and columns over the last couple months, and the first one finally made its way onto the site last night. Don't judge it too harshly, just wonder how bad the others must have been that they didn't make the cut.
Russ brought these compilation videos of Auburn's Nick Fairley to my attention in the comments section of our SEC picks last week. He probably thought watching them might make me feel better after last week's Georgia-Auburn game--they didn't. I still believe that anytime Auburn is undefeated it's a sure sign that there's something amiss with college football, and it may not have anything to do with pay for play scandals.
Now, I'm definitely biased because I'm a Georgia fan, but these plays suggest to me that Nick Fairley is a dirty player and if he's not dirty, he's definitely living on that line. I'm not sure the Georgia offensive linemen should have retaliated against him. It makes it feel like they sunk down to Fairley's level, but I'm not sure what a group of linemen are supposed to do when they've watched a guy not just go after their quarterback but go head hunting on multiple plays.
Is Fairley talented? Extremely. But he's also putting others and himself at risk with the savage manner in which he plays. When a guy like this begins to develop a reputation, almost anything he does will be deemed dirty and the players of other teams will watch him through a lens of "if this guy so much as breathes on my quarterback, I'm coming after him." But it's not just other players that will watch Fairley more closely: it's the refs as well. Because of his play, number ninety is now under a microscope with the Iron Bowl coming up, and one has to think that the SEC can not continue to let him maim quarterbacks in this manner.
In the above video, it's possible that Aaron Murray and Nick Fairley's face masks got tangled together, but because of Fairley's reputation, it isn't difficult to imagine that he's intentionally bearing down on Murray's helmet as a means of taunting. And that's the problem with Fairley's play, it makes everything he does questionable, and while Auburn thoroughly outplayed Georgia in the last three quarters of the South's oldest rivalry last week, Fairley's conduct escalated the hostilities in the game to the point where two of his teammates will now miss the first half of their game against Alabama for throwing punches. Fairley's play is hurting his own team, and this pattern of play goes beyond the Georgia game, as shown by the following play against LSU:
Auburn is currently being investigated for whether or not it paid Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Newton to play at their school, but sometimes being a dirty program is as much about what you do on the field and not just what you do off of it.
Teach: Last week, South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore ran all over, through, and around the Georgia defense for 182 yards, and while his talent sparked feelings of helplessness in the way that only a dynamo can, the inability of Bulldawg defenders to wrap up, when tackling, was also largely to blame. Sadly, this problem has become a bit of a tradition in Athens the last few years, no matter who the defensive coordinator is. In his first major college football game, redshirt freshman Aaron Murray looked more than capable of being a big time quarterback, completing two thirds of his passes, without any interceptions, and maybe if Washaun Ealey hadn't fumbled away a scoring opportunity the rest of the SEC would be forced to take notice. The other problem for the Georgia offense is that they are still without their best player AJ Green and that will not change today, which will make Murray's task of keeping pace with Ryan Mallett and Arkansas' offense more difficult. I believe the game will be close through three quarters and then the Bulldawgs will simply run out of steam or continue to look for the big hit, rather than wrap up. Arkansas wins, in Athens, 28-17, and UGA is doomed, in the SEC East, with an 0-2 start.
Mississippi State v (15) LSU @ 7:00 on ESPNU Teach:What to make of Mississippi St.? Last year, they racked up three conference wins, against Vandy, Kentucky, and rival Ole Miss. They lost to LSU last year 30-26 in one of their more competitive SEC games; all their other conference losses were by double digits, including a 49-24 loss to Auburn. This year, they only lost to the blue and orange Tigers by a field goal. Is it a sign of a stronger team? Could be. They've got a new coach (in his second year), which always causes alumni to poke out their chests with eternal optimism, but some things are greater than the lives of individual men, like Mississippi State's mediocrity: LSU wins 28-14, keeping pace with the rest of the teams in a loaded SEC West.
Clemson v (16) Auburn @ 7:00 on ESPN Teach: How can one take anything baring the label ACC seriously anymore? They're the Blockbuster of college football conferences, rapidly closing down shop, at the hands of Netflix and Redbox upstarts. It is truly pathetic, and I don't see how anyone could buy stock in one of their teams going up against any team from one of the real BCS conferences. Versatile quarterback Cameron Newton, who has thrown for 322 yards and rushed 241 yards, while averaging seven yards a carry, in two games this season will lead the Tigers to victory over the other tigers 21-17.
The cold Gatorade and ice of victory splashed onto Mark Richt's Carthaginian neck with little over a minute to play, but the celebration was met with a harsh glare and the words: "No smiles until there's two zeroes on the clock." The scoreboard read Georgia 30 Georgia Tech 24, but Georgia's coach was not happy before or after time ran out on the game of old fashioned hate; and why would he be? This battle was merely a step along a path; a pass between mountains; a test showing how many travails still lie before this coach and his program.
Even in this victory, the Bulldawgs continued to commit stupid penalties that kept their opponent's drives alive, showed an inability to make key tackles, and an overall inability to stop Georgia Tech's unique rushing offense, and as a result, Mark Richt sounded like a man at his wit's end after the game. Despite being the victor on this lone Saturday, this red and black general recognized that Rome was still not conquered.
This competitive fire and lack of satisfaction with his eighth win over the Yellow Jackets in nine years is exactly why most Georgia fans will continue to support Richt despite a somewhat disappointing season. In his interview directly after the final whistle, one could tell that despite his two underclassmen running backs, Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, rushing for 183 and 166 yards he was not resting on his laurels. Richt did not praise his team's success on the ground Saturday; instead, he sounded like a man who realizes that this team did not play up to his expectations in this game or this season. He sounded like a man with work to do; his mind on the grand timeline of history, while lesser men focus only on the moment. Mark Richt recognizes that last night's victory against his state rival means little if it does not mold these young men into a team capable of winning much more.
Georgia spent the last two seasons as a factor in the BCS race, but this year the team faltered out of the gate, losing to then #9 Oklahoma St., cooling fans' expectations for the season. At the time, the Dawgs' preseason #12 ranking seemed way too high, but then the team rattled off three straight wins against South Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona St., with Joe Cox looking more than capable of replacing last year's number one pick in the draft Matthew Stafford. Then an unsportsmanlike penalty against AJ Green, in the game against LSU, crushed all that optimism like an aluminum can at a tailgate, and the Tigers beat the Dawgs by a touchdown; and the following week Georgia's defense made Jonathan Crompton of Tennessee look like a first round draft pick, as the Volunteers stormed the Dawgs 45-19. The rest of this season was a story in how inconsistency can derail a season, as the penalties and turnovers in big games continued to mount, costing series, yielding games, losing seasons.
Mark Richt and his staff attempted to curb these problems, devoting extra sessions in practice to fumbling drills and adopting a zero tolerance policy on penalties, but none of that changed the results on the field, and Georgia finished the 2009 regular season 7-5, the most losses in one season since Richt became head coach.
Usually, in college football, a win against a top ten team feels like a huge triumph that keeps a team and its fanbase satisfied until at least the next kickoff, but last night's game appeared to leave Richt anything but satisfied; and that sentiment is contagious. After seeing his response, one could not help but reflect on the intricate details of Georgia's victory: the lead was built while Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt was out of the game with an injury, the rushing numbers were probably inflated by an injury to Tech's starting defensive tackle, and UGA corner Brandon Boykin committed a pass interference penalty, in the end zone, on third down, setting up Tech's last score, cutting Georgia's lead to six. This victory happened in spite of the same mistakes that plagued Georgia's season all year.
One could dwell on all the previous mentioned circumstances, growing frustrated and depressed in the process, or one could acknowledge that Mark Richt took a team with 77 freshmen and sophomores and won seven games with them, defeating three of the team's major rivals, going 4-4 in America's toughest conference, to finish number three in the SEC East. These tasks were accomplished the year after Georgia's program lost its starting quarterback, starting running back, and most consistent wide receiver to the NFL draft, in a season where the team's best player, AJ Green, did not play in three of the team's final four games. While this team has its flaws and may need to replace its defensive coordinator, Mark Richt kept the team together and weathered the storm.
Now, with an extra month of practice thanks to another Bowl bid, this team is ready to march out of the Gatorade-flavored snow and ice of the Alps and lay siege to the kingdoms and empires of Saban and Meyer. After all, Mark Richt and his armies seek more than a win against the Yellow Jackets--the dream of a championship still alludes these riders of elephants, and these setbacks grow more and more frustrating, causing one to wonder how long the tides of history will allow a team to sit outside the gates of Rome before either the city or the army are razed from the field for good, and, judging from his mood last night, Richt recognizes his difficult position within the crux of college football, the SEC, as a teetering between being the dominant power in the Mediterranean or a scorched field of salt. These next few years will seal the fate on how people remember Mark Richt's tenure.
Ole Miss vs. Auburn @ 12:21 on SEC Network: Langston: Auburn has lost three straight games, and the biggest reason is the ability for SEC defenses to evolve during the season. Chris Todd opened up the season playing great football leading them to a 5-0 start, but the SEC defenses picked up on the flaws and in-turn reminded us how bad Todd can play. Ole Miss comes in to this week as winners of the last two, with Jevan Snead finally looking like the QB we expected him to be and the defenses improvements under Tyrone Mix. In this game, I see both streaks continuing. Ole Miss 28, Auburn 17.
Teach: I would like to pick Auburn in this game, but Ole Miss is just playing better. Auburn will have to wait until next week against Furman to halt their slide. Ole Miss 24 Auburn 17
UGA vs. Florida @ 3:30 on CBS: Langston: Just like Teach does with Tennessee, I become a fan of UGA once a year. It just so happens that this is the week. If I had it my way, the game would end with the Dawgs winning by ninety-eight points, Tebow crying at the 50, and Urban Meyer questioning the SEC officials penalty calls. However the Georgia defense is still being led by Willie Martinez, leaving me no choice but to pick Florida to win. UF 21, UGA 10.
Teach: I don't expect much from this game that I will like. The one silver lining I can find is that after today I will never have to see Tim Tebow line up against my Georgia Bulldawgs ever again. Good riddance. We should stomp and celebrate in the endzone like it's 2007 just because of that. Florida 24 Georgia 14
Deckfight Game of the Week Georgia Tech vs. Vandy @ 7:30 onSEC Network: Leave it to Vandy to schedule non-conference game against a top 15 opponent. Like the quintuple-threat option isn't pain in the neck enough. The question is instead if Georgia Tech playing Vandy pulls their BCS hopes down. No one seems to realize that the Jackets have one loss, while USC gets all the hype. They're right behind LSU and Oregon. The Rambling Wreck is no joke.
Georgia Tech 23 Vandy 14
When students come out of the lunch line with their trays in hand, they seek a table with familiar faces. If one can not find those familiar faces, then one must look inward and do one of two things: either cross into bold frontiers and make new friends or become comfortable with one's self, isolation, and eating alone. The familiar faces in life come and go, like landmarks on the Oregon Trail, and the spaces in between can appear as daunting as a vast wilderness. Last year's Georgia team was defined by the familiar landmarks of Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, and Mohammed Massaquoi, but this year's team lies somewhere beyond Chimney Rock, out there in the unknown, beyond the point on a west-going route that an elementary school student, with a green-screened Apple computer, has ever seen or experienced.
This Georgia season may not follow neatly in the wagon wheel ruts carved out by Mark Richt's eight-year tenure as the top dawg. This team may not finish with ten or more wins like six of his eight teams have done. This team may not win the SEC East like three of his teams have done, and it may not win the SEC like two of his teams have done; but none of that means that this season's venturing westward is a voyage made in vain. Mark Richt's success has made Georgia fans familiar with being one of the top programs in the SEC, but familiar territory can grow stagnant and unchanging. Familiar territory can become a place of habit, with one wagon following the paths of all that came before it, never branching out into the unknown, and the unknown is where discovery takes place, not just of landmarks, geography, and Bowl games, but of one's self. The 2009 football season will offer every fan clad in black and red a chance to look inward and discover their true nature as a football fan.
Venturing off the worn path is never easy. The legs of the oxen tangle with briars and thorns, and the mosquitoes and gnats swarm to human flesh as if it consisted solely of honeyed sugar. Wagon axles will surely break, as was the case yesterday when the Georgia offense scored only a field goal after taking a touchdown lead out of the first quarter, but this rough journey into the wild should offer Georgia fans an appreciation for how well Mark Richt has guided the program in his first eight seasons.
Mark Richt's leadership has been as steadfast as the Duke's presence on a movie set. Yesterday's loss was only the fifth time Georgia has dropped a road game under his guidance. He's led the Bulldogs through hostile Comanche territory with the loss of very few scalps and come out of shoot outs with highwaymen as if he were a war wagon. While yesterday's defeat may have caused many Georgia fans to realize how hard this season may be, Richt's track record and a look at the remaining road games gives one the belief John Wayne will find Debbie, uttering the words, "let's go home," as she cowers in the darkness of the cave.
Georgia will come out of this season changed for the better. The current roster features only twenty seniors, thirty juniors, and seventy-seven freshmen and sophomores. They will go into the woods hungry and dragging muskets as tall as they are, but they will come back with coon-skinned hats, dragging the hides of buffalo behind them and a message from the Apple God of hunting: "You killed too much meat. You can only carry back 100 pounds back to the wagon." Looking at their schedule, this team should still find itself with seven to nine wins and headed for a Bowl game, just don't expect this team to reach the Pacific without a few bouts of dysentery, some broken bones, and a loss to Florida.
Those who have the patience to enjoy watching a team grow and develop a personality should find this Georgia season to be a thing of beauty, like watching a carpenter who discovers rocking chairs inside of tree stumps, or a stone mason who searches the edges of boulders to find stone steps hidden underneath--Mark Richt is building something in Athens that can not be judged by stats and numbers alone, but requires the sentimentality one uses to remember an archaic computer game and a frontier that disappeared long ago.
How we as fans react to this season will say much more about us than it will about our John Wayne.
Nostalgia can come in many shapes, forms, and sounds. Tonight, for me, it's in the shape of Leinenkugel bottles. The first time I had Leiney's was in 2005. I flew up to Milwaukee and saw Drody. At the time, I was going through a rough break up, one that would stretch for two years. Drody, some pitchers of Leiney's, and the summer breeze off Lake Michigan reminded me that beer, friends, and maybe a little baseball are all anyone needs. Life cycles through ups and downs. Recently, I haven't been happy at work or with living in Woodbridge, which has gotten me looking backwards in my life as much as forward. I've needed a pick me up.
Anyway, tonight nostalgia is a Sunset Wheat beer from Wisconsin. On Wednesday night, it was a rock show at The Black Cat in DC, and it gave me the boost I needed. The tickets cost 12 bucks. There were three bands. If you do the math, then that's four dollars per band, not bad. The first band up was Trances Arc from Atlanta via Athens. Before they started their set, I turned to my friend Russ, who I used to run cross country with, and said, "I feel for opening bands. They have about a two song window to win over a crowd, and if they don't do it, then this show was a waste of their time because no one came to see them anyway." After the first couple songs, I turned to Russ and said, "They have my attention." Of course, them getting my attention may have been helped by the fact that Russ was falling in love with them, they're from Athens, and the conversation about time travel that commenced between Russ and myself during their set.
Russ may claim differently, but I think the Pabst Blue Ribbons we were drinking were helping him to hear the band with drunk ears. Many a guy has claimed that a girl appeared more attractive because he saw her with drunk eyes, so surely the same hypothesis can be applied to the sense of sound. Don't get me wrong Trances Arc aren't a bad band. They had some solid songs, and their closing number landed pretty high on the "This Song Would Make Me Play Guitar Hero Again" scale. They harmonized well over some decent riffs, and the girls in the audience seemed to dig them, so Russ developing a crush on this band doesn't really seem like that big of a deal.
Now, they're being from Athens sets up everything else I'm going to say. I lived in Athens from preschool to the end of middle school, and there are times when I feel like there's a hole in my heart left from my family's move from Georgia to Virginia. After Trances Arc's set, I went and talked to the lead singer. He went to St. Joseph's and then Cedar Shoals High School. When I lived in Athens, I played soccer and was in Cub Scouts with some guys that went to St. Joe's, and I would have gone to Cedar Shoals if we hadn't of moved. In seventh grade, I wore a Cedar Shoals basketball jersey as part of Cedar's 7th and 8th grade team. Quentin Moses was on this team. The first football player I ever worshipped was Kiki Wright of Cedar Shoals. His dad was the janitor at my elementary school. Did I mention nostalgia was in the air? Anyway, I got a free sticker from the Trances Arc singer, which at the time seemed like a more generous gift than it might actually have been. Still, he was one of the most humble musicians I've ever met, which I sincerely mean as a compliment. There were no pretentious notions of artistry about him, and he gave me a sticker.
So while Trances Arc was playing Russ and I began talking about time travel. Maybe we watch too much Lost, but the conversation pretty much revolved around what age version of our self would we like to receive advice from. Russ wants to have a conversation with himself five years from now, and I want a panel of my 4-year old self, 7th grade self, college self, and myself ten years from now to be around whenever I make important decisions. Albeit, the only self I would listen to is my ten years from now self. The others would just be around for their reactions. As I told Russ, I was at the height of my obnoxiousness in 7th grade and the height of my drunkenness in college, so it would be good to hear from those guys. Let it also be known that I hope Lost doesn't resort to characters getting advice from their future and past selves.
Trances Arc had Russ and I delving into the past, which is weird because Russ and I used to run cross country together, meaning we used to chase finish lines and here we were talking about going back towards the starting line.
Then again, maybe it was just me me delving into the past and Russ delving into the future, which is a rare combination, meaning that the music of the night was a throwback as well as a possible progression into the future of rock. The second band up was Dead Confederate, a name that conjures up battlefields, graveyards, and double-barreled canons. When I was in early elementary school, I tricker treated one year in a Confederate uniform.
Russ and I both felt their set lasted too long, kind of like the after effects of slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Their sound was familiar, like museum memorabilia. They were a heavier, southern Velvet Underground, and while Information Leafblower just named them his new favorite band, I'm not sure exactly why. They stood around on stage like Bubbles and his white friend from season one of The Wire, except there was distortion surrounding them. The most interesting thing about Dead Confederate was trying to figure out if their lead singer was a guy or a girl. It reminded me of the first time one listened to Rush and questioned the gender of Geddy Lee, or it was like discovering the reasons for the south's succession and then feeling a strange sense of guilt rising up one's spine, pushing all that Southern pride against the roof of one's skull. The result after a few songs was a headache that seemed all too familiar, like the realization that a Confederate soldier's uniform may not have been the best Halloween choice.
Still, they did have one helluva a drummer laying down the beat for the ghosts of grunge music to march over, like Kurt Cobain became friends with Robert E. Lee in death, and all of Lee's defeats and inner battles somehow made Cobain's guitar heavier and more ferocious.
The bottom line for the two opening acts is this: Trances Arc sound better live than they do on their recordings, and Dead Confederate sound better on their recordings than they do live. Let it also be known that the only reason I was able to remember Trances Arc's name was because their singer gave me a sticker. I've used that sticker the whole time I've been writing this article, like a middle school yearbook or Facebook. I keep looking at that sticker like I'm looking up old friends, which sometimes feels as arbitrary as holding onto Confederate money.
This week started off with a snow storm that swept up the Atlantic Coast from the south. It hit in Georgia, and it continued up into New York and New England. This tour, headlined by The Whigs, features three Georgia bands, and their route has them going as far north as Boston, where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired (roughly). This tour was like seeing a successful invasion of the north. At the beginning of the week, we were buried in snow, I was sitting on my couch under blankets, and the temperature was in the 20s. Today I'm wearing shorts and the temperature is supposed to rise into the 70s. I think rock 'n roll is the reason.
It was my second time seeing The Whigs live in DC. The first time they opened for The Kings of Leon, and the show was at Constitution Hall. It felt like watching a show inside of the Sandy Creek Nature Center's star globe, a tent that visited all the local schools in Athens, so that students could learn about stars and constellations. This concert introduced me to The Whigs, and I thought these guys are going to be their own three-pronged constellation.
The Whigs were simply incredible. Drummer Julian Dorio is a machine. Guitar player and lead vocalist Parker Gispert is the intense artist on stage, and Tim Deaux is pure energy on bass guitar. Seriously, imagine if Keith Moon and Mick Jagger had a kid and that kid played bass. The interesting thing about Gispert and Deaux is that each of them also plays keyboard, and Deaux also unleashed an awesome guitar solo at one point during the show. They're like Gemini twins that balance out one another--the sex and drugs on one side and the heart and soul on the other. They also unveiled a new song, "Alabama Stars," which showed that Gispert is stretching his songwriting tendencies beyond their normal habits.
The clear message from this band is that there are better days before them, and I'm sure Russ' self five years from now could tell us all about them; but I'd rather be surprised watching the present get unwrapped in person.
The Whigs also brought baseball season with them. They came out on stage to the Tomahawk Chop, and there's nothing more nostalgic than the start of baseball season. The Whigs, Dead Confederate, and Trances Arc, I thank you for ushering in a new season. These Leiney's are for you cause we need music too, in order to clean the slate.
My Dad works in the Presbyterian Church, and I grew up in the Presbyterian Church, hearing preachers quote Jesus' message that to get into heaven a rich man must drop his riches and become just a man. If you were to look at the nightstand in my room right now, you'd see a copy of The Rig Veda. I read a hymn from its pages every night before I go to bed, and it too warns against seeking material wealth at all costs. In my classroom, I try and teach students that there is merit to learning besides the mark in the grade book or the approval of the teacher, that knowledge and morals are not always quantifiable. Go through my CD collection, and you'll find The Clash, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Modest Mouse, etc also warning me against focusing on material wealth. Still, these things that are worth nothing in the long run find a way to mean a hell of a lot--the nothing finds a way to be something, and sometimes, I can't tell the two apart.
I try to live a life that's not in excess, but I've got ever growing collections of music, movies, and clothing; and I know they don't mean much. I know they're not golden tickets. I know they will not accompany me to the next life, and that even in this life they can't keep one from being tired, hungry, or lonely; but after hearing Florida won another BCS (Bowl Championship Scrimmage) championship, I can't help but think how much I want a trophy that doesn't even mean a thing in this life, let alone the next. I want that scrap of mettle, even if I despise it so much I haven't watched a BCS title game in years.
I admit that seeing the Florida Gators win another meaningless trophy makes me bitter, combined with the possibility of my Georgia Bulldogs getting their paws on such a trophy has grown significantly more difficult with the early departures of Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. Times are dire, downright miserable. Basketball season beckons, but I can't let go of what this college season has shown us. While Obama's election to the highest office in the land should show us anything is possible, a game we play as children has shown us that anything is not possible. Certain institutions are still more powerful than others and with that power they carry more prestige.
The Big Ten, the ACC, the PAC-10, the SEC, the Big 12, and the Big East are social elites, and their teams start every season with a silver spoon in their mouths. Maybe it seems a bit of a reach to say that Obama's accomplishments thus far are undercut by an inept college football system, but hasn't Washington spent the last couple of months bailing out Wall Street, the auto industry, and other big businesses. Isn't the BCS a bailout for the major conferences?
We divide things up in this world. We place things in hierarchies. It starts at an early age. We pick teams on the playground. We alphabetize and assess the value of baseball cards, which are just gum-scented cardboard. None the less, we didn't want to get caught making a trade with a friend that downgraded our own collection. We would never trade a Ken Griffey card for a Cecil Fielder. No seven-year old gives cards away as charity to boost their friend's collection, and tendencies as children carry over into our adult lives. Why would the major conferences give up an automatic payday and a system that gives their teams a leg up, reducing the field of competition to about 66 teams? No one did it as a kid, so why would they do it as an adult?
The Utah Utes went 13-0 and beat several teams from BCS conferences, but they were given no shot at the championship, which leads me to think what do teams like the Utah Utes have in common with the Palestinians. The Utah Utes have a resume that says they should be considered a top notch program, but they've got no shot to even compete for a championship, which must be how the Palestinians feel in their quest for land. Constant humiliation, like having no water and asking permission to take a dump, can make a man do unspeakable things, even if the land is only land, the trophy a trophy, and the black car a black car. The BCS draws a line between all the BCS and non-BCS conferences, and the world draws lines between nations and occupied zones. We drew this line on the playground as kids. Washington has drawn this line with its bailouts, and the world has drawn this line when dealing with Israel and Palestine.
The problem is everything doesn't always stay on its designated side. Sometimes a team from the Mountain West conference goes undefeated and beats up on the team that should have bullied it. Sometimes a Mountain West team does this twice in five seasons. Sometimes the sins of Wall St. spill over and drown Main St. too. Sometimes a nation protecting itself from terrorists becomes a terrorist. Sometimes it's hard to tell where one side of the line ends and where the other begins, like when the ocean meets the sky, and then goals in life become as impossible to reach as the horizon.
The Mountain West conference is the Gaza Strip of college football, so I wish Utah all the luck in the world with trying to prove the BCS is breaking anti-trust laws, just as I wish for a peaceable solution between Palestine and Israel. I'm wishing for lines that better define who deserves what ranking, who deserves blame, and who deserves sympathy. I want to know what is the nothing I really can ignore because it really is nothing, and the something I can appreciate because all it has to do is be. I want a world that makes sense.
The problem is that world doesn't exist. These nothings in life become somethings when we continue to treat people like nothings, and our arts and our sports attempt to embrace us when human arms fail to do so, blurring the line between what is and is not important. We make the the nothing stuff into something stuff by labeling it as not important. By calling anything nothing, one calls anything something, and these labels ripple throughout our world, causing us to ask which is more important, causing us to ask how can a nation that can not agree on fair rules to a game help other countries agree on fair rules to end a war. How do we break the habits we've learned since birth?
We all want something, whether it's love, equal footing, or the recognition of our existence; and we want it, whether we are a non-BCS school, who turns to politicians for a chance at a title, or a civilian with no country, who, unfortunately, turned to a group of terrorists because no one else would acknowledge them.
We all want something. We all want to be on the right side of that line. The problem is, as long as there is a line, there probably is no right or wrong side, just nonsense.
" 'It ain't my fault it's six o'clock in the morning,' "
Georgia trailed 6 -3 at halftime. Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno weren't exactly lighting it up either, which probably made some Georgia fans start to smile about next year. Anyway, in the second half, Georgia outscored Michigan St. 21-6 to win the game. A 21 yard pass from Stafford to Moreno with 3:43 left in the fourth gave the game its final margin, and if this is the last game for #7 and #24, it seems fitting that they were both involved on the play. Right now, Stafford says he's "50-50" on whether to come back to school or not. Scout Inc. lists him as the number two quarterback prospect for this year's draft, and they list Moreno as the number one running back prospect. The number two running back prospect, Javon Ringer, was also featured in this game, wearing green and white. Ringer was held to 47 yards on 20 carries and 1 touchdown. He also had 30 yards receiving.
Now, for a bit of a rant...It's a good thing Georgia and Michigan St. hooked up because America really needed the debate about who was better, the #15 team or the #17 team, settled. This game was extremely meaningful. I didn't watch it. Well, I watched the first half of it, but then I had to drive back to Virginia from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Guess what, there's no manger or baby Jesus in Pennsylvania, just like there's no meaning to this Capitol One Scrimmage. Guess what we listened to on the way from Pennsylvania to the DC area. It wasn't radio coverage of any of the New Year's Day Scrimmages. Four avid sports fans, crammed into a Nissan Sentra, listened to Grupo 5. I didn't know who they were until yesterday, but it just so happens they are the biggest thing in Peru; and I couldn't tell track one from tracks two through twenty. I also don't think this was because of a language barrier. I think it was because every song sounded the same, and you know what, that's just like the Scrimmage season. I can't tell one game from another. One game doesn't mean more than another, unless it helps a team get a higher preseason ranking, and I can't tell one year of scrimmages from any other. If we want to consider the regular season a year long playoff, then maybe we should make it one, meaning as soon as a team loses then they're done playing for the year. Ohio St. would have been done the week they lost to USC, and in turn, USC would have been done when they lost to Oregon St, except Oregon St.'s season would already have been finished because they'd already lost before they played the Trojans. Georgia would have been done the week they lost to Alabama. Michigan St. would have been done the week they lost to California, which was week 1 by the way. Every Sunday we could then have Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson on Fox debating what the next week's bracket should be because that's how often we would redo the brackets...every week. Teams wouldn't know who they were playing until Sunday night before Saturday's games. It would be a fantastic system, but instead, we have the Bowl Championship Scrimmages, which for whatever reason insists that the Big Ten doesn't belong playing in the Cul de Sac Division of college football with Northern Iowa, Montana, James Madison, and Richmond.
Congratulations, Georgia on winning the Capitol One Scrimmage. Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, I hope you come back next year, so maybe we can play in the one real game that's played this time of year, and if not, thanks for the memories and good luck. Still, let's keep yesterday's game against Michigan St. off the record. We finished 9-3, not 10-3, and that's all that matters. Here's My Morning Jacket to spell it out for the idiots who continue to perpetuate this system. Yes, we have to call them idiots. They wouldn't understand any clever insults that actually make a specific conclusion as to why they are idiots...kind of how they seemingly don't understand why a system is needed that determines a specific champion. I can't believe we have seven more of these scrimmages to sit through.
"Sorry Bout The Things That I Had To Say - And I'll Make It Up To You Right Now At The Penny Arcade. In An Open Car Or Wherever You Are - Push Yourself Too Hard And It Might Get Hot. Well I Really Don't Need The Confusion - And You Know I Just Ain't The Type To Get All Wrapped Up In The Illusion Of Doin Something That I Know Ain't Right - Right Right??? You've Got To Want To Re-Arrange And Keep It Off The Record. Off The Record. You've Got To Know That We Will Change And Keep It Off The Record. Off The Record. In A Crowded Room Near The Box Of Boom, To An Artificial Tune, I See You Swoon. Well You Knew All This Would Turn To Mist If Your Idea Wasn't Kissed - Why're You So Pissed? Well I Know You Don't Need The Confusion And I Know You Just Ain't The Type. To Get All Wrapped Up In The Illusion Of Doin Something That You Know Ain't Right - Right Right??? Right Right??? Right Right??? Right Right??? You've Got To Want To Rearrange And Keep It Off The Record. Off The Record. You've Got To Know That We Are Strange And Keep It Off The Record. Off The Record. You've Got To Know That We Will Change And Keep It Off The Record. Off The Record Come On."
First, I would like to say that I in no way confuse the birth of Jesus with football championships, but having seen teams I root for win championships in the past, I know that winning a championship divides a fan's existence into BC and AD, much like the birth of a Savior. All summer and through the early parts of this year's NFL and college seasons I thought this Christmas would be a turning point in how I measure the passing of time. I was wrong.
I thought Georgia would be the SEC champions and preparing for the BCS Championship Game against the likes of Oklahoma or Southern Cal. I thought James Madison's miracle finishes would continue to unfold like a Hollywood movie script, and I thought the Green Bay Packers would be the NFC North champs and have a real shot at making a run in the NFC playoffs. When I was in elementary school, I always thought I'd wake up one Christmas morning and unwrap a Nintendo or Sega Genesis--I never did.
Sonic the Hedgehog never came down the chimney with Santa Claus to collect gold rings, and apparently, neither do my football teams. I guess I should have seen this coming. I can think back to moments before and during the season where the writing was on the wall. The same day I wrote an article about Knowshon Moreno's place in Georgia's running back lineage, I also wrote, in my notebook, an article I planned on posting the week before the annual Georgia-Florida game. The article was basically a list of things I've never seen or never will see. The article made note that I can only remember Georgia defeating Florida on three occassions and that I've never seen Georgia win that game two years in a row. I thought this year would be the year the impossible happened.
I thought the planets had alligned, that the winds had shifted, and that three kings were making their way to Jacksonville, by way of a star. I didn't even post the article I wrote in my notebook, predicting such things, on the blog, for fear that I might disrupt the cogs that preside over miracles, that my post might somehow prevent Gabriel from getting word to Mary.
Also, by the time the Georgia-Florida game rolled around, Georgia had already lost to Alabama and despite a big win at LSU just didn't seem to have that championship quality. A manger was still a manger, and a few words in my notebook became prophecy. I still haven't seen Georgia beat Florida twice in a row, just like I've never seen Tetris blocks fall like snow on Christmas morning. Some things just aren't to be, and sometimes Mary doesn't listen to angels.
James Madison's season was a thing of destiny. The team came back from 21-0 to knock off number one App. St. This win jumped the Dukes to number one in the polls, and they never relinquished the position, continually plucking wins out of the jaws of defeat. I use a cliche here because every JMU game seemed to feature a cliche from Varsity Blues, Friday Night Lights, or Remember the Titans. Games were won on last second punt returns when the opponent should have kicked the ball towards the sideline. Games were won on hail Mary's, as golden S's appeared on purple shirts like fish drawn in the sand or crosses in the sky. Fans felt like Constantine, and these immaculate finishes gave me all the Techno Bowls my childhood never had. Every JMU game I watched at Bailey's in Arlington seemed to feature Bo Jackson and Tim Brown high-fiving in slow motion, but these signs too should have been read like words in King Belshazzar's court.
Madden doomed Techno Bowl. The Superman movies, starring Christopher Reeves, got progressively worse, ending with him fighting a solar-powered version of himself, Louis and Clark was cancelled and didn't even make it to syndication, and even the comic book Superman met Doomsday. James Madison's football team went a whole fall without facing any kryptonite, and then Rodney Landers and his 170.7 quarterback rating went down against Montana with an ankle injury, and JMU's title hopes soon followed suit. Imagine Mario going into a drain pipe and never coming out the other end.
Despite all the drama caused by the Favre fiasco in the offseason, I thought the Packers would rally to still be a threat in the NFC. I don't think I was far off, and here's why: Tampa Bay took the lead for good against the Packers with 2:26 left to play, Atlanta did it with 7:19 to play, Tennessee had to wait until OT, Minnesota didn't take the lead until 2:22 to go in the game, Carolina won with 1:30 left on the clock, Houston kicked a field goal with no time remaining, Jacksonville scored their go ahead points with 1:56 on the clock, and this past week, on Monday Night Football, the Bears won in OT. What hurt most about this Chicago game was the fact that Aaron Rodgers led us down the field for a game-winning field goal by Mason Crosby that got blocked. This team may be the best 5-10 team of all time.
In eight of their ten losses, they led or had a share of the lead deep into the fourth quarter. They put themselves into position week after week to win despite their youth and injuries, and week after week they didn't come away with a victory. They dropped all the hints and made all the inclinations that they wanted a Nintendo for Christmas, but no Nitendo ever came. Each week was a box filled with clothes that one's grandmother picked out. One would pick up the box, always neatly wrapped and feel it sag in the middle from the slacks draped over cardboard. As the box felt like it might give way, one would hear the tissue paper crinkle and know inside this wrapped Macy's box was a turtle neck and some khakis. As the scotch tape was ripped open like busted scar tissue one's brain would begin to scramble and try to answer the question, "how do I pretend I wanted new church clothes when all I wanted was to play Mike Tyson's Punchout?".
The answer was always some confused corkscrew of a smile; an expression that simultaneously suggests one's disappointment and one's awareness of how selfish they are. Christmas should be about family and a celebration of one's faith. Gift-giving is supposed to be about giving, not receiving, but it's hard not to think, "how well does my family really know me if they keep giving me turtleneck sweaters when I only ask for one thing every year and never get it? What's wrong with these people and what's wrong with me?". Then one feels guilty for attaching so much importance to a plastic box full of wires when one knows that those giving the gifts did their best, just as you did when you gave them gifts that they may not have wanted either. Georgia never meant to fail against Alabama, get slaughtered by Florida, or slip up against Georgia Tech. Rodney Landers didn't want to get hurt. James Madison didn't want to run out of time and plays against Montanna. Green Bay hinted that they wanted to win, but were shown that in the NFL it takes a declaration, and a fan has to accept these gifts out of love because that is how they were given.
Mark Richt will continue to build teams capable of threatening for championships. Mickey Matthews will get the Dukes to make more playoff runs. Aaron Rodgers has proved more than capable of leading an NFL team.
There will be other Christmases. There will be other seasons. Afterall, Jesus doesn't make his way to Earth every year, but we still celebrate the one time he did. Moments like that are worth waiting for. They stay in the psyche of a fanbase, and while I never did get my Nintendo, I did get a PS2 one year in college for Christmas; and although I hardly ever play it now, I do wear khakis and sweaters to work every week.
Disappointment is something to be outgrown, like a night inside the lion's den.
