DawgEngineer's Xanga

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:28:11 GMT

I'm bringing Xanga back - drop a comment if you're with me!

Ticket News

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:47:31 GMT

Georgia Football Ticket Cut Off Scores have been announced

Picking up a couple of tickets to the UGA-Bama game in Tuscaloosa looks a lot more daunting now.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is that you must have donated at least $9,000 to the Athletic Association just to get extra tickets to the Western Carolina Game.
Dolla, Dolla, Bill Y'all

Redeemed

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:31:18 GMT

I've tried my best to remember a Georgia victory that felt this good......I'm drawing a blank.
Nobody gave these Dawgs a chance to beat Auburn, and I'm not gonna lie and say I did either. Oh, I said "we'll cover the spread". I even said something like," '86, '96, and now '06: all victories for the Dawgs on the Plains" to my brother. But I didn't Believe it. Fortunately, it wasn't up to me.
It wasn't easy gettin up at 5 Saturday morning, cursing the early kickoff, driving down I-85 knowing there was a chance of rain. I didn't have to pay a dime for our tickets. My father bought two extras about 6 weeks ago, and he an my mother graciously sat in the upper deck, while allowing me, my wife, my brother, and his girlfriend to sit in their seats. They probably wouldn't have been so gracious if they knew what was coming.
Auburn fans weren't too bad, I got a couple of "War Eagles!" on campus and a thumbs down from the Auburn fans we passed in Coweta County, but that's about it. After all, there was no need to rub it in. They were gonna kill us, and they knew it.
Even the Auburn fans surrounding us in section 40 were kind. The group of young folks behind us (who had more mini-bottles of bourbon between them than a 747) asked "are we gonna have a good time?" before the game started.
"Hell, Yeah"
I'm not gonna go through the game play-by-play (as much fun as that would be). But despite the 30-7 score at halftime, I was cautiously optimistic. After all, I was at the Tennessee game, and had seen this team melt down first hand. The Auburn fans were curious too, "how did yall lose to Vandy....and Kentucky?" I didn't have an answer. Slowly the confidence built, and Auburn's hope began to wane. Even the rain was sweet.
I counted today, and I've attended 39 games in Jordan-Hare, more than probably 90% of Georgia fans, and I've never seen that stadium empty that early. They were beat, and they just wanted to get home, get dry, and get drunk(er). As some Auburn fans were leaving, I did hear "I know how ya'll felt in '99"
Had Georgia been 9-1 and ranked #5, this win would not have been so sweet. It truly was a situation where you have to experience the lows to appreciate the highs.....and I'm still flying.
This win wasn't so great for me personally because I hate Auburn, heck I love Auburn.
But beating them, beating them badly, when we didn't have a chance, and being able to smile, is a truly glorious feeling!
I never know how to finish these things, so I'll finish with the best quote I've read this week.

"We have been saying all week, 'Somebody has got to pay. Somebody has got to pay" defensive end Ray Gant said. "Somebody paid."

37-15!
GO DAWGS!

September 2nd Kickoff

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 00:38:00 GMT

Well, it appears to be official. Georgia's first game against Western Kentucky will be broadcast by Lincoln Financial Sports (formerly JP Sports) with a kickoff time set for 12:30.

http://www.lincolnfinancialsports.com/index.php?s=

Due to the fact that I like to get into the stadium early, feasting on the flesh of the enemy before the game appears unlikely. More likely a big breakfast coupled with some level of nourishment from Sanford Stadium's fine vendors should get me through the early afternoon.
Thinking of this reminded me of something that happend during one of Georgia's early games last year. I was standing in line to order a couple of hotdogs and drinks for me and Mrs. Engineer, when I heard the people around me murmuring saying something along the lines of "that guy is HUGE". I turned around to see Marcus Stroud, former Bulldog defensive lineman and current Jacksonville Jaguar in line behind me. Most of the people around me did not recognize him. So I introduced myself and tried to carry on a conversation without being too intrusive. Since the vendors near the bridge are not known for their speed of service we had a few minutes to make small talk. As I was about to order, I asked Marcus if I could pay for whatever it was that he was going to purchase. Now I realize that he is a millionaire, but as an expression of my gratitude for his service as a Bulldog I thought it would only be right. He kindly accepted and laughed when I asked him if he thought this would be an NCAA violation, "just don't tell anybody" (so much for that now). After I ordered, I turned to Marcus and he said, two hot dogs, a large Coke......and some Skittles. I paid, we received our order and he shook my hand. I said all of that to say this. Everytime I see the Jaguars play or when highlights of Marcus' exploits are on television, only three words come to my mind.......
"and some Skittles".
I can't wait for football season to start.

GO DAWGS!

UGA's record when I am in attendance

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 21:55:51 GMT

Paulwesterdawg brought this up a couple of weeks ago, but it’s an interesting question to consider.

What is Georgia’s record in football games where you have been in attendance?

After reviewing the stats, my personal record is:

54-10-1 (Overall)

4-2-1 (Away)

3-1 (Neutral sites)

The neutral site games include two Florida games and two bowl games, while the away games include 5 trips to Auburn, a trip to Clemson (Auburn with a lake), and a trip to lovely Starkville, Mississippi last year (it seems I only attend games in a big metropolis).

Of note was the only tie on my record, it came at the end of Ray Goff’s tenure with the Bulldogs when they tied Auburn on the plains in 1994. I would suspect that a fair number of Georgia fans have never attended a game that ended in a tie. This particular game was like a win for a 5-4 Georgia squad and a virtual loss for an Auburn team that entered the game 9-0 (though, surprise, surprise, Auburn was on probation).

Like most college football fans, I’m glad the possibility of “kissing your sister” was eliminated with the introduction of overtime, the 1996 game with Auburn being a great example.

This also brings up my disappointment in the announcement of the cut-offs for Georgia’s away games this year. I had made plans to attend my first game in Oxford, Mississippi and ordered tickets. Unfortunately, every other Georgia fan was enticed by the draw of Oxford and a cut-off of 12,850 points was set. Needless to say I haven’t been able to attain that type of contribution level in the years since I’ve graduated. So if any affluent season ticket holder would like to donate two tickets to me, I’ll gladly accept. Alas, there is always Tuscaloosa next year to improve the away game record…..

How I became a Bulldog

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 19:45:39 GMT

I was born and raised near Macon, GA. I am the eldest son of two Alabama natives, who instilled their love for football, Auburn football, in me at an early age. The first college football game I attended was to watch Auburn beat Georgia Tech (31-10). Two truths remain from my experiences that day, the first is that college football will be in my blood forever, the second is that there is something truly invigorating about watching Georgia Tech lose. My family taught me about the traditions of college football, about the love, emotion, passion for your team and the game. I remember the first time I cried after watching a football game was when Auburn lost to LSU (7-6) in 1988, a.k.a. “the earthquake game”. My folks also taught me about the rivalries and about the hate. Hate was reserved for Alabama.

Alabama was the antithesis of Auburn. The idea that “Alabama is Alabama, and Alabama is gonna win” was a stark contrast to the ideals of humility and hard work my parents believed in. Georgia football was a completely different story all together.

I was never taught to hate Georgia. After all, Vince Dooley had gone to Auburn and Pat Dye had gone to Georgia. Everybody loved Herschel. I can never remember anyone from my family, or any Auburn fan for that matter, actively pulling for Georgia to lose except for those Saturdays when they played Auburn, and whether Georgia won or Auburn won, my folks still respected Georgia.

My parents eventually became Auburn season ticket holders, so instead of going to two or three college football games a year I was going to 7 or 8. College football seemed to impact every aspect of my young life. My opinion of prospective girlfriends was affected by football. The girl didn’t have to know anything about the game, but she had to appreciate the fact that I loved football. Most guys are familiar with the awkward conversations with their dates father, but if I ever dated a girl who’s daddy was a football fan we could talk like men for hours, whether it was football season or not.

My Senior year of high school things began to change. I applied to several schools throughout the south to study engineering, but knew I wanted to go to either Auburn or UGA. Let me say I never wanted to go to Georgia Tech, never filled out the application they mailed to my house, and don’t think I would’ve gone there if they offered me a brand new Corvette. Ultimately I decided to go to UGA, for a myriad of reasons, but I think my father still has my acceptance letter and scholarship offer from Auburn in a filing cabinet somewhere. Initially I thought I would continue to pull for Georgia to go 10-1 every year and lose to Auburn, just as I had the previous 18 years of my life. But I was wrong.

I am proud to say that I missed my very first college class (Early American History), not because I slept in, or couldn’t find it’s location, but because I was standing in line at Stegeman Coliseum for student football tickets. Athens was my new home and the people at UGA were my friends and new family. I didn’t just see the football players on Saturdays in the fall, but I knew them, and much to my surprise even had classes with several of them over the years (I’m still not sure why WR Tony Small was sitting behind me in….Calculus 3). So when November rolled around and Georgia played Auburn it was naïve of me to think I could root against the team whose student section I had sat and hollered in all year. More than that, I couldn’t pull against Mike, Matt, Jon, or Tony, I wanted to see them win, I wanted to pat them on the back on Monday and say great job. I didn’t want them to beat Auburn, I wanted them to kill ‘em.

The love for Georgia football only grew and intensified over time. In 1999, I asked my father to come up to Athens and watch the Georgia-LSU game in the student section with me, and he cheered as loud as anyone else in our section when Will Witherspoon jumped a mile in the air to deflect that fourth quarter 2 point conversion to secure the one point victory. In October 2000 I invited the girl I was dating to attend her first college football game, we were playing Tennessee. At the conclusion of that game, there was no doubt she would be a Georgia fan for the rest of her days, oh and we’ve been married over 2 years now.

It’s not always easy being a Georgia fan in an Auburn family. In 2002 when I stood cheering in my father’s season ticket seat in Auburn after Green connected on a fourth down pass to Johnson, my parents looked at me in disappointment. Even last fall, after Alabama throttled Florida, and I talked to my father about how happy I was to see Florida lose, he said “that’s not how you were raised”. I’ve been called a traitor and a turn-coat by those folks that know about my Auburn upbringing, but I respond with a biblical quote “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.”

I can’t blame fans of other schools for the way they think, or the things they believe in, but as for me, I’ve seen the promised land, and it looks a lot like Athens.

Glory, Glory, to ole Georgia!

GO DAWGS!

Friday, December 02, 2005

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 19:54:21 GMT

Georgia 14 - Tech 7. And the Bulldog Nation breathes a collective sigh of relief.
The game started ominioulsy with Tech marching down the field to score a TD, just like Auburn, just like Florida, not a good sign. However, the Red and Black answered and both teams looked content to exchange punts like so many horseshoes flying back and forth across Tech's backyard. I was frustrated and will admit to screaming "Georgia doesn't deserve to win this game" early in the fourth quarter. But I was wrong. The play called Colt Patriot resulted in a perfect Shockley pass and an unlikely fingertip grab by McClendon, to put Georgia ahead. Fully expecting the Jackets to march down and tie the game, while quitely hoping Reggie Ball would slide into his familiar meltdown against UGA. Bilbo decided to take a play off, and Reggie sent a telegraph of....look to the left STOP...throw towards Bilbo STOP. Which Tim Jennings aptly read, and provided this Dawg more satisfaction than all the Turkey and Dressing of the previous three days. And oh by the way, CJ, "the best receiver in the nation" was held to only 2 catches. The next time ABC decides to circle a given player more times than yards he gains (14), I think they should be nominated for a Sports Broadcasting Emmy.

The SEC Championship game with the Bayou Bengirls should be exciting.
Quick Stats: Georgia is 10-14-1 against LSU all time
In thier last 10 meetings: 5-5, In games decided by 7 points or less: 6-6.
I don't expect a blowout like the one LSU gave Georgia in the Dome, or the one the Dawgs gave the Tigers in Athens last year. I am looking forward to watching this game with Mrs. Campbell because she hates LSU above all other teams. She hates LSU, like I hate Tech, and some loathe Florida, Auburn, or Tennessee. The only Georgia fan I knew rooting for Tennessee's unlikely comback in Louisiana this year. She has only been attending Georgia games since 2000, but she can hate with the best of 'em. And watching a game with someone who believes our current opponent is the epitome of all that is wrong with the world, is the best mojo I can think of.

GEAUX DAWGS!

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 15:44:02 GMT

Reasons I hate Georgia Tech.........so many words, so little time.
As you know, or may have guessed, I am an engineer. An engineer who is proud of my degree from the University of Georgia. Now, in my chosen profession I've been afforded the opportunity to work with engineers across the country, from many different schools of higher learning. But none of my encounters with any engineer has been like my experinces with engineers from Georgia Tech, a.k.a the North Avenue Trade School (N.A.T.S.). You see NATS is not a University, it is an institute, and therefore their students do not interact with with individuals from other professions (pre-med, pre-law, education, pharmacy, etc.). Thus they are taught that engineers are superior to all other life forms, and that NATS engineers are the pinnacle of the engineering knowledge. While working with engineers from other schools (Auburn, Florida, heck even Clemson), either reviewing a design that is completely devoid of logic and real world applicability, or encountering an engineer who is socially inept, can be explained with three simple words, "He's from Tech". Notice I said "He" because as we all know, women don't go to NATS. Additonally, I've never had the misfortune of having to work for someone from Tech, only with. Thus, they are not all "going to be your boss" one day, not even if you're an engineer.
That was the professional side, here's the athletic. Tech's feeling of superiority extends to the football field. They even went so far as to believe they were "too good" to remain a member of the SEC and left (only to ask to be allowed back in later). Tech now struggles to beat football powerhouses like Virginia, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Duke. All while failing to sell out their home games. Vince Dooley knew how important it was to beat Tech (19-6). Even Ray Goff learned how important the Tech game was (after saying they were not Georgia biggest rival in '76), going 3-1 as a player and 5-2 as a coach. And of course, Mark Richt is 4-0 against the Rambling Wreck. Here's to hoping he makes it 5-0 this Saturday.
Sure Georgia has more fans. Much to the disdain of Tech fan, Georgia even has diehard fans of their football team that never attended our great University. I realize that Tech has very few, if any, fans that didn't go to school their. But what infuriates me, is that Tech judges those fans, and doesn't want them. This Georgia grad is not such an elitist that I only want alumni to attend our games, or root for my team. And there is a kinship between everyone who dons the Red and Black, no matter their race, ethnicity, creed, or socio-economic background. Losses to other rivals (Florida, Auburn, Tennesee) are acceptable, even forgivable, but a loss the Tech is neither.
Hopefully, all of Tech players on the field saturday will be able to read and write. We already know their quarterback can't count. And if any of our receivers are asked to buy a dime bag or 100 lbs of pot while running through Tech defensive backfield, hopefully they will "Just Say No".

GO DAWGS!

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Sun, 20 Nov 2005 22:43:03 GMT

GEORGIA, SEC EAST CHAMPS. It feels good just to type it. Despite pre-season predictions of Georgia finishing third or worst in the East they will be making another trip to the Dome for a chance at a BCS bowl. It goes without saying, but Georgia can't win the National Championship without winning the SEC, and they can't win the SEC without winning the Eastern division. Should the Dawgs continue to make annual trips to play in Atlanta on the first weekend in December, the dream of an eventual NC becomes more of a reality. The beginning of the Kentucky game did worry this Georgia fan, objects were thrown during the apparent punt return for a touchdown, but quickly recovered as my brother noted "there's a flag". The proverbial ball didn't beginning rolling until Gordon's run on the fake punt, and later Danny Ware's 52 yard touchdown run. The fact that Kregg Lumpkin rushed the ball 5 times, and improved linebacker play from the defense is hopefully a sign of good things to come. Other games on Saturday may have been more interesting, but for the Georgia faithful none were more important.
The game I attended in Auburn was not at all what I expected. I told anyone who would listen before the game that the seven point spread was too big, and that "it would come down to a field goal". To say Bama fans were shocked by the events of the first half would be an understatement, but to paraphrase Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth. The only time the two Bama fans sitting in front of me cheered was when they announced the Vandy-Tennessee final score. I've never watched a football game where the quarterback was sacked 11 times (I think Brodie Croyle just went down again), and watching Auburn's defense made me ponder how Georgia was able to score 30 points on those guys. All the Auburn fans around me wanted to talk about last weekend when they found out I was I Georgia fan and alum. They all percieve the game to be one of the greatest in the long rivalry between the two teams (I, of course, disagreed). But every one of them agreed that "we all love Athens", which was meant to be a compliment, but after spending a Saturday on the Plains sounded more like a group of 5 year olds saying "we all love cake" (Of course you do).
Georgia Tech was able to pull out an upset over Miami, and the Tech defense looked impressive against Kyle Wright and the 'Canes. This might be cause for concern, but unlike Croyle and Wright, Shockley has what the experts call "escape-ability" which in layman's terms means he can run.
I look forward to breaking down the Georgia-N.A.T.S. matchup later this holiday shortened week. And with all due respect to Mayor T. Kyle King (http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=tkyleking), I firmly believe that Tech is Georgia biggest rival.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 22:08:01 GMT

Several days have passed, so I'll attempt to discuss the events of the past weekend without getting emotional. The game was great, from the five U.S. paratroopers decending upon the G in midfield before kickoff, to the joint participation of the Auburn and Georgia bands in their Veteran's Day salute at half-time (sending chills up my spine), and with 2 minutes to go I had a feeling unlike I've felt in Sanford Stadium since we torn the goalposts down. And then it happened, that play which shall not be named, and the mood of some 90,000 turned somber. I have never heard Georgia's Stadium as quiet as I did leaving Saturday night, I've been to funerals that were more electric. I kept reminding myself that Spurrier had beaten Florida earlier in the afternoon, and that was cause for much jubilation because something like this just might happen. But late 4th quarter losses seem the worst, and I have a sense of how Auburn felt when Johnson caught that 4th down pass on the Plains. On a side note, it took my tightly packed vehicle of six almost 2 hours to travel the 12 miles back home after the game, University Police and Athens have a new city motto "Athens: we're prepared for nothing".
I'm not one of those Georgia fans calling for Coach Richt's head. Was I screaming when they blew the 2 point try? Of course. But I wouldn't trade him for any coach in the country.
Now to this weekend. Georgia can clinch with a win over UK, and if they don't beat the Mildcats, they don't deserve anything. Alas, I won't be in the stadium to cheer on my beloved Dawgs. Some may call me a trader, but I've been afforded the opportunity to watch the greatest rivalry in college football this weekend, so I'll be in Auburn. I would love to see the Tigers beat the Tide, and see LSU fall (however unlikely) so that the Dawgs might get another shot at Auburn.

Go Dawgs!