After thumping App State on Homecoming, the Dawgs travel to Auburn to renew the deep South's oldest rivalry. UGA-AU game previews, homecoming fan photos and much more.
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BI From the Editor : Vance Leavy
Before I get to the task at hand, which is re-newing the deep south’s oldest rivalry, I must give ahuge “Go Dawgs” to former UGA golfer Chris Kirkfor winning this past weekend’s McGladrey Classicplayed at the Seaside Course at Sea Island GolfClub.
Kirk played bril-liantly all week longbefore making an un-timely bogey on the14th hole to lose thelead on Sunday. How-ever, playing like atrue Bulldog, he ral-lied with a huge parputt on 15 and thentied the lead with abirdie on 17. Fellowcompetitor, BrinyBaird would bogeythe 18th, giving Kirkhis second PGA vic-tory and a trip to TheMasters in April.
Great stuff in-deed, for not onlyeveryone who followsUGA golf, but for any-one who loves myhometown of the Golden Isles. Thanks to Mark andDavis Love and their foundation, including throngsof volunteers, once again our area shined in its abil-ity to host a top-notch PGA event.
And now I’m using Kirk’s victory as great karmafor the Bulldog Nation as we travel to Auburn this
Saturday to play oneof the hottest teamsin America. Withoutquestion, the task athand will not be aneasy one as theTigers are chompingat the bit to put abeat down on ourBulldogs.
Besides Auburnwanting to continuetheir pursuit of a
magical season, this game also has extra meaning.Yes, I’m talking about the fact that the all-time se-ries between Auburn and Georgia is deadlocked at54-54-8. For the youngsters out there, the eightisn’t a mistake as there was a time when collegefootball games ended in ties. And how fitting that
116 games later,there’s still not a dom-inant team. Not even,by one game, or onetie.
Here lately, Geor-gia has had the edge,which is why I’m suremany good Bulldogfans are extremelyworried about Satur-day’s game. And thefact, that Auburn’s of-fense is absolutelypunishing opposingteams. Also, I think wecan all agree that it hasbeen a work inprogress this seasonfor Todd Grantham’sUGA defensive unit.
If you go by thenumbers, Saturday’s
game could get ugly, but I’m not losing faith. Myoptimism comes from Georgia’s two best players,Todd Gurley and Aaron Murray, who grace thisissue’s cover. If No. 3 and No. 11 play up to theircapabilities, traveling to the Plains and getting avictory is very possible.
Still, Georgia’s coaching staff and the rest of theteam must be at their highest level if an upset is tobe pulled off. Countless times through this 2013season, I’ve pleaded for this team to pull togetherand play a sound game of football. It’s time for ourhead man, Mark Richt to circle the wagons and getthe job done on Saturday.
And for Georgia’s fans, our team is going toneed us, so jump in your car and make the trip toAuburn. One thing is certain, when the Bulldogsand Tigers lock up it’s usually a heckuva footballgame. As our cover says, let’s blow it up on Satur-day. See you in Jordan-Hare. Go Dawgs!
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Jeff DantzlerThe deep South’s oldest rivalry always delivers
It began in 1892 at Piedmont Park in At-lanta. Georgia and Auburn. This is the rivalrythat got it all going, and 121 years later and inevery season since 1919, the Bulldogs andTigers have each beaten the other 54 times,with eight ties.
Welcome to another addition of the deepSouth’s oldest continuous rivalry.
As is often customary in a series that hashad a slew of upsets and road victories, thetwist this season is that it Is Auburn coming inwith major stakes. The Tigers, two years re-moved from the 2010 national championship,went through their worst year ever – EVER –going 3-9 and 0-8 in Southeastern Conferenceplay, last season. Out goes Gene Chizick, incomes Gus Malzonne, offensive coordinator forthe Cam Newton-led national championshipteam, from Arkansas State. The Tigers havestaged a remarkable turnaround, withoutquestion, shining as the most improved teamin America. Meanwhile, Georgia, which wasoh so close to playing for the national champi-onship a year ago, has been undone by a rashof injuries and self-inflicted wounds in a threeloss campaign that began with the Bulldogs inthe nation’s top ten.
Through the years, the Dogs and Tigershave specialized at dashing championshipdreams and undoing one another’s special sea-sons.
Without a doubt, three of the six mostdamaging losses in Georgia history have cometo Auburn. In 1942, undefeated Georgia, freshoff of a 75-0 rout of Florida in Jacksonville andled by two of the greatest players in collegefootball history, Frank Sinkwich and CharleyTrippi, were a perfect 9-0, but suffered an upsetloss to the Tigers. Georgia would rebound toblow out second ranked Tech 34-0 to clinchthe program’s first ever Southeastern Confer-ence championship. The Bulldogs then beatUCLA 9-0 in the Rose Bowl and were consen-sus national champions, topping six differentpolls. But that loss to the Tigers cost the Dogsthe undisputed national title and a perfect sea-son.
Arguably the most highly anticipatedgame in Sanford Stadium history came in1971, as the Bulldogs and Tigers (as well as Al-abama) both headed in undefeated. Pat Sulli-van had his signature Heisman Trophyperformance, and Auburn won 35-23. TheBulldogs would chalk up an unforgettable 28-24 win over Tech and 7-3 Gator Bowl triumphover North Carolina (coached by Bill Dooley,brother of course, of Georgia’s Hall of Famesideline chieftain Vince Dooley) to go 11-1, butdid not win the SEC. Alabama, which thenbeat Auburn, won the title and played for thenational championship, getting slugged by Ne-braska in the Orange Bowl. A win overAuburn in ’71 would have produced the SECtitle and perhaps a shot at the big prize.
One dozen years later, the stakes weresimilar. Georgia was 8-0-1, ranked fourth, atie at Clemson the lone blemish. Auburn was8-1, ranked third, losing only at second rankedTexas. The Tigers withstood a valiant Georgiarally to topple the Bulldogs 13-7, costing theBulldogs a fourth straight SEC championshipand a shot at a national title. Georgia wouldgo on to edge Tech 27-24 and upset Texas 10-9 in the Cotton Bowl to earn the No. 4 nationalranking. The Tigers beat Alabama and then
won the Sugar Bowl 9-7 over Michigan, wind-ing up at No. 3, despite being the highestranked team to win a bowl. That famed Janu-ary 2, 1984, culminated with fourth-rankedMiami upsetting mighty Nebraska 31-30.Combined with Georgia’s win over then No. 2Texas, the Hurricanes vaulted to the top of thepolls.
Auburn beat Georgia in 1987 and 1988.Had the Bulldogs won those two, that’s twomore SEC championships for the Bulldogs. In1978, the “Wonderdogs” and Auburn tied onthe plains. It was Georgia’s lone blemish and itcost the Dogs a share of the SEC title. The nextyear, Georgia went 6-5, but was 5-0 in SECplay and a win over Auburn away from shar-ing the SEC championship with Alabama. ButAuburn won in Sanford Stadium. So from1978-1983, Georgia went 33-2-1 in SEC play,with all three setbacks coming to the Tigers.That meant three SEC championships in a row,not six.
What brought such a twist to the rivalriesin the 1980s were the alma maters of the twocoaches. Dooley was a standout quarterback atAuburn in the 1950s. Auburn coach Pat Dye,who stalked the Tigers sidelines from 1981-1992, was an All-American at Georgia as a stel-lar tackle from 1958-1960. Dye hadexceptional success against his alma mater,leading the Tigers to seven wins in eight yearsfrom 1983-1990.
There are the cross-overs. For Georgia, as big a rival as Auburn is, it
is not Tech or Florida. For Auburn, as big arival as Georgia is, it is not Alabama in the IronBowl. But it is still as grand a rivalry as there is.The crossover in recruiting is a major factor.The town of Auburn is a mere sand wedgefrom the border of the state of Georgia. Thefertile recruiting grounds of Georgia, particu-larly from Atlanta to the Chattahoochee, pro-duces as much of the competitiveness as thebattles do on the gridiron.
This season, there is the additive ofAuburn quarterback Nick Marshall, whosigned with Georgia out of high school, butwas dismissed from the team following hisfreshman year. He, along with LSU quarter-back Zach Mettenberger, is the second South-eastern Conference quarterback to face theBulldogs this season who began his career atGeorgia.
It is the face of the rivalry. Auburn, thesurprise team of the year, is the 9-1 highly-ranked with everything on the line. Georgia,sitting at 6-3, is the underdog on the road.
Two years ago, as I was sitting in a skyboxat halftime, Georgia was leading Auburn 35-7.Leaning to a couple of friends, I said ‘this does-n’t happen in Georgia-Auburn games.”
It rarely has. The Bulldogs last season followed up the
45-7 victory of 2011 with a 38-0 rout of theTigers on the plains. Those last two victories,and six of the last seven that have gone Geor-gia’s way, to pull the all-time series even meansa great deal to the Bulldog faithful. It is the rootof the series. This got it all going and it stillmeans a whole it. It is in the blood and DNAof these two programs, going all the way backto 1892 in Piedmont Park. A century fromnow, odds are, it will still go a long ways to-wards the championship aspirations of thesetwo programs.
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Gurley behind only Herschel in all-time UGA backs
With the 6-3 Georgia Bulldogs headedfor the Loveliest Village on the Plains, Jordan-Hare Stadium, Saturday to face a surprising,Top 10 Auburn team, the contest is going tomatch two of the nation's top running backsin the Bulldogs' Todd Gurley and the Tigers'Tre Mason.
But then, hasn't Georgia vs. Auburn al-ways offered great running back duels downthrough this game's storied history? You knowall about the prolific ball carriers who havemade Georgia "Tailback U" throughout thedecades, of which I'm going to select the verybest ones in this space today, and how aboutall those superb Auburn backs ... such asTucker Frederickson, Carnell "Cadillac"Williams, Brent Fullwood, James Brooks, JoeCribbs, James Bostick, Stephen Davis, RonnieBrown, Kenny Irons, Michael Dyer and, ofcourse, the legendary Bo Jackson?
But nobody, and I mean nobody, has hadbetter running backs than the University ofGeorgia. Let's go back to the Bulldogs' seasonopener at Clemson this year. When Georgiaran that early toss sweep against the Tigersand Todd Gurley went flying down the Northsidelines in front of the UGA bench on his 75-yard scoring scamper, I immediately felt like Iwas once again seeing such numbers as 34, 5,24, 7, 36, 38, 32, and 47 running away frompeople for touchdowns.
And when Gurley quickly reeled off thelongest touchdown run of his short careerthus far to go with all those powerful runs ofhis freshman season in 2012 when he rushedfor 1,385 yards and 17 touchdowns, I thinkhe showed the Bulldog Nation and everyoneelse that he’s a tailback that already ranksamong the best in all Georgia football lore. In-deed, No. 3 possesses all the tools a great run-ning back needs … breakaway speed,tremendous power, strong vision and a re-lentless work ethic and desire to get the jobdone. As everyone knows, Gurley has missedthree full games and sat out long spells in oth-ers due to injury but entering the game againstAppalachian State this past weekend, he hadstill run for 550 yards and five touchdowns infive games and his 187-yard total offense fig-ure in the Bulldogs' 23-20 win over Floridaagain showed Mike Bobo's offense takes onanother dimension when Gurley is on thefield.
So, that said, where do we put Todd Gur-ley in the pecking order of the Georgia Bull-dogs’ best running backs of all time? Let’s firstlet him play his three years out in Athens be-fore making a final judgment on that ques-tion. But at this particular juncture, Gurley isthe second best UGA tailback I’ve ever wit-nessed.
Mind you now, I’m talking about over theperiod of time I’ve watched Georgia footballas a teenager and then as a sports writer cov-ering the Dogs. That would be roughly fromthe mid-1950s up until the present time. So inthis discussion I’m not including the leg-endary Charley Trippi and former Heismanwinner Frank Sinkwich. I was in diapers anda toddler when those two guys were runningwild in the 1940s.
But certainly, on just what he’s shown sofar, Mr. Gurley doesn’t have to take a backseatto any of the Bulldogs’ elite running backs ofthe past. And, as you are aware, there havebeen some truly stupendous players to totethe pigskin for ol’ Georgia. Going by their jer-sey numbers I present to you now, from thebest on down, the greatest carriers of a footballI’ve seen in Athens, Ga.
No. 34 – There is simply no question thatHerschel Walker is the best of all time at UGA.I was on the sidelines for Herschel’s last highschool game when Johnson County played alittle team from Atlanta – Feldwood, which nolonger exists – in the state championshipgame. On the visitors’ side, supporters of thatteam had hung up a large banner saying,“Herschel Who?” Didn’t take long for them toget an answer to that question as, on the firstplay from scrimmage, Walker took a handoffaround right end, cut back to the center of thefield and was long gone, 65 yards down intothe left end zone corner. With Georgia assis-tant coach Mike Cavan and the top recruitersfrom Southern Cal and Clemson standingdown in the end zone watching, Herschelwent for 318 yards and four touchdowns thatnight as his team romped over the Atlanta
bunch, 35-17. Then, I was also fortunate tobe in the press box at Neyland Stadium forWalker’s first collegiate game when he ranover Bill Bates and right into Bulldog history.This was the greatest college running back ofall time, no question in my mind.
No. 3 – Todd Gurley (see above).No. 5 – Garrison Hearst had it all as he
ran for the Bulldogs in the early 1990s. Hewas very fast, very elusive with great cuttingability and although he didn’t have the heightand overall size of some of the other backsbeing mentioned here, he still had the powerto run over and through people. While Her-schel ranks 1-2-3 on the most rushing yardsin a season (with 1,891, 1,752 and 1,616),Hearst is next on the Georgia career list withhis 1,594 yards in 1992, the year he ran for246 yards against Vanderbilt.
No. 24 − While Knowshon Moreno has-n't quite lived up to expectations in the NFLthus far, there is no doubt what kind of run-ning back he was at Georgia. Not the fastestguy around, Moreno was so athletic and quickout of the backfield, with the elusiveness toleave defenders grabbing at nothing but air,that he rates among the most explosive backsever at UGA. That is documented by his rank-ing on the all-time season rushing leaders ashe presently holds down both 5th place, withhis 1,400 yards in 2008, and 7th place, withhis 1,334 in '07. With those two seasons, hesandwiches the present No. 6 guy, Todd Gur-ley.
No. 7 − In my earlier draft of this story, Ihad Rodney Hampton a little lower down onthis list but that was a mistake on my part.Like Hearst, Hampton could cut on a dime.Talk about elusive and being able to make de-fenders miss, this Texas native was maybe bet-ter at that than anyone who ever lined up inthe UGA backfield. He ran for 227 yards vs.Ole Miss in 1987 and had 2,668 yards in hiscareer (5th on list) while often sharing carrieswith Lars Tate and Tim Worley. Talk aboutbeing loaded with great backs ....
No. 36 − Until Herschel Walker camealong two years later, Willie McClendon wasthe all-time single-season rushing leader atGeorgia. In 1978, when the Brunswick nativeran for 1,312 yards and earned SEC Player ofthe Year honors, he snapped the previousschool rushing record held by Frankie "Fire-ball" Sinkwich. McClendon was a big power-ful back who had simply outstanding speedto take it the distance.
No. 38 − If ever there was a back in thesize, power and speed range of HerschelWalker (before Todd Gurley came along), itwas Tim Worley. This 6-2, 225-pounder couldrun by and over people and, also, make themmiss. His 1,216 yards in 1988 ranks 10th onthe UGA list, just behind No. 9 McClendon.
No. 32 − Musa Smith wasn't a fancy run-ner. He didn't juke defenders all over the placewhile suiting up for the Bulldogs from 2000-02 but, he didn't have to. A big, powerfulback with outstanding straightaway speed,Smith's 1,324 yards in 2002 has him standingNo. 8 on the all-time season career rushinglist.
No. 32 − Indiana native Lars Tate was an-other big, bruising tailback at Georgia. Moreof a straight-up runner, Tate nonetheless pun-ished many a defense with his power andspeed. And his career total of 3,017 yardsrushing from 1984-87 ranks third on the all-time UGA list behind only Walker and Hearst.
No. 47 − Before he went down with adevastating leg injury against Tennessee in1995, Robert Edwards was on his way to be-coming one of the most electrifying tailbacksin UGA history. Still, Edwards was pretty goodeven after the injury. With great speed andquickness, he rushed for 908 yards in his sen-ior year in 1997, scored a record five touch-downs against South Carolina in 1995 anddrilled the Florida Gators for four touch-downs in the Dogs' big 1997 win in Jack-sonville.
There are so many other splendid UGAbacks we could mention here .... Terrell Davis(though he was underused at UGA before be-coming a great NFL back), Verron Haynes,Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin, Jimmy Pou-los, Glynn Harrison .... but the players I talkedabout through their jersey numbers, theywere/are the greatest tailbacks of all time atGeorgia!
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No. 25 Dogs vs. No. 7 Tigers previewNo. 25 Dogs vs. No. 7 Tigers previeweorgia fans have had an enjoyable coupleof weeks, beginning with an always-sweetvictory over Florida, and then reuniting
back in Athens with tons of friends and familyfor Homecoming 2013 last week. And while it’sbeen mainly smiles across Dawg Nation of late,many of those faces will turn more serious thisweek, as the true surprise of the SEC this year,Auburn, is now in full focus. Due to conferenceand schedule realignment, the Dawgs are havingto make their second trip to Auburn in as manyyears, and this week should prove to be one ofthe biggest tests of the season.
Know the Opponent
After finishing 0-8 SEC play in 2012, Auburndecided to fire their head coach, and bring backformer offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn to bethe lead Tiger. The switch has paid off, big time,as Auburn is not only beating opponents, butembarrassing them. Led by former UGA corner-back Nick Marshall, who has now convertedhimself into a dual-threat quarterback, theTigers are averaging 39 points per game usingtheir spread attack. On the contrast, the Tigersare giving up 26 points per game when playinganother SEC opponent. Malzahn loves to run, orperhaps better put “scramble,” the ball, as theyonly attempted seven passes in their blowoutwin over Tennessee this past week. UGA’s front
seven on defense will face perhaps their biggesttest of the season, which just might bode wellfor them.
The Offense
There seems to be more chemistry the last cou-ple of weeks with the return of wide receiverMichael Bennett and running back Todd Gurleyinto the mix. Bennett has proven that he can bea go-to receiver while helping spread the de-fense out to open up the run game again. WhileGurley still does not seem to be 100 percent justyet, he is still showing that he is one of the hard-est running backs the hedges have ever seen. Ifhe continues to get healthy this week, he could,just like Florida, be a deciding factor in a gamethat will sure to see a lot of points on the board.
The Defense
For the first time last week, the Junkyard Dawgsdid not allow their opponent into the endzone,only giving up a season-low six points to Ap-palachian State. But Auburn is much better thanAppalachian State, and will throw some big timerunners right at them. Defensive end Ray Drewcontinues to show massive emergence as a legit-imate pass rusher, and will be key this week to
penetrate into the backfield to disrupt any plansNick Marshall has of tricking the defense. Line-backers Amarlo Herrera and Jordan Jenkins willbe crucial in containing any option attack theTigers may throw at them as well. If the Dawgscan force some three and outs this week, andgive the offense time to stay on the field, theremight just be a chance the Dawgs could outscorethe Tigers in the end.
How the Dawgs Will Win
If Dawgs fans plan to continue to bear braggingrights in this historic rivalry, the defense isgoing to have to not give up big plays, especiallyon third downs. Appalachian State seemed tofind holes in the middle of the Dawgs’ defense,and hopefully defensive coordinator ToddGrantham will be busy in the film room thisweek. Todd Gurley is going to have to hit theholes hard this week, and take advantage of aTiger defense that is also vulnerable to lettingthe opponent generate momentum. As long asNick Marshall is unable to consistently get tothe perimeter, and the defense can keep their at-tack in the middle of the field, Mark Richt andcompany just might earn back a lot of respectlost earlier this season by knocking off anothertop-10 team, this time on the road. Safe travelsto all!
photos by Rob SayeBy Logan Booker/BI
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UGA BOOKSTORE TUESDAY TRIVIA CONTESTQ - Where did Mark Richt play college football?A - University of Miami
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Q: Other than Herschel, who is your favorite Bulldog and why?
A: Lindsay Scott... also the name of my dog.
Q: Who is your favorite player on the current UGA roster and why?
A: Aaron Murray. He’s a loyal Bulldog and a great leader!
Q: What makes you a true Bulldog?
(LSU, Missouri and Florida). I bleed Red and Black.... my friends in Los Angeles are well educated in the ways of the Bulldog Nation thanks to me.
Q: What is the most memorable play you have experienced in person?
A: 2002 game against Auburn. Greene to Johnson. My friends and I couldn’t get tickets so we paid the ushers $40 a piece to sneak us in. Money well spent!
Q: Which one of our rivals do you enjoy beating the most?
A: Florida, of course.
Q: What makes your tailgating scene so special?
A: SoCal Dawgs are strong! We have several bars the Georgia faithful, but nothing beats coming to Athens in the fall and tailgating with old friends and family. GO DAWGS!!
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www.bulldawgillustrated.com • 11
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Just scroll on your iPhone or iPad to see video clips of the great players and plays from UGA’s
storied football past reaching back ten decades.
Join hundreds of UGA alumni and friends for a scenic walk, jog, or run across the University’s beautiful campus. Athens’ largest 5K has become an annual tradition, providing an early spring opportunity for Bulldogs from near and far to journey back to Athens.
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BI Georgia 45 - Appalachian State 6
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Mack McGuffey and Travis McElroy Jonathan Nebus and Ron Nebus Pam Norman and Frank Brookins Vince Dooley
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Austin Laufersweiler Brandon Martin, President Jere Morehead and Callie McRae Anna Konieczny
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Kevin "Femi" Brinson Smitha Ganeshan Callie McRae Whitney Wyszynski
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Conference: SEC West
Enrollment: 20,175 (undergraduate)
Tigers in a thumbnail: Auburn may be the surprise team in not only theSEC but the country as well as first-year head coach Gus Malzahn hastaken the Tigers − generally picked near the bottom of SEC West − fromlast year's 3-9 record (0-8 SEC) to a 9-1 overall record and 5-1 SEC markand a Top 10 national ranking this season. Auburn has lost only to the LSUTigers, falling by 35-21 back on Sept. 21 in Baton Rouge. The Tigers haverolled over Washington State (31-24), Arkansas State (38-9), MississippiState (24-20), Ole Miss (30-22), Western Carolina (62-3), Texas A&M(45-41), Florida Atlantic (45-10), Arkansas (35-17) and Tennessee, by55-23 this past Saturday in Knoxville.
A look at the Auburn offense: The Tigers have been high octane withMalzahn's spread, hurry-up offense this season. Led by former BulldogNick Marshall, Auburn has averaged 38.6 points per game, 320 yardsrushing per game, tops in the SEC, and 493 yards total offense per con-test, which ranks third in the conference. The Tigers battered the Volun-teers for 444 yards on the ground. Junior speedster Tre Mason (5-10, 196,Jr.) has already run for 1,038 yards and 16 touchdowns, surpassing the1,000 mark for a second straight season. He averages 5.7 yards per carryand 103.8 yards per game. Junior quarterback Marshall (6-2, 210), thejunior college transfer from Wilcox County, is the No. 2 rusher with 734yards and a 7.1 average, with seven TDs. In the romp over the Vols, Mar-shall ran for a whopping 214 yards. Right behind in the Tiger running at-tack is Cameron Artis-Payne (5-11, 208, Jr.) with 568 yards, a 6.6 averageper carry and five touchdowns. Through the air, Marshall has thrown for1,301 and eight touchdowns, with four interceptions. The Tigers' leadingreceiver is sophomore Sammie Coates (6-2, 201) with 26 catches for 648yards and five scores. Also key targets for Marshall are freshman MarcusDavis (5-10, 165), with 19 catches for 162 yards, and sophomore Ri-cardo Louis (6-2, 217), who has 19 receptions for 160 yards.
A look at the Auburn defense: In the 10 games to date, the Tiger de-fensive unit has given up 20.4 points per game and 394 yards per con-test. Sophomore linebacker Cassanova McKinzy leads the Tigers in tackleswith 49 while senior cornerback Chris Davis (5-11, 198) follows with 47.Then come junior corner Jonathon Mincy (5-10, 191) and junior safetyTherezie Robenson (5-9, 204) with 45 and 44 stops, respectively. Roben-son also leads the Tigers with four interceptions and has returned themfor 99 yards. Senior defensive end Dee Ford (6-2, 238) will be a hugechallenge for the Georgia O-linemen as he has rung up seven sacks, for aminus 73 yards, and also leads the Tigers in tackles-for-loss with 10.5 anda minus 78 yards. Against Tennessee, Chris Davis had an 85-yard puntreturn for a touchdown and Corey Grant scored on a 90-yard kickoff re-turn.
What Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn says: "When you're runningthe football just keep doing it. That's kind of who we're developing into.I still believe we can throw the football. There's no doubt in my mind thatwe can but when you don't have to, there's a pretty good feeling when youcan line up and run the football at will. Now, we've got to prepare to playa good Georgia football team."
Game Prediction: In our preseason predictions, I said the Bulldogswould roll past the Tigers by 31-21. But oh, the difference in June andmid-November! Nobody could have ever imagined the struggling Auburnteam of 2012 doing a complete about-face and storming to a 9-1 recordand top 10 ranking entering the Georgia game this season. The explosiveTiger offense, featuring M&M boys Marshall and Mason, has put up hugenumbers on opposing defenses this season and you can bet Auburn isprimed to avenge last season's 38-0 pasting by the Dogs at Jordan-Hare.At present, I simply can't see the Georgia defense putting the clamps onthis potent Tiger attack; conversely, I expect Aaron Murray, Todd Gurleyand the UGA offense to play well Saturday but, in the end, Auburn willoutscore the Bulldogs by 38-31.
− Murray Poole
Scouting Auburn War Eagle Winners#14 Nick Marshall, QB6-1, 210 Jr. Pineview, Ga. (Wilcox Co. HS/Garden City CC/Uga)One of the top players in the state of Georgia in 2010, Mar-shall was a blue chip signee for the University of Georgia in2011. But he got into trouble and was dismissed from theteam. Following a superb season at Garden City Commu-nity College, he signed on with Auburn. Well the compar-isons to the situation with Cam Newton, dismissed fromFlorida and then signing with Auburn following a greatJUCO season, began. Just like no one saw Auburn win-ning the 2010 national title with Newton, few forecastedthat the Tigers of 2013, a year removed from going 3-9,would be one of the best teams in the nation. Marshall is abig reason. He is a tremendous runner and fine passer, oneof the top two-way threats in the Southeastern Conference.Marshall is fast and elusive. He can break the big run andeat up defenses methodically. For a quarterback to averagenearly six yards per carry, with sacks counting against rush-ing totals, is extremely impressive. He is the second formerBulldog signal caller, along with LSU’s Zach Mettenberger,that Georgia has faced this year.
#21 Tre Mason, RB5-10, 205 Jr. Palm Beach Fla. (Park Vista HS)While struggling through the 3-9 disaster of 2012, theTigers had one strong suit, their tailbacks Onterrio Mc-Callebb and Mason. Now as the primary ball carrier, Masonis having a banner season, averaging over 100 yards pergame. Without question, in a league loaded with stellarrunning backs, Mason is bound for All-Southeastern Con-ference honors. With Marshall, the excellent runner atquarterback, in the backfield with him, Mason is even moredangerous. Like Marshall, Mason is averaging close to sixyards per carry. He is amongst the SEC’s leader in touch-downs. Mason has excellent vision and footwork. He cancut with the best of backs and finishes the run. His bestgame came two weeks ago in the Tigers 35-17 win atArkansas, running for 168 yards and four touchdowns on32 carries.
#27 Robenson Therezie, DB5-9, 204 Jr. Miami, Fla. (Jackson HS)When putting together this piece on Auburn’s best players,I asked my good friend Jeremy Roberts from the Tiger ath-letic department which defender should be spotlighted? Heresponded that Therezie, who plays the “Star” position, isprobably Auburn’s best player. A year ago, under the pre-vious coaching staff, he didn’t get much of a chance, switch-ing between running back and defensive back. But thisyear Therezie has shined as one of the best defensive backsin the SEC. A hybrid safety in the Tigers 4-2-5 base defen-sive scheme, Therezie is the nucleus of the Tigers stop unit.He is a sure tackler with excellent ball skills, rankingamongst the league leaders in interceptions and pick returnyardage. In his first career start, Therezie had two inter-ceptions in the Tigers 31-24 season-opening victory overWashington State, including a game-saving end zone pickin the closing minutes. That’s a breakout game. His high-light play of the year thus far came in the Tigers win overOle Miss, returning the first interception thrown by Rebelquarterback Bo Wallace on the season for a 78 yard touch-down on October 5 at Jordan Hare Stadium.
− Jeff Dantzler
A view from Auburn
Are you surprised how quickly things have turned around?
I think if any Auburn fan is truthful with them-selves they would be tell you no one thoughtthis team would be 9-1 going into the Georgiagame. Truth be told, if not for the first quarterof the LSU game, this team might be unbeatenright now, which is remarkable.
Can you describe what it was like to win it all in 2010, thentwo years later have the worst season in program history,now the next year sitting where you are?
Auburn’s first National Title since 1957 was sur-real. Auburn thought it won a title in 1983, butwas jumped by Miami. A loss 7-6 at LSU in1988 prevented that team from playing for one.The 1993 team was on probation and despitefinishing unbeaten was never in contention.The 2004 team was probably the last undefeatedteam from the SEC that will won’t get a chanceto play for the title. So in 2010 when that teamwon, after all the missed chances and in somecases, no chance at all, some couldn’t believe ithad finally happened. Just two seasons laterthat coaching staff was gone. Gus Malzahn washired in December and began to put togetherone of the best coaching staffs ever assembled atAuburn and it has immediately paid off.
Talk about what makes Gus Malzonne so popular and suc-cessful with the Tiger faithful.
Winning is the bottom line. Despite his offensive rep-utation, this team has won with a powerful runninggame, which Auburn fans identify with.
Who are your favorite Auburn tailbacks?
I’ll just address the backs since I’ve been at Auburn.Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown led that 2004team with power and speed. Rudy Johnson was a oneyear wonder at Auburn. Tre Mason has gone over1,000 yards for the last two seasons. He did it on ateam that wasn’t very good last season and one that hasbeen very good this season. These are just a few. WishI would have been here for the legend of Bo Jackson.
What are your top memories of Georgia – Auburn games?
There are many memories of Georgia games. Toomany to note here. Great finishes with wins byboth teams. It’s Auburn’s most healthy rivalry.
How about the series, so close, dead even through all theseyears?
Not sure why this rivalry has been so close. Per-haps it’s meant to be considering the history ofthe rivalry, the connection with both schools, it’scoaches, player and administrators.
What is your take on Georgia?
This game concerns me because the Bulldogs aregetting healthy again and feature such a goodrunning game. That has given Auburn’s defensetrouble, at times, this season. Aaron Murray isthe all time passing leader in SEC history. Thebig question to me is whether Georgia can stopAuburn’s running game and its ability to run theread option.
What changes would you like to see in college football?
The biggest chance is coming with the four teamtournament next season. I wish it were an eightteam tournament thought..
— Jeff Dantzler
Andy Burcham, one of the long time voices of the Tigers and an outstanding announcer and friend, gives us his insight on the Bulldogs and Tigers.
www.bulldawgillustrated.com • 13
Jeff Dantzler’s 2013 rankingsTop 10 Non-SEC - It was a Thursday night double feature spectacular that turned one sided. Baylor ranaway from Oklahoma for one of the biggest wins in school history, while Stanford jumped on Oregonand held on to win. The Big XII race should be great down the stretch.
SEC 1-14 - The story of the season in the SEC has been injuries. The story of this pastSaturday, once again, was points. And lots of them. Auburn, the Aggies, Georgiaand Missouri all hung up at least 45. Alabama got a hugely impressive win over LSUand times are turbulent in Gainesville. .
1. Florida State – You knew the Seminoles would put up some monster numbers withthe race for the BCS Championship Game. Nick O’Leary is the best tight end in the coun-try. The Seminoles defense is strong and the offense is one of the best in the nation.
2. Baylor – The Bears have won 12 straight, punctuating the first ever 8-0 start in schoolhistory with a 41-12 pounding of Oklahoma. Baylor’s offense has all the parts, led by quar-terback Bryce Petty.
3. Ohio State – The Buckeyes are the class of the Big Ten. As great a job as Jim Tresselldid, Urban Meyer has a chance to put up an incredible record. There just isn’t that muchcompetition for the Buckeyes.
4. Stanford – Though it got a little hairy at the end, Stanford’s 26-20 Thursday nightvictory over Oregon was a showcase. Trent Murphy, All-American defensive end, is oneof the elite players in the land. The Cardinal can run the ball and play great defense.
5. Oregon – For the second straight season, Oregon’s undefeated dreams were done inby Stanford. The Ducks just couldn’t get that high octane offense rolling. They shouldwin out. If they do and the Cardinal loses, Oregon would go to PAC-12 ChampionshipGame.
6. Clemson – Tajh Boyd had a monster game for the Tigers and owns almost every pass-ing record in school history. Clemson is much better on defense than anyone thought.Vic Beasley is one of the country’s elite pass-rushers.
7. Oklahoma State – The Cowboys have come back strong from their stunning upsetloss at West Virginia. Oklahoma State was one of the preseason favorite to win the BigXII. Now they have Baylor in their crosshairs.
8. Northern Illinois –Quarterback Jordan Lynch is having another spectacular seasonand the Huskies are undefeated. A year ago, the Huskies made it to the Orange Bowl.This year, they are a potential BCS buster again.
9. Central Florida – The same goes for Central Florida and Fresno State. All threehave the potential to break through and make it to a BCS bowl. The Golden Knights playgood defense. Their lone loss is a three-pointer to South Carolina.
10. Fresno State – Arguably the third best team on the west coast, Fresno State is aplayer once again. The Bulldogs had fallen way behind Boise State in stature, but thealma mater of Trent Dilfer and David Carr is having a great year.
1. Alabama – If the Crimson Tide returns to the national championship game, theplay that they will point to is the fake punt at 17-17 with LSU. It was all Alabamafrom there on out, with T.J. Yeldon leading the way to a 38-17 victory.
2. Auburn – How about the Tigers piling up a 9-1 record. The Tigers are readyfor Georgia, which has blasted them the last two years. To beat Tennessee the waythey did on the road is extremely impressive. Auburn’s offense is rolling and hungry
for the Dogs.
3. Missouri – Coming off of what has to be the worst loss in school history, theTigers have come back and beaten Tennessee and Kentucky badly. The SEC East
title is well within their grasp, which has to go beyond their greatest expectations.
4. Texas A&M – Johnny Manzeil was rolling once again, leading Texas A&M pastMississippi State 51-41. The Aggies defense is just not good, but they can flat outscore with any team in America. The big one in Baton Rouge is looming.
5. South Carolina – The Gamecocks were off this week, sharpening their talonsfor the Gators, who come to Columbia. Connor Shaw is one tough cookie at quar-terback. South Carolina could close the season with a bang, if they take out the Gators
and Clemson.
6. LSU – The road has been tough for LSU this season, as the Tigers lost a pair ofthree-point heart-breakers at Georgia and Ole Miss. Then this past Saturday, Ala-bama dominated the fourth quarter on the capstone. The Tigers get the Aggies in
Baton Rouge.
7. Vanderbilt – The Commodores have beaten Georgia and Florida both this sea-son. That is something that happens once every couple of decades. Vandy has done
a great job the last two years rallying back from sluggish starts to the season.
8. Georgia – When Todd Gurley is healthy, despite all of the injuries that theBulldogs have suffered, Georgia can play with anyone in America. The Bulldogs areeyeing an upset at Auburn, trying to make it seven out of eight in the south’s oldest
rivalry.
9. Ole Miss – The Rebels offense, buoyed by the upset victory over LSU, is reallyrolling. Bo Wallace is having a fine season at quarterback. Missouri needs a win to
take a step closer to the SEC East title, and it should be a shootout in Oxford.
10. Florida – It is not pretty in Gainesville right now. The mighty Gators, on theheels of the 23-20 loss to Georgia, got dominated at home to Vanderbilt. Will
Muschamp is certainly starting to feel some heat.
11. Tennessee – Following that signature win over then once-beaten South Car-olina in Knoxville, things have gone south for the Volunteers. Tennessee has gotten
smoked by Alabama, Missouri and Auburn.
12. Mississippi State – It’s been a tough season for Mississippi State, startingwith the one that got away at Auburn. It looked like Mississippi State might have an
upset opportunity against Texas A&M, but the Aggies had too much juice.
13. Arkansas – The Razorbacks are in the midst of an awful stretch. Since com-ing out of the gates at 3-0, the Razorbacks have lost seven in a row. There is some
promise for next year, due in large part to an Alex Collins-led rushing attack.
14. Kentucky – The Wildcats had no shot at the upset against Missouri, as theTigers put up a big number. It is a tough building process.
1. Go Gurley Go – The best tailback in America is the ultimate difference-maker. When hewas out against Clemson, the Bulldogs offense was stagnant. He missed the entire month of Octo-ber and Georgia went 1-2. What a return it was for Gurley in Jacksonville, as he ran for 100 yardsand a touchdown on 17 carries and hauled in a 73-yard scoring pass. His presence, even when heis not carrying the ball, is game-changing. The play-action pass, the bootleg, the tight end, all openup because the opposing defense must account for No. 3 at all times. He was tremendous on theplains last season in the Bulldogs 38-0 runaway victory. To beat Auburn, one of the best teams inthe country, the best tailback in the country will have to show the way.
2. Keep Ford from Menacing Murray – It starts in the trenches and Georgia’s offensiveline will have another big challenge with Auburn’s talented defensive line. At the top of the list isdefensive end Dee Ford, one of the Southeastern Conference’s top pass-rushers. Amongst the leagueleaders in quarterback sacks, Ford is disrupting rush end who wreaks havoc on passing downs. Inthe Bulldogs loss to Missouri, on what was a slow developing play, Bulldog quarterback Aaron Mur-ray was hit and the fumble was returned for a touchdown. In the Dogs 23-20 win over Florida inJacksonville, Murray was sacked from the blind side for a safety. The Georgia offensive line will haveto be at its best, and that starts with keeping Ford from making a game-changing play.
3. Set the Edge – Up front, Georgia’s defensive ends and outside linebackers must keep con-tainment or slick signal caller Nick Marshall and tailback Tre Mason will have big games on theground. Auburn will get Marshall on the edge. They love to play fake to Mason and have Marshalltest the end. Georgia has struggled with containment for much of the season, though it was betterin Jacksonville. A player with Marshall’s abilities is often less dangerous when he’s in the pocket. Onbroken plays, assignment football can prevent the big gainer. This will be a big test for the Dogs.
4. Limit Mason – Auburn’s star junior tailback Tre Mason is one of the best tailbacks in theSEC, ranking with the league’s best in rushing and touchdowns. The Bulldogs run defense must bot-tle him up. Keeping him under 75 yards would be a great goal for Georgia’s stop unit. Plus, whenhe is moving the chains between the tackles, that makes Marshall even more dangerous on the quar-terback keeper. Senior Garrison Smith was the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week in Georgia’swin over Florida. It’s a numbers game. When defensive linemen are making tackles and big plays,that trickles down to advantageous stiuations for linebackers and defensive backs. Smith and theD-Line will need to make plays against Mason, not just eat up space, and keep him from the sec-ond level.
5. Solid Special Teams – This is the obvious category. It has been bad for Georgia on spe-cial teams this season, real bad. Marshall Morgan has done an excellent job thus far with field goalsand extra points, but that’s been one of the few bright spots. Whether it’s been on exchanges fromsnapper to holder/punter, blocked punts for touchdowns, squandered timeouts or a case of thedrops, there has been much more negative than positive for the Bulldogs in the kicking game. It isone of the primary culprits, along with the injuries, a defense that has been too leaky, and a nega-tive five turnover ratio in the three losses that has derailed a potentially special season.
— Jeff Dantzler
JD’s five keys to victory
Kevin Butler’s players of the game
Kevin Butler, former University of Georgia legendary kicker and a member of the Geor-gia radio broadcast team, will each week during the 2013 football season select his of-fensive, defensive and special teams players of the week for Bulldawg Illustrated. Here areButler’s selections and reasons why for the Bulldogs’ 45-6 win over Appalachian State Sat-urday.
OFFENSE – Junior quarterback Hutson Mason, who finally got to see extensive action forthe first time since the 2011 season and responded by completing 11-of-16 passing at-tempts for 160 yards and a touchdown, with one interception ... in just the fourth quar-ter alone.“It finally became Hutson's time to get on the field," said Butler. "and once he got on thefield, he looked very comfortable and confident which turned into completions, yardagegained and points. To look as sharp as he did for the first time on the field gives Geor-gia a great outlook for the post-Murray era."
DEFENSE – Junior inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera, who recorded seven total tackles inthe win over the Mountaineers and also intercepted a pass, which he returned for 16yards but fumbled at the end of his run."Herrera has been one of the unsung heroes for our defense this year," said Butler. "Hisconsistent play received a boost this week with the interception which Georgia has justnot been able to do enough of this year ... gaining turnovers. Amarlo is a consistent tack-ler who had seven total tackles and that earned him defensive player of the week. Wewill certainly need a great game from him against Auburn's consistent rush game."
SPECIAL TEAMS – The Bulldogs' entire special teams units, which performed well acrossthe board and didn't have any major gaffes that would have given Appalachian Statehopes for an upset.“The specialty team as a group is trying to get better each week," said Butler. "This weekthe special teams covered well, converted their field goal, blocked a field goal, and wedid not fumble any punts. Given that game Saturday, they need to work hard this weekbecause we will need every phase of our special teams to be on against Auburn, in orderto win the game."
