Bitter Much?

While perusing the offerings of chuckoliver.net, I came across this little gem from one of the site's contributors, Joseph Wyatt:

...When you run a program that has been as undisciplined as Mark Richt does it’s easy to see why “secondary violations” should be viewed just as importantly as major ones. You don’t want your players picking and choosing which rules they will abide by, so the head coach needs to set the example.  But that’s exactly what happens at UGA, players like Washaun Ealey and Caleb King decide which rules should be important to follow and there’s never any real consequence. 

It's easy to see why UGA has discipline issues...they learned it by watching Richt.

This excerpt is from an article—if you want to bother calling it that—about coach Mark Richt's credibility as a disciplinarian on a team where suspensions have become more prevalent than most would like—particularly in the last 18-months. 

The premise of Wyatt's post might have been more intriguing had it not been such a poorly veiled attempt to make Richt look like some sort of "aw, shucks' con-man.

As a matter of fact, it seethed with so much contempt, that it led me to question the author's allegiances—a question which was quickly answered upon reading the following byline underneath his name, "Atlanta native, lifetime Georgia Tech fan."

Well, that explains that. 

College Football Odds (ATS): Alabama Will Roll, Michigan Will Rebound

It was yet another average week for the 'Lady', as the site finished the weekend slate at 5-5, bringing the season total to 27-28.

You can revisit last week's picks here.

The BCS will release it's first set of rankings this Sunday, so expect a lot of good play from teams auditioning for a place in the top 10.

That said, it's time to offer another round of picks.

(All lines are courtesy of  VegasInsider.com).

1. Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Alabama (-20.5)

This actually seems like a ton of points to lend the Tide's way—even if they are playing in Tuscaloosa. That said, the Rebels aren't very good on defense.

Look for both Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson to get something they didn't last week—running room—and look for the Tide to take out their frustration on the Rebels.

The Lady's Pick: Alabama

2. Michigan vs. Iowa: Iowa (-3)

As impressive as Iowa has been all season, save the loss to Arizona in week three, Michigan's offense is going to be tough to stop at home. Sure Michigan State came in and shut Denard Robinson down, but the Spartans have played the Wolverines well over the last few seasons and that loss wasn't really all that hard to see coming.

That said, Iowa has been nearly as effective, defensively, on the road as they have been at home.
Expect Mr. Robinson to rebound and steal a win from the Hawkeye's.

The Lady's Pick: Michigan

3. Virginia Tech vs. Wake Forest: Virginia Tech (-22.5)

Wake Forest is atrocious, there is little doubt about that, but they have played a better brand of football over the last couple of weeks, and have nothing to lose by giving it all they've got against a Hokie squad that, honestly, still isn't all that impressive.

The Lady's Pick: Wake Forest

4. TCU vs BYU: TCU (-28)

TCU is good. BYU is bad. There is not much else you can say about these two teams or this match-up.
BYU's coach is currently wearing two hats (head coach and defensive coordinator) and that has to be tough, considering he's got a true freshman quarterback trying to run the offense.

The Cougars are a mess right now and, even though it seems crazy to think they will get beat by 28 points, that's what is likely to happen.

The Lady's Pick: TCU

5. Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State: Texas Tech (-3.5)

Texas Tech is still trying to find themselves under Tommy Tuberville, and it's not clear that they are anywhere near close to doing that right now—despite their 3-2 record.

The Lady's Pick: Oklahoma State 

6. Rice vs. Houston: Houston (-9)

As terrible as the defense of the Cougars is, the Owls might be worse. If Houston quarterbacks, David Piland or Terrance Broadway, want to get their respective games going, then this is the week to do it.

The Owls have little in the way of offense and don't defend well against the pass—a recipe for disaster when you're opponent specializes in air raids.

The Lady's Pick: Houston

7. Wisconsin vs. Ohio State: Ohio State (-4)

Hmmm, wonder what Bielema's card will tell him to do this week?

He better have a definite plan of action against the Buckeyes ,or he'll be the one feeling some kind of wronged after this game.

The Lady's Pick: Ohio State

8.  Auburn vs. Arkansas: Auburn (-3.5)

Auburn has been getting by on the grace and talent of Cam Newton—no doubt about it. However, the cardiac cats will have to go into arrest at some point, and it's highly possible that the Razorbacks will be just the team to send them rushing for the nearest ambulance.

The Lady's Pick: Arkansas

9. Georgia Tech vs Middle Tennessee State: Georgia Tech (-19)

This pick could come back to haunt me later, but, Dwight Dasher could end up being a problem for that developing Yellow Jacket defense. He's much better than he showed last week, and this could be just the game he needs to get his game back on the right track.

Georgia Tech will definitely win, but not by 19. 

The Lady's Pick: Middle Tennessee 


10. Florida vs. Mississippi State: Florida (-9)

Mississippi State might be scrappy but their quarterback situation leaves much to be desired. Expect the Gators to get back to their winning ways this weekend.

The Lady's Pick: Florida

Georgia Bulldogs Football: Where Has The Running Game Gone?

This was supposed to be the year that the Georgia run game took off. Washaun Ealey and Caleb King were supposed to be the guys to make it happen on the ground—leaving Aaron Murray free to rule the air. Everything was supposed to be good for the Georgia offense in 2010 because the end of 2009 showed, without question, that "we run this state".

Well, proof-positive that things don’t always go as planned: Caleb King went back to being the guy that couldn't stay healthy, the offensive line forgot that it still has to supply holes for the backs to run through, and Washaun Ealey left his motivation for playing better on his key ring.

Washaun Ealey turned it on during the second-half of last season and, by the time Georgia met up with Georgia Tech in the finale, it was clear that he was going to be something special. Where has that dominance gone this year?

In 2009, he averaged 5.74 yards per carry (through nine games). This season, he's averaging 4.38 yards per attempt. That's not an altogether bad average, but if you look closer, he isn't doing that well where it matters—on those critical third downs.

In 2009, Ealey had nine attempts on 3rd-and-short (a distance of 1-3 yards), and he averaged 7.22 yards per attempt (h/t cfbstats.com). As a result, Georgia was able to extend drives and force defenses to  play the run more aggressively—thereby opening up the passing game.

This season, Ealey is averaging 2.25 yards per attempt—he's not getting it done. That means more attention is on Aaron Murray and his wide receivers. Teams have the luxury of abandoning their rush defense because there is not much threat of the Bulldogs converting a short-yardage situation via the run—hence the offense stalls.

Who’s to blame for this lack of effectiveness?

The first finger, naturally, gets pointed at the offensive line. They aren’t dominating at the line of scrimmage and, as a result, they are getting pushed backwards by opposing defensive lines. It’s an issue we have seen before—it happened on multiple occasions last season as well (the game versus Arizona State stands out).

Was the line overrated this season? Is the chemistry not yet clicking with the starting five? Is it a conditioning issue? Has offensive line coach, Stacy Searles, lost his ability to coach? All of these are questions that have come up—none have acceptable answers. The hope just seems to be that, whatever the problem, it’s fixable and, everything will be fine.

However, just as much of the blame could fall on the performance of Ealey. He isn't running with the
same amount of urgency or motivation that he did last season. Despite the questions surrounding the line, he should be doing better than he has thus far.  He played well, at times last season, in spite of the line—not because of it.

Perhaps there was more to his rivalry with Caleb King than met the eye. It's no secret that the two fed off each other's energy.  With no Caleb to share the load with this year, Ealey might not feel the need to give more than necessary—no true competition is there to unseat him, so why bother.

Does that mean Ealey’s not giving his all? No, but most can agree that some players perform better if they know there is a possibility they will be benched in favor of another. As it stands, at Georgia, there is Ealey and no one else.

Ealey shared carries with Caleb King, Carlton Thomas, and Dontavius Jackson (the latter two to a lesser extent) in 2009. This year, it's just him. He's played nearly every offensive down, as either a rusher or a pass-blocker, and it's not altogether clear that he's built for the increased workload.

Whatever the case, it's clear that this is not the same Washaun Ealey that turned heads last year. He's less confident, less effective, and less exciting to watch on the field. All three of those together contribute to an offense that has become more vanilla by the minute and a passing game that, if not for the legs of Aaron Murray, could be more of a concern.

This is an offense that has talent but, without a significant run game, Georgia is going to continue to struggle to put points on the board. Ealey needs to find his groove again—soon—and perhaps that will start with the return of Caleb King—assuming he’s capable of staying healthy this season.

College Football Odds Week 3: 10 ATS Winners for Saturday (9/18)

Another week, another date with the odds makers. Week two found my luck to be slightly less than stellar as both the Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech didn't get the wins I predicted they would—against the spread (ATS).

However, in the end, the Lady ended the day 5-5 ATS—nothing to write home about—bringing the season total to 8-7 (ouch).

This week is bound to be better, if not, a change in profession might be considered. So, without further ado, here are ten teams who should be ATS winners on Saturday.

1. Georgia vs Arkansas: Arkansas (-2.5)

The feel in Athens right now is that the Georgia Bulldogs are a team that lacks any real continuity on defense and the Razorbacks are going to go into Sanford Stadium and steal a key conference road win—kicking the Dog' while it is still down. I don't see that happening, I simply do not. I expect to see a much more motivated team this week, playing in front of the home crowd, and I suspect Arkansas will be a little off kilter playing their first true game of the year.

The Lady's Pick: Georgia

2. Kansas at Southern Miss: Southern Miss (-5.5)

Despite what the win over Georgia Tech alluded, Kansas is still a team that hasn't found an identity. Georgia Tech ran into a buzz saw and didn't know how to get out of their own way. Southern Miss is a much more balanced team, with a significantly better passer standing behind center.

The Lady's Pick: Southern Miss

3. Vanderbilt at Ole Miss: Ole Miss (-14)

After the performance that Vandy gave last week, it seems risky to pick them twice in as many weeks, but I truly feel like they will play better this week against an Ole Miss team that hasn't exactly ruled with an iron fist this season.

The Lady's Pick: Vanderbilt

4. Washington State at SMU:  SMU (-20)

Washington State is terrible. I don't know that SMU can beat them by 20, but I feel fairly confident that SMU can score 20 against Washington State. Now, can Washington State score 20 against SMU?...That's the real question.

The Lady's Pick: SMU

5. Arizona State vs Wisconsin: Wisconsin (-14)

Neither team has really met a challenge this season, so both will probably look rusty against stronger defensive efforts. Expect the offense to struggle a bit early—on both sides.

The Lady's Pick: Arizona State

6. Air Force at Oklahoma: Oklahoma (-18)

Landry Jones is on a roll and the Sooner defense is coming together. The Falcons run a tricky scheme, but it's not unstoppable by any stretch. Count on the Sooners to figure things out early—long before the Falcons can do the same in Norman.

The Lady's Pick: Oklahoma

7. Louisville at Oregon State: Oregon State (-14)

The Cardinals aren't where they need to be yet, but they are getting there under Charlie Strong. Oregon State looked pedestrian against TCU—particularly on offense. The Beavers haven't found an answer for the departed Sean Canfield (QB) and that means a heavy emphasis on the run game. If there is one thing the Cardinals can do, right now, it's perform capably against the run.

The Lady's Pick: Louisville

8. Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan: Central Michigan (-9)

Central Michigan looks lost without head coach Butch Jones—now at Cincinnati—and Eastern Michigan is vulnerable against the run. Lucky for them the Chippewas running game is as bad as it's passing one.

The Lady's Pick: Eastern Michigan

9. Notre Dame at Michigan State: Michigan State (-3.5)

This match-up has been tough to call over the last four years as each team has traded wins at home and on the road. Notre Dame got the best of the Spartans last season but if Dayne Crist plays in this game, there is little doubt in my mind that the Irish will come away smiling.

The Lady's Pick: Notre Dame

10. Kent State at Penn State: Penn State (-23.5)

After getting nowhere offensively in Tuscaloosa last weekend, look for the Nittany Lions to find their scoring grove again this week.

The Lady's Pick: Penn State

College Football: You Ain't A Contender!—Heisman Hopefuls Who Flopped on Saturday

One of my favorite all-time Marlon Brando films is On The Waterfront. The movie, in essence, is about a promising young fighter who isn't able to live up to his potential and spends his life underachieving. It's a great movie and one of the best scenes in the movie is the one where Brando's character finally comes to grips with what he "coulda been":



Now, you might be asking, "what on earth does this have to do with this article, Lady?!?

Well, entering the 2010 season, it was easy to pick out the names of the guys who could have been contenders for the Heisman this year: Jacory Harris, Christian Ponder, Mark Ingram, Ryan Mallett, and Jacquizz Rodgers were all early favorites to get the nod.

Well, after Saturday, it became clear that some of these guys aren't ready for that kind of shine. If they were, they could have proven it on Saturday, instead, they were just bums.

1. Jacory Harris, QB—Miami

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, the talented Cane' with the money-in-the-bank arm, decided to go from Jacory Harris to Harris Teeter. His awful showing against Ohio State this weekend all but erases him from contention as all he proved was that he wasn't ready to lead Miami into anything—unless obscurity counts.

vs. Ohio State: 22-of-39, 232 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions



2. Mark Ingram, RB—Alabama

It's not that Ingram has done anything to screw up his Heisman chances, it's the fact that Ingram hasn't done anything. For the second time, in as many weeks, Ingram hasn't been in the lineup for Alabama. He's been working through an injury and unable to play.

Unfortunately, for him, Trent Richardson has filled in quite nicely in his absence—making him all but irrelevant in the minds of many.

2010 Stats: 0 carries, 0 yards, and 0 touchdowns

3. Christian Ponder, QB—Florida State

The Christian Ponder love parade started in Tallahassee and ended in Norman. Ponder, the mobile quarterback with the nice arm and the nimble feet, left his game in Florida as the Oklahoma defense harassed and harangued the senior quarterback into a mistake-laden game filled with miscues and uneven play—on both sides of the ball.

vs. Oklahoma: 11-of-28, 113 yards, and 2 interceptions.



4. Josh Nesbitt, QB—Georgia Tech

In two weeks of play, against less than impressive opposition, the Yellow Jackets have proven two things: their defense isn't there yet, and their offense is suspect minus Jonathan Dwyer and Demaryius Thomas. Nesbitt was being pushed into the Heisman limelight by Georgia Tech, but has fallen flat so far.

The ultimate low, so far, a road loss to a struggling Kansas Jayhawk squad that, one week prior, loss to North Dakota State.

vs. Kansas: 5-of-15, for 116 yards, and 1 touchdown

Ryan Williams, RB—Virginia Tech

Williams was a bit of a longshot to begin with, but he was definitely on the radar. However, after Virginia Tech's embarrassing loss to James Madison on Saturday, it would be tough to imagine anyone from this Hokies team getting a nod for anything at all.

vs. James Madison: 20 carries, 91 yards, and 0 touchdowns

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College Football Odds Week 2: 10 Picks To Click for Saturday

Week one is in the books and what an exciting week it was in college football. Florida looked pedestrian, Boise added another BCS feather to their collective hats, and Michigan gave the fans in Ann Arbor something to cheer about.

Now, as we move on to week 2, what teams should you be looking to place your bets for/against? The slate is heavy, as always, starting with the Thursday night match-up between Auburn and Mississippi State—what to do, what to do?

A running tally will be kept of the picks made by this site from week-to-week—just for credibility sake—so take the following for what its worth. As of week one, my record stands at 3-2 against the spread (ATS).

That's not bad, but here's to a better week than the last.

1. Auburn at Mississippi State: Auburn (-3)

The Bulldogs looked stout against Memphis last week, holding them to 41-yards on the ground. However, the Memphis Tigers lost their two leading rushers at the end of 2009 and didn't have the experience up front to fend off the Bulldogs defense—Auburn won't have that problem.

The Lady's Pick: Auburn

2.  Georgia Tech at Kansas: Georgia Tech (-14)

Kansas needs a quarterback and the Jayhawks defense is in transition after losing some of their best players on both sides of the ball. Expect Georgia Tech to take advantage of a suspect run defense and the total lack of playmakers in the secondary.

The Lady's Pick: Georgia Tech 

3. LSU at Vanderbilt: LSU (-11)


LSU wasn't impressive in their win against UNC last week and Vandy nearly eeked out a win over a vastly underrated Northwestern. Larry Smith looks like he might be motivated to keep his job this season and keeping it close with LSU would help him in that cause.

The Lady's Pick: Vanderbilt 

4. Colorado at California: California (-3)


Colorado looked great against Colorado State, but the Rams shouldn't be taken nearly as seriously in 2010 as they were in 2009—they have holes everywhere. Cal may have question marks as well, but it's a joke if anyone thinks Colorado is capable of keeping up with the Bears.

The Lady's Pick: California

5. Michigan at Notre Dame: Notre Dame (-3.5)

It's nice that the Notre Dame train of delusion just keeps chugging along. As much as Brian Kelly's offense should be respected and, as briliant as Dayne Crist may turn out to be, Michigan has the better athletes entering this game. They are quicker, faster, and more experienced—not to mention, the Irish players are banged up after their game last week.

The Lady's Pick: Michigan

6. Wyoming at Texas: Texas (-29.5)

The Cowboys don't look like a team that can keep up with the Longhorns, but even with all of the great players from last season on the field in 2009—the Cowboys managed to avoid being completely obliterated. They did lose by 31 points, but Texas was favored by -33.5.
I say they avoid annihilation.

The Lady's Pick: Wyoming

7. Syracuse at Washington: Washington (-13.5)

Jake Locker is "supposedly" a Heisman candidate—despite what his performance against BYU told us. That said, expect him to be much more comfortable playing at home, in front of the Seattle crowd, while Syracuse attempts to get over their jet lag.

The Lady's Pick: Washington


8. Penn State at Alabama: Alabama (-11.5)

This will be a huge game for  both teams, Penn State is looking for a little validation under the leadership of their new quarterback, and Alabama is trying to repeat as national champions. This game, obviously, should be all Bama, but Penn State might give them a bigger challenge than most are giving them credit for right now.

The Lady's Pick: Penn State

9. Troy at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State (-13.5)

The Cowboys may have some issues in conference play, but Troy shouldn't pose much of a problem—especially now that Levi Brown has moved on.

The Lady's Pick: Oklahoma State

10. Georgia at South Carolina: South Carolina (-3.5)

Lost in all the hoopla surrounding the Carolina win over SMU was the fact that the Gamecocks' offensive line wasn't nearly as dominant as it should have been and the secondary gave up better than 300-yards passing. There are still questions on defense at South Carolina and that may leave the door slightly ajar for the Bulldogs.

The Lady's Pick: Georgia

Washaun Ealey Named to Maxwell Award Watch List for 2010

Washaun Ealey is getting a little bit of recognition. He has been placed on the watch list for the 2010 Maxwell Award. He is one of two Georgia Bulldog players named to the list for this coming season—A.J. Green is the other.

The Maxwell Award has been given yearly, since 1937, to the most outstanding collegiate football player in America. It is a highly distinguished award and it has only been won by a Georgia Bulldog player once—Herschel Walker in 1982.

Many feel that Washaun Ealey could break out this season after finishing 2009 strong. The true sophomore tallied 525-yards and 3 touchdowns in his final five games of the season—including a 183-yard effort against Georgia Tech.

Ealey didn't play in the first four games of the season, making his first appearance of the year against LSU in week five. After a slow start, he started to find his groove, and made a strong case for coming into 2010 with a fighting chance at going above a 1,000 yards rushing.

Also on the list is A.J. Green. Green is a junior and this is expected, by some, to possibly be his last season at Georgia. It is felt that the air game may be a little less focused upon at the start, considering the Bulldogs will be leaning on the arm of redshirt freshman, Aaron Murray, but rest assured Green will get his looks.

The wide receiver out of South Carolina has been a standout receiver since he arrived on campus in 2008—hauling in 56 catches for 963 yards (17.2 ypc). His numbers suffered a bit last year due to a lingering injury, but he still managed 808 yards and 6 touchdowns despite missing three games and a significant portion of another (vs. Auburn).

Both players will play an important role in Georgia's offense this year as Green will be the veteran presence in the receiving corps and Ealey will be one of the primary ball carriers. It's quite an honor for both players and further proof that the talent pool at Georgia is alive and well.

Colt McCoy won the award in 2009 and Tim Tebow won it in both 2007 and 2008.

Hey AJC, Thanks For Sharing That Useless Georgia Tech Info...

I can read an article by Chip Towers, Tim Tucker,  or Bill King of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, most times, and feel fairly confident that their Bulldog reporting won' be mean-spirited or ill-intended.

However, for every great post by one of those well-respected gentleman, there is a not-so-great one offered up by Mark Bradley or Jeff Schultz of that same publication—both, at times, seem to have a jones for sticking it to Mark Richt and the football program.

That said, I try to stay away from both Schultz and Bradley (most of the time) and attempt to maintain some level of objectivity when reading the works of others who write for their site. After all, the AJC is still the first source of news for those of us who live in the State of Georgia—like it or not.

However, when I stumble across items like this one, offered by Doug Roberson (Georgia Tech Beat Writer), I have to wonder why on earth I even bother:

Georgia Tech is not being investigated by the NCAA.

With many other schools in the ACC and SEC, including Georgia, receivingrecent taps on the shoulder from college sports’ governing body, Tech was all clear Wednesday night.

On Wednesday, Georgia became the latest school to be notified that the NCAA wants to take a look around. The Bulldogs join North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida for alleged improper relationships between players and agents.

What you just read above is the entire text of Roberson's article. Fittingly, it was followed by a link to Tim Tucker's article regarding the NCAA's 'inquiry' at Georgia.

Now, here's my problem, why was it necessary to write an article on Georgia Tech that, essentially, looked like a backhanded stab at Georgia?

Admittedly, Georgia Tech's conference colleague, the University of North Carolina, appears to be at the very apex of "agentgate", but did Roberson mention that—no. As a matter of fact, he tossed North Carolina in there as if they were no more guilty than Alabama, Florida, or South Carolina.

I guess I'm just too sensitive where the Georgia Bulldogs are concerned but, let me make this clear, I am not a credentialed journalist and I do not get paid for the content I provide in this blog. I consider myself blessed and lucky for every read I garner, but, make no mistake I am an avid supporter of both Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs—period.

So when I do see a paid journalist doing things like this, it makes me shake my head.

Again, as Bernie has often said, just more AllJackCrap—indeed. 

Willie Martinez Is Gone But Georgia Is Still On His Mind

In a recent interview with the Chattanooga-Times Free Press writer, David Paschall, former Georgia Bulldogs' defensive coordinator, Willie Martinez, talks a little bit about his time at Georgia. Martinez is now the defensive backs coach at Oklahoma but still has two daughters attending the University of Georgia and plans to make trips to Athens to visit them when he can—maybe.

Here are just a few highlights from the article which can be read in full here.


On his dismissal:

"I really don't want to get too much into that, but we've talked. Obviously he felt like he had to do something, but I don't really want to revisit that. We've talked. I'm at Oklahoma, and I'm excited to be here and am ready to move on from that chapter of my life."

On his feelings about Athens and UGA now:

"That was the longest place I had ever been," Martinez said last week. "My son is 14, so he's lived a majority of his life there. There are some great memories that we will have forever and some great friends that we will have forever...both of our girls are still at Georgia, so we'll obviously be visiting them and their friends quite often, I guess."

On the 45-42 loss to Georgia Tech in 2008:

"...losing to Georgia Tech was the worst," Martinez said. "The way we played in the first half, which was solid, and then to come out in the second half -- that's our No. 1 rival at Georgia, and we had won every year. We wanted to keep it going, and I'm glad we were able to get them back last year."

Hines Ward Encourages Top In-State Prospects To Go To Georgia

You gotta love this:



Hines Ward always supports his alma mater's efforts.

A little more video on the former Dawg—1997—at Georgia Tech:



Making Pro Bowl safeties look silly in the NFL:



And, finally, leaping over another former Georgia Bulldog:

The Lady's Friday Morning Breakfast Links—Get Em' While They're Hot!

Chris Low of ESPN, says that Aaron Murray, not A.J. Green, is Georgia's most irreplaceable player. I have to say, he makes a good point. Georgia lost A.J. for two games last season but was no worse for the wear. If Murray goes down this season, it could spell trouble for Georgia.

As expected, Braxton Miller has shunned all of his other offers in favor of playing for his home state. Miller, a quarterback prospect out of Ohio will spend his playing days as a Buckeye. 

The latest rumor mill has the Pac-10 going to a Pac-16 by including six additional teams—all from the Big 12. Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State are among the schools that would, alledgedly be asked to join.

David Hale of Bulldogs Blog wonders if size will really be a factor for QB Murray. Most are saying that his diminutive stature will prove to be his undoing but, honestly, there have been QB's with less height than Murray—Drew Brees, D.J. Shockley, Pat White, Charlie Ward, and Chase Daniel—all managed to lead their teams to victory.

The results of the NCAA's investigation into shady dealings with USC's football and basketball program STILL have not been released—jeez, what's the holdup guys—Congress doesn't take this long.

Thanks to Nick Saban, indirectly of course, the Georgia State Panthers have secured the services of Star Jackson. Even more, Bill Curry may have a couple of offensive lineman to help protect his blindside—he'll have the Georgia Tech program to thank for that good fortune.

UCLA coaching legend, John Wooden, may not walk among us much longer. Pete Carroll has reportedly said the coaching great is nearing his final moments.

The Huffington Post discusses the mind-blowing gap in the media coverage of male-dominated versus female-dominated sporting events. 

ESPN has released it's television lineup for the upcoming college football season.

Georgia RB Duo Will Try To Eclipse 2009 Success

At the start of 2009, Richard Samuel was thought to be the guy who was most capable of running the ball. However, it was apparent after just a few games that he was not the guy that Georgia needed—enter Washaun Ealey—and the dynamic of the running game appeared to change for the better.

His ability to be mix both power and speed proved to be a nice compliment to Caleb King’s overall skills and the Georgia run game finally seemed to find some ground as the season progressed.

The tandem of Washaun Ealey and Caleb King proved was every bit as effective as hoped and the pinnacle of their ability to work successfully together came in the Dawgs season-ending triumph over Georgia Tech where the two combined for 349 yards rushing. Ealey and King pushed each other to do well and they finished the year with a combined 1,311 yards on 239 carries (an average of 5.4 yards per carry).

If Georgia can duplicate that production in 2010, there will be little need for Aaron Murray to play hero and Georgia could be well on their way to reigniting the smash mouth brand of football that fans are accustomed to seeing in the SEC.

That said, smart money will be on opposing defenses loading the box with eight-man sets to stem the rushing attack. After all, with a freshman quarterback standing under center, a defense is better served to focus its energy on rattling him than succumbing to the long grind of a running game where eating clock and time of possession play a significant role.

Can King and Ealey overcome the increased attention their jersey numbers will receive or will they wilt under the pressure of expectation?

The chance of success, at least for 2010, seems good if the offensive line can remain consistently effective. There were times last season where it was frustratingly out of sync and completely ineffective.

In the game against Arizona State last year, fans watched flabbergasted as the line  failed to block effectively in short-yardage situations. Even more perplexing was the way in which they were at times completely dominated at the point of attack—leading to many a jail break situation on former quarterback Joe Cox.

The line will need to play with more toughness and fire than they did in spots last season or the chance of Georgia being anything close to effective in the SEC will be significantly decreased.

Georgia has plenty of offensive talent present and with the emergence of both Orson Charles and Rantavious Wooten as quality receivers, the passing game has nowhere to go but up if Aaron Murray executes as expected. That being said, if they cannot  establish the run, it will be much ado about nothing.

In the end, King and Ealey are both talented enough to keep defenses honest and mixing in the specialized talents of both Carlton Thomas and Dontavious Jackson should keep the ground game diverse.

So, honestly, it just comes down to whether or not both Caleb King and Washaun Ealey are up to the challenge of becoming a bigger focus than they were in the early-going last year.

If they can rise to the challenge, stay healthy, and continue to run as well as they did during the spring when pushed by each other, they should flourish. If that does happen, then the offense should perform well in 2010.