The Word

Still in relative disbelief of what I witnessed over the course of this weekend. And a one-hour completely sober journey for two hot dogs through 1:45 a.m. downtown Athens is only a small part of it. (Street hot dogs so were not as good as I expected) Only in Athens can standing in line for food put your life at risk. The more time I spend in that town on game weekends, the more I think 100,000 people drinking until losing all decision-making and physical ability is actually a bad idea.

Anyway, what really cause disbelief was the carnage in the Top 10. USC, Florida, Wisconsin and, of course, UGA. We were waiting for a weekend like this all season to feel like the 2008 season has truly gotten underway. And now it already feels like 2007. Suddenly, everyone predicting multiple undefeateds six days ago are now talking about another two-loss champion. Here is some aftermath from the past few days and a big of looking forward on this bye week.

The word:

David Friedlander at The Gwinnett Daily Post writes a story about Rennie Curran’s refusal to quit. Anytime there is a story about this guy, expect to see it here. There is none better on and off the field on this team. For many of the reasons Friedlander talks about.

Tony Barnhardt talks about Georgia’s tough road to recovery and peaks at the rest of the SEC.

More on the Bulldogs recovery and fans believing the earth will cease spinning on its axis.

Roger Clarkson at the Banner-Herald calls the Blackout a letdown.

No. 1 fan of the blog and Andy Reid’s playcalling, David Hale of the Macon Telegraph grades the Bulldogs loss to Alabama.  

Penalties, penalties, penalties. Here’s a story. Here’s another. And…how about another. Take your pick.

Yao Ming at the Olympics in a beer chugging contest with Canadian athlete Geoff Kabush. Once again proof, Canada gets a bad rep.

What a day. No. 15 Auburn edged Tennessee, 14-12, and Albany State — the 20th-ranked team in NCAA Division II — was stunned by Benedict, 13-10.

First things first when it comes to local sports — coach Mike White’s Rams. They simply made too many mistakes. Benedict was ranked among the upper echelon of SIAC teams already when it came to rushing, and two key Rams fumbles and more than 100 yards of ASU penalties (150, to be exact) certainly did not help their cause. This is a game the Rams should have won. An early second-quarter ASU drive that advanced as far as Benedict’s 10-yard line was nixed by a unsportsmanlike penalty and then a turnover. In hindsight, that was the game considering the Rams lost by only three points. The Rams felt earlier this week they could score, and even White told me he didn’t see Benedict stopping Albany State’s offense. I dunno. I guess that’s why they play the game.
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As coach Mark Richt said: “We got whipped. We got beat. I have no excuses, so don’t expect any.”

Possibly the most surprising element of the postgame locker room was a relatively upbeat, optimistic team. Not surprisingly everyone wanted to talk about the second half surge rather than the first half meltdown.

Most every Bulldogs player talked about “self-inflicted wounds.” Yes, penalties were an issue — again, as they have been all season. UGA has a huge lead on everybody in that category this year. Only in one game have they not committed double-digit infractions — that game they had nine.

But this was not as much self-inflicted as it was injected. Alabama had all day to pass against a team with no visible rush and dominated an infantile UGA offensive line from every angle.

Here are a load of postgame quotes after the jump:

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Yeah, I’m shocked, too. I just got off my cell phone with Rams sports information director Edythe Bradley. I will talk to Albany State coach Mike White on his cell phone after the game is over. I’ll try to let you know what’s going on as soon as I hear something.

End the countdowns.  It is finally here. Made the walk across town on the way to the stadium and can assure you no rules are still in place in Athens.

I saw a man stop traffic to light a cigarette.

A guy and girl were sitting on a bench surrounded by a pile of their own vomit.

A man was laying on the sidewalk bleeding profusely from his left foot.

Multiple girls were sitting in the gutter, head in hands, in tears.

And that was at 6 p.m. I don’t dare to see what happens when the game is over.

Both teams just took the field. No new news to report from either side. A lot of Alabama fans lining the upper deck and appear to have organized a white out to offset the black. A regular Ansel Adams look tonight.

Also, Knowshon Moreno has gone with a mohawk look. Spectacular. I really hope Matt Stafford follows suit against Vandy.

Enjoy the game. See you at halftime with updates, stats and breakdown.

The Vols’ Montario Hardesty went around left end for the touchdown. Tennessee went for the two-point conversion, hoping to tie the game but quarterback Jonathan Crompton’s pass to Gerald Jones fell short when Auburn’s Walter McFadden and Jerraud Powers stopped him short

Wow, just when you think maybe this game would be the one Auburn’s spread offense would click, the 15th-ranked Tigers only have 189 yards total offense through three quarters. Auburn’s second touchdown was even scored on defense. Neither Chris Todd or Kodi Burns can find any consistency under center, and Todd — near the end of the third quarter — threw an interception, and the Vols now have it 3rd-and-goal from the Tigers’ 2 as we are just about ready to begin the fourth quarter.

This should be interesting, considering I really thought Auburn would be blowing out Tennessee by now.

For what little time Kodi Burns was in at QB, replacing starter Chris Todd, he already is second on the team in rushing today with 21 yards (Ben Tate has 35). That’s not saying much, however, and Auburn has 63 rushing yards and 88 passing. Todd has thrown for 18, Burns 16.

Here are some other tidbits from the first half:

DUNN DEAL: Robert Dunn, who was in Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville’s proverbial doghouse before the season began, is clearly out of it by now, catching a touchdown pass during the first half. He also caught one against LSU last week. Dunn has four catches for 47 yards, but has yet to return a punt. Watch out for him in the second half.

MAKE IT A DEUCE: Auburn defensive lineman Sen’Derrick Marks has batted two passes down. That, along with a fumble recovery in the end zone by teammate Jake Ricks, makes it a somewhat pleasant first half for Auburn.

Well folks, the second half is under way and Burns is under center.

back with more later!

Auburn backup QB Kodi Burns just entered the game with less than 6 minnutes left in the first half and not only ran for 14 yards on his first carry but then eluded a couple tacklers a short time later and completed a 9-yard pass to Robert Dunn. The Tigers had a chance to kick a 35-yard field goal as a result of the drive, but it was missed. Auburn still leads 14-6.

Well, 15th-ranked Auburn’s running game is continuing to struggle and if that doesn’t improve, Tennessee’s defense will key in more on the Tigers’ passing game. For now at least, the passing game has been the source of the Tigers’ only points — an 18-yard pass from Chris Todd to Robert Dunn. Tennessee has responded with two field goals by Daniel Lincoln. With 7:12 left in the first half, Tennessee has the ball at its own 5 and just now fumbled on a handoff and Auburn’s Jake Ricks recovered it in the end zone. The Tigers also scored on an interception return against No. 5 LSU last week.