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Positional Notes

Washington is out until UF at the earliest. That’s tough, he was starting to play really well. In his absence, Ellerbe will slide back to MLB with Dewberry returning to his starting spot at WLB. Miller will continue to man the SLB. Richt has stated that Miller has been playing tremendously in recent weeks…basically since he got demoted against WCU.

Johnson appears set to start this week at safety, but he’s gotten knocked out of the last two games, so I’d expect to see a good bit of Jones and maybe even Banks in there this week. Speaking of Banks, he made some very nice open-field tackles on Saturday and certainly looked the part.

Massaquoi continues to make the tough catches. At what point does he get credit for having good hands after struggling last year for a spell? He’s made at least 3 catches this season that were incredible.

Yes, I know Chandler had a drop on Saturday (that first one he got mugged on, so it doesn’t count), and it was a big one, but he made two nice grabs after he settled down. You could see him really concentrating on the ball on those last tow catches and I think you’ll probably see more focus from him. He’s an ideal TE if he can stay focused.

Haverkamp’s absence with an ankle injury might turn out to be a good thing, as Boling continues to impress. When Haverkamp does return, that’ll just be more depth we can rotate in.

Jeff Owens apparently turned his ankle earlier this week but is expected to be ready to go. That’s huge for us, as he’s been a rock inside. He, Weston and Atkins have all played extremely well and Garner said Irvin is playing really well right now also, so we’re looking at a stout DT rotation.

Random Thoughts

I don’t care if you like rap music or not, you had to enjoy watching the exuberance you saw on the UGA sideline when the PA system played the beat (no lyrics, just the beat) to Crank Dat by Souljaboy. Moreno and Brown started out slow just bobbing their heads but by the time the video board put them on, they were full on dancing. They were having fun and it made you remember these guys are still kids. Just a great moment and it really seemed to get the team going.

Speaking or Moreno, I was watching during pregame warm-ups and the thought occurred to me that I don’t know if I want Moreno stretching anyone of any importance. That guy is SO excitable I can just see him popping the hamstring of one of our guys just from getting a little amped up. The kid is pure energy. I guess that’s why they called him a walking Red Bull.

Look, I like baseball, I really do, probably moreso than your average college football fan, but I’m SO ready for the baseball season to be over with so ESPN (and other networks) will stop breaking in to good football games for highlights of baseball. Baseball is played at a different pace than football and it’s REALLY tough to switch gears back down to watch baseball after being set on football.

I know Tubberville was pretty fired up after the game, but I found at least one of his comments pretty interesting. Maybe it was the post-game jubilation talking, but when asked about the 3 TD spread he said that Auburn hadn’t been beaten that badly in “years”…I guess he meant on the road…because I could’ve sworn we beat them 37-15 last year…for you non-math majors, that’s a more than 3 TD win.

I wonder how Mike Patrick is handling the fact that Britney lost custody of her children.

I’ve still yet to see anyone using the synched camera angles to determine a review. It seems so logical yet no one will use it. The FL-AU game was a perfect example. From one angle you can clearly see where the ball is when the knee touches but you can’t really tell the position of the ball relative to the goal. From another camera angle you can see the ball in relation to the goal but you can’t see the guy’s knee. At some point, some producer is going to revolutionize instant reply by doing a split screen of these….one would think anyway.

The best separated at birth I got from a reader this week was David Cutcliffe and that announcer guy from the WWE. I mean they were identical, but I lost the images and I’m not a wrestling guy so I can’t remember the guy’s name. You’ll have to trust me.

I thought Auburn was going to play well. I didn’t think they’d win. LSU will take what AU did to another level this week I’m afraid.

Alright, I know I ramble a good bit about the pregame stuff, and judging by the late arriving crowd many of you might not have any idea what I’m talking about, but I feel the need to say something about our pregame music selections. Look, there’s a time and place for Journey. I’m almost positive that time and place isn’t 2007 in Sanford Stadium. It just isn’t right. Look, I’m not saying play current music at all, most of that stuff isn’t that good either, and for the most part, the pregame music is pretty safe…anything by the Rolling Stones, Black Betty, Mississippi Queen, that kinda stuff, just stay away from hair metal. It kinda solidifies our opponents’ comments that we’re stuck in the glory days of the early 80s. Steve Perry has no place in Sanford Stadium.

Have a safe weekend,
Jody