Nothing would be sweeter than

[law_bee]

if Donnan goes to Kentucky (rumour says it will announced very soon) and then knocks off ugag.

I know some will laff but I am calling it now that it MAY happen NEXT year.

 

[Adam Ridings gt fan]

Well if he goes to Kentucky i think he could change them around because they were taunting yesterday in thier game because they thought they had it won but the next thing you know they allow a touchdown and lose.

Go Jackets!!!

 

[bellyseries]

Donnan will do great at Kentucky if he goes. It will be much more like Marshall, with fans who are happy to have a successful program instead of these pups who think they're Oklahoma. He was a great recruiter at Georgia. Didn't he have 4 of Ga QBs and one Marshall QB starting at Auburn, Oklahoma, UGA, Cowboys, and Vikings one weekend last Fall?
He has no personality, but the wildcat fans won't care.

 

[FHstinger]

What a scenario!

 

[Dore-Dawg]

Originally posted by law_bee:
if Donnan goes to Kentucky (rumour says it will announced very soon) and then knocks off ugag.

I know some will laff but I am calling it now that it MAY happen NEXT year.

<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">that was definitely good for a "laff" but that's about it. I like Donnan as a coach but the Mildcats are going to have a tough time winning for the next couple of years with probation and losing their best defensive player and running back.

unlike Bama, they do not have a lot of quality in-state recruits who will play there no matter what. imo, they are already shallow in their depth charts and losing scholarships will exacerbate that problem.

don't forget you also called at the beginning of this season that AJ is the best QB in the ACC and i laffed then too. BTW, i can't believe you and UK fan picked Clem to cover after i handed TT to cover as my one "lock" bowl game other than UGA. that must be that east coast bias i keep hearing about.

it must be dark days for you guys when "nothing would be sweeter" than UK taking us down.

 

[TIARB]

"They are getting better every year"

Ummm - it's only been two years!

Were you a big Tech fan between, say 1996 and 1997 per chance?

If so, you may remember a former UGA coach named Jim Donnan.

You know, he was the "flagship university's" second choice, once they had hired superstar Gelnn Mason from the powerhouse of football that is the university of Kansas, who then decided not to come to lovely Athens, Ga. after he actually visited the place (now that is hilarious!)? The one who "had won championships" and "was an offensive genius"?

If so, you may recall that UGA went 6-5 in 1996, only to follow up with their best season in over a decade, at 10-2. (editor's note: At this point they had gotten better each year!). Donnan was courted by his homestate's flagship University, offered in excess of $1 Million dollars (which at the time only 2 other coaches in college made). He remained loyal to UGA, got a nice fat raise and contract extension.

Suffice it to say that in 3 years he was fired, and the contract extension merely forced the financial wizards in Athens to pay 3 coaches at the same time.

So what, dear reader, is the point of my rambling?

It is merely this - I am not diviner, no seer of the future. Heck, UGA may win 20 national championships, and Mark Richt may be recognized as the greatest head coach in the history of college football. All of these things are possible.

But history (recent history) has also shown another, perhaps more likely outcome.

UGA had a great year this year, no question about it. As much as anything, I think you could argue that a down Tennessee, and even a down UF program (in spite of UGA's loss to the Gators) hold the keys to Richt's long term succes at UGA.

Personally, I don't think Tennessee returns to their mid 90's prominence, and certainly Fla is weaker without Spurrier (although a year of adjustment is necessary to truly judge Zook et. al.) So the pendulum may be swinging UGA's way.

But Richt is still the same coach he was last year - good, bad, or indifferent. He still takes risks that will cost you if you lose the gamble (ala the Boston College and Auburn games last year). His team blocked for him, tackled, and caught the ball this year. That's why they won the games.

Me, I'm not worried about any "dominance" emitting from Athens. I'm focused solely on GT and Coach Gailey.

And my opinion of the contract extension? It just means that UGA will have to expand Sanford Stadium again, as they will need the extra funds to pay for Richt's ever-increasing buyout down the road.

 

[gnats67]

Originally posted by Dore-Dawg:
it must be dark days for you guys when "nothing would be sweeter" than UK taking us down.

<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">

I don't see how they can possibly dominate. There's too much parity as there is and it's probably going to get worse, uh, better. They should've at least made mention that Richt's new overhaul was due largely in part to his staff and a senior laden team recruited by JD. Richt's no messiah. He's just as lucky as the dawg's season was to have gotten all these laurels bestowed upon him. Especially with the unrest in nole country.

Donnan could be the best coach ever at UK. Provided he get's the job.

 

[bugboy]

I think MR is a very good coach. He's done well at picking assistants. He's seemingly a good recruiter. His PR skills are much better than Donnan. He seems to be more of a disciplinarian than Donnan and the players respect him. The one glaring weakness I've seen with him is that his play-calling often keeps other teams in the game. I don't think he's comfortable yet in the dual role of a play caller and a head coach. Until I see more consistency in his offense, I'm not going to declare him as the Second Coming.

If I were Vince Dooley, I'd do whatever it takes to keep Brian Vangorder, their DC. That guy is the main reason they went 12-1 this year. I really think he's the best game day coach on that staff. That's not a slap at Richt, but just an acknowledgement that their defense is the main reason they are SEC champions. UGA has played 25 games with Brian Vangorder as their defensive coordinator. The most anyone has scored on him during that time is 29 points (Kentucky, last year).

IMO, if Vangorder stays around, UGA will be very difficult for anyone to beat. Not impossible. But we'll have to work hard for our victories over Georgia if we're facing Vangorder defenses every year.

 

[Dore-Dawg]

last year was not perfect for Richt by any means but i disagree with the analysis that is was "way under expectations". w/ carter leaving and an untested qb starting, i don't think UGA was even pre-season top 25.

i'd say last season was more like on par with expectations b/c expectations were through the roof in Donnan's last year and they didn't live up to them. people expected a little downturn last year and instead got what they'd been getting out of Donnan's hyped-up teams.

i can't dispute that UGA got a lot of lucky breaks but they seemed to be playing better towards the end of the year and that usually means the players are being well-coached, especially by the defensive coordinator.

paying Richt was a smart move b/c FSU may be looking for a new ball coach pretty soon and the new contract will make it difficult for him to leave.

 

[JacketFanPCB]

I simply see a BIG marked improvement for UGA under Richt. He's a class act and he's got them playing with heart and fire. They will always outrecruit us and get a stable of great players. When you can coach those players up, you've got a serious recipe for success and IMHO, they've got it. I know alot of you guys like to point to Jim Donnan and recent UGAG history, but this is a new era of UGAG football with a new coaching staff and a new attitude. They are hear to stay. You'll see soon enough.

I DO agree that one of the oft-neglected secrets to their success is the work of their DC. That guy is an excellent gameday DC. Maybe the best in their conference. They adjust and stop you at what you do well. Very few coaches can get their D's to do that. I hope he bolts from Athens ASAP.

Of course this is to take nothing away from Coach Gailey and company at GT. I think our best days are ahead of us. I just worry about losing several in a row to the pups. We'll see.

Sorry to be such a nervous nelly about playing UGAG AND AU in one season. After the UGA debacle Nov. 30th, you understand my concerns. I still have faith in our coaches and our players!

 

[JacketFanPCB]

I hate to say it, but I think now that Richt has signed a long-term deal, we could be looking at long term dominance for the doggies. I REALLY hope and pray it doesn't continue against our beloved Jackets, but they're strong and getting stronger. I know they won some questionable games this year and got MORE than their share of luck, but they are a program on the rise. I'd say consistently top 10 if not better.

Here's hoping our coaching staff can gel and coach up our players, because that's the only way we're gonna beat them.

 

[CrackerJacket]

Originally posted by JacketFanPCB:
I hate to say it, but I think now that Richt has signed a long-term deal, we could be looking at long term dominance for the doggies. I REALLY hope and pray it doesn't continue against our beloved Jackets, but they're strong and getting stronger. I know they won some questionable games this year and got MORE than their share of luck, but they are a program on the rise. I'd say consistently top 10 if not better.

Here's hoping our coaching staff can gel and coach up our players, because that's the only way we're gonna beat them.

<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Everyone is forgetting how UGA squeaked past Clemson,
USC, Alabama, and Auburn. They should have rightly
lost three of those. But they didn't, so grats to them.

I think its a little early for UGA to pay Richt that
kind of money and its a little early for us to worry
about future seasons.

It was only a year ago that Richt was making bonehead
calls in the Auburn game and Music City Bowl.

He's a decent coach, but don't put a crown on his
head or panic yet.

 

[bellyseries]

Richt's first year was typical UGAG: way under expectations. This year was a good year, but the doggies didn't dominate, except for us and a patsy or two. We'll see after a few years if he is worth all the hoopla, money, and panic from us Techies. I'm not worried yet; they're supposed to have been the best team in the country for 30 of the past 35 yrs. They made it once.

 

[JacketFanPCB]

Thanks for the reality check, but I'm STILL worried about the pups from the cesspool. Richt learned from the mistakes of a year ago and his team learned how to get it done when the going got tough. They won repeatedly won games they should have lost. That's what winners do.

They are getting better every year. That worries me.