Final Feelings: The Ultimate Athens Weekend

ATHENS - The Dawg Post crew tells you what to look for this Friday night and Saturday, and their final takes, views and predictions for this weekend.

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Dylan’s Final Feelings

It was a pretty fun week of practice really only because of the one-on-one pass rushing, which was awesome to watch. It’s like a gladiator battle in many ways, and if I’m able to compare anything in practice to gladiators then you know it’s a good time. Honestly though, other than that, it was pretty uneventful. I mean, it’s Vanderbilt. What do you expect? Well, I guess we probably said that a couple of years ago. But this is different. Like wayyyy different. Georgia isn’t taking any prisoners this week. Dawgs are going to win and cover, 42-7.

As for the rest of college football: 

I think LSU takes care of Florida. It’ll be scary for a little bit, but the Gator’s offense won’t be able to consistently put up yards against that defense. Give me LSU and the -2.5 over the Gators.

The Irish look like a completely different team since benching Brandon Wimbush for Ian Book. Even at Virginia Tech, they’ll win and cover the -7. 

Kentucky is a top-15 team, and it isn’t basketball season (!!!). That whole fanbase is probably going crazy that their football team is actually keeping them entertained before tip-off, but that train’s gonna stop this weekend in College Station, unfortunately. That is a really, really tough place to play, and the Aggies are better than their 3-2 record. They’ll win and by a pretty good margin, at least more than the -6. The Cats need to be put in place, anyways.  

Alright, I’m going to hate myself for this one, but give me the Horns this weekend. Their receivers are going to torch that OU defense. The Sooners are going to put up their points, but the real UT will be able to slow them down at least a little bit, enough to pull ahead slightly. 

As for tonight, I’m not going to any high school games. I’ll be heading to STEGMANIA, which sounds more like a WWE match rather than a basketball event. I’m really not sure what I’m expecting from it, but this season will be a vast improvement, with everything. The energy around the whole team will be on a new level. The Tom Crean train is about to start.

Lastly, I need somewhere to write this because it was so funny, yet so infuriating to watch. So one of my roommate’s girlfriends (I hope she doesn’t read this, but at the same time I hope she does) is currently in a rental car because her other one got totaled (Apparently it wasn’t her fault, I don’t buy it). Well, she backed up into a brick wall behind our house yesterday. It was already broken a little bit, but she made it even worse. I looked out my window to see what the noise was. There she is, examining the damage of the wall and the rental car. She concludes everything is alright, even though it isn’t. She gets back in the car and is ready to go on her way to return the rental car. Though, in the great words of Billy Mays: “But wait, there’s more!” She had dropped her phone under her car. Watching from my window, I see her reverse over it, then drive over it again. 

I haven’t seen her since, but according to my roommate, the car was alright (I don’t buy it). The wall though is not. And I can only assume the same thing about the phone. 

Matt’s Final Feelings

Solid week at the DeBary house this week. One of my good friends turned 30 on Tuesday so we went out and had some beverages that night. I’ve tried to put the beers down lately to focus on the whole “working out” thing, but turning 30 is a big one so we had ourselves a good time.

So as soon as we got into it, 2019 defensive back target Lewis Cine gives me a call. He’s making a decision on October 10th so I made sure to step away and talk to him a bit. Cine is a really good kid and has been very easy to cover. He just likes to call around 10 pm when he does. 

Anyway, after speaking with him, I still feel good about Georgia’s chances. He likes the “realness” of the coaching staff and likes how he can make plays early in their system.

So after that, I go back to my buddies who just orders shots, and continue having a good time. A couple hours later, I see that five-star Jadon Haselwood decided to decommit. 

Really? Of course he waits until about 11:30 to get the news out. That’s recruiting though. 2018 defensive lineman Tramel Walthour decided to commit right before 1 AM a while back. Weird, but it happens.

Losing Haselwood is a big blow. It’s not the end of the world, but Haselwood is a damn good football player. He’s the best WR prospect from Georgia that I’ve covered since I started doing this. Dominick Blaylock is very good as well, but he’s not on Haselwoood’s level this second.

So that was my Tuesday. 

On Thursday night, my Atlanta Braves won a HUGE game 1 against the Dodgers. It’s been a hell of a ride so far and I’m drinking the kool-aid. It should be another great day of baseball today as the Braves try to win game 2, and the Red Sox take on the Yankees. A must-watch game for every baseball fan. 

The Falcons are 1-3. Whatever. Too many early injuries on defense. The season is over and they need to go get the best OT in the draft. Matt Ryan is still a good quarterback. The guy won the MVP two years ago. You can’t tell me he’s done. Go get an elite OT, keep improving the defensive line, and get yourself another reliable DB as well. The offense is clicking and with a healthy Neal, Jones, Allen back next year, the defense and team in general could be very good next year. 2018 is a wash, but I still have faith in this team long-term.

As for the Dawgs, they should take care of Vanderbilt early. The atmosphere should be another good one, and I think you’ll see more Justin Fields this week as well. Vanderbilt won’t lay over, but I think Georgia pulls out a 41-17 win. 

As for visitors, there will be lots of young prospects in town to go along with most of the in-state 2019 commits. 2021 WR Julian Nixon will be in town, and he’s a special player to know about sooner than later. Lots of 2020 targets will be in town as well including DE Myles Murphy, CB Javier Morton, among others.

Going back to TV shows, I know everyone gave me some great recommendations last week. One day I’ll decide on one, but I didn’t think week. Part of me wants to finish The Wire once and for all before I get into anything else, but I still have a long way to go there. Good news though, Hell’s Kitchen is back on. Probably my favorite reality show outside of the award-winning Jersey Shore.

Gordon Ramsey is always great TV, and I’ve been watching Hell’s Kitchen for years. I can’t cook to save my life, but this is a fantastic show. Two contestants this season are rival chefs who worked together in some hot-shot restaurant in Midtown Atlanta. Also, one of the best contestants this season is a solid 10 and will likely be one of the last contestants remaining. Total babe. 

So yeah, Georgia will beat Vanderbilt 41-17. Then next week it’s on to Baton Rouge. I’m pretty pumped. See y’all next week.

Dean’s Final Feelings

This week. Ugh. These weeks in general. Football is not an easy time of the year at all. I’m not sure if I have recovered from Missouri yet - and we flew. We are driving to Baton Rouge (!!!!!) I am still behind on Big Brother, and some of the fall shows I watch are starting to come back on. 

I really need to know where they are going with Better Call Saul. I mean, I know where this thing is headed, but it is dragging along. More Mike. Fewer Germans. More Saul. Less Slippin’ Jimmy. 

Let’s get to the point - we are already at the season finale, and I feel like we have really gone slow here. I mean, is he really not going to get the ability to practice law back soon?

The Braves. These guys. They are doing what they do in the post-season. I know. I know. They are “ahead of schedule.” Is it that much to ask to score a run for me if I am staying up to watch until nearly midnight? I’m sitting here typing this thinking of everyone’s tears. I learned my lesson with the Braves years ago. 

Man, I must be in a bad mood or something. Because now I am turning my guns on this duo… I suffered through Jessie Palmer and Joey Galloway giving us their top five teams in college football. I know, but I was at a bar and could not hear them, so I decided not to scream in public. But know that I wanted to. 

Galloway gets up there, and with a straight face, puts Clemson in front of Georgia and Ohio State. 

Is this a comedy routine? 

Bro, come on. Turn on the TV and watch the teams play. If you think, after the 15 games those three teams have played that Clemson has shown enough to be put in front of both Ohio State and UGA… I really don’t know what to say or write. 

I don’t. 

I really don’t think these guys watch the games they talk about. I’ve seen Ohio State play three times. Georgia five. Clemson four. My job is to cover UGA and have a working understanding of the national scene. It is their job to intelligently talk about the national scene. All you have to do is watch all of the games - just put in on one of those YouTube deals where you can watch the entire game in 30 mins. Then you can escape all of this. 

The Buckeyes and Georgia are clearly better than Clemson right now. There is no excuse for putting the Tigers in front of UGA or Ohio State - not right now at least. If you want to make the case that LSU should be in front of Clemson I will listen to you. I’m not saying you are right, but I will listen to you. I won’t feel the urge to throw the remote at the TV. 

I’m not willing to scream at the TV if you make that argument. 

But if you are going to tell me that a hard cookie is better than a soft one; that the sky is actually purple and not blue; or that your wife has Elle Macpherson beat then I am going to wonder which controlled narcotic you are on. 

Stop it. 

You are not smarter than the rest of us - you are doing one of three things… A. You really believe Clemson is better than those two teams; B. You don’t bother watching the games and are just stubbornly sticking with Clemson because you started with them; C. Are trying to be the smartest guy in the room, or that guy who sees something the rest of us don’t. 

I’m done being the smartest guy in the room - at least for now - because it is usually the dumbest thing you can be. 

If you started with Clemson as your No. 2 team I got no issue with that. If you got them No. 2 or even No. 1 right now I got an issue… because you are not living in reality. 

With all of that said… 

Matt is closing in on wrestling with an alligator (no, I have not forgotten). I am not sure how much slower he will type if he loses one hand, but it won’t be much. One-finger typing… we have to work on professional development for Matt. One-finger typing ain’t gonna get it. 

Speaking of development… one lens and two of my cameras are in the shop - so annoying for multiple reasons; one of which is that it gets repairs on the other side of Atlanta. And I hate dealing with the other side of Atlanta. But we need those cameras right for this run of important games. 

“my Atlanta Braves won a HUGE game 1 against the Dodgers. It’s been a hell of a ride so far and I’m drinking the kool-aid.” - That’s not kool-aid you are drinking. It is a tall glass of water with nothing added. Why must you continue to do this to yourself?

These are the Braves. Please. I will not review my history with the Braves in five sentences or fewer for everyone (If I actually had talent I would do this in Haiku form).

Went to the games as a child because the tickets were cheap, and my dad liked watching baseball with his shirt off in the summer.

I cleaned up Atlanta-Fulton County stadium for three summers form 11 PM to 3 AM from 1992 to 1994. 

The Braves figured out the most painful ways of not winning the World Series from 1991 to 1999. 

The Braves moved from Atlanta to Cobb County in 2017, and I officially swore them off at that moment. Cobb County, after all, is not at all Atlanta. 

Cobb County is Cobb County - it is not Atlanta in any way. Please don’t talk with me about zip codes. There are parts of Tucker in Gwinnett County if you want to play the zip code game Also: DeKalb County > Cobb County. 

But I digress. I am supportive of the Braves, and their quest to figure out new and creative ways to make Matt suffer. Choptober. 

Dylan is going in hard on the girlfriend of the roommate, and her ability to drive. Harsh. But driving over your cell phone. I think I would literally soil myself if I did that. Think of all of the useless Twitter “ats” I would be missing out on. 

Georgia? Vanderbilt is not good. They played Notre Dame hard on the road, but lost. I wonder if Vandy is about ready to roll over and die on this season. We will see. They need to get to a bowl game, but are they really going to take out Tennessee? Not if the Vols played like they played in Athens. 

I have UGA winning 42-14. That’s a cover and the over. UGA has been pretty much right on where Vegas has thought most of the year. Georgia is 2-3 ATS, but one of those games was a line that I have at 14.5 vs. Missouri… you could have maybe gotten that at 14 or possibly even 13.5, which could have given you a push or cover. Nonetheless - night game; foe that isn’t great; team practicing better… I got Georgia big. 

I expect to see more of Justin Fields. I expect Jake Fromm and the passing game to be more precise. I expect UGA to start playing better because I think it is just a matter of time. To some degree this defense has really played pretty well - it was just the run game against Missouri that got everyone’s attention. 

In five games this season, UGA’s defense has allowed more than 100 yards rushing only twice. It has allowed more than 250 yards passing only once. UGA has scored four non-offensive TDs this season. It has yet to lose the turnover margin in any game this season. All of that combined means the defense is doing it. 

Meanwhile, the offense has not been visibly impressive these last two weeks, but the numbers are adding up for them as well. UGA has rushed for 250-plus yards in four of five games. UGA has passed for 200-plus yards in four games. It has scored more than 40 points in four of five games. It is hard to argue with that sort of production. Have to zone in and hit the plays that need to be hit, but they are going to get hit soon enough. 

12,348,000 total TV viewers have watched UGA play in the first five games of the season - that’s a solid number considering only one of those games was against a ranked foe, and none of them were in primetime. Meanwhile, the average temperature for a UGA this fall is 84 degrees, which is “about” what it will be at kickoff this weekend. 

I will be at the Jump, Little Children concert at the Georgia Theatre Friday night (and I don’t expect that you have heard of them). I’ve not been back in there since its restoration. I remember being in there in the past and the curtains used to smell like cigarettes - so gross. 

But Dave Matthews Band, The Police… you can’t argue with The Theatre. It is a state treasure. 

Top Five Jump, Little Children Songs all time

1. Dim and The Dark
2. Say Goodnight
3. Underground Elite 
4. Smiling Down
5. Rains in Asia

When I was a sophomore in college Jump came to Coker and played for the entire school (which was fewer than 1,000 students; yes, they were paid). That was 1996. Here we are 22 years later and Jump is still at it. Good for them. Its hard to get being in college out of your head when you hear their music - particularly The Licorice Tea Demos or Buzz, as those two were released in the late 1990s. 

And, for the record, we don’t have to hear the hits or the new album (even though my wife won’t stop playing it). In many ways this eclectic band from the Charleston area (the Carolinas really) proves that being a commercial success isn’t mandatory to truly experience success in the music industry. Conforming to the corporate world is for corporate types, and that’s not for everyone. 

Jump has stuck with it for what is now decades. Their fanbase is loyal, and I hope for their sake they “make it big” one day - if that’s even a thing any more when you have been making records since the 1990s (and they do, in fact, make actual records). 

If you Google any of the songs listen above, you might find the start of Underground Elite familiar - it is the lead in to The Roundtable. And, yes, it is licensed.

So I will be at the Georgia Theatre Friday night and in Sanford Stadium Saturday night. I’m not sure there’s much more “Athens" than that… maybe I will get a malt at The Grill to complete the weekend. Actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to ... Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time. 

Until next time.