Even with Brent Musburger as his typically unctuous self, this should bring a smile to your face this morning:
2003 is a reminder that you don’t have to have an All-SEC running back and a stout offensive line to win the SEC East… but if that’s the case, you’d better have a kick ass defense.
Get The Picture 
I miss Thomas Davis
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I miss that entire era…Sean Jones, Davis, Pollack, Greene, BVG, et al. Those teams were ferocious. Seems like the defense was always in position on every play. Ah, nostalgia.
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Me, too.
I remember how the players said you could hear the hit coming from Davis, just a second or so before, so you knew in advance you were about to get flattened. That was awesome.
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Amen Brother.
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REC THAT.
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What a great way to start the day! Thanks, Senator!
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Pollack and Greene were childhood friends and teammates. Never knew that.
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Seems like a bigger deal should have been made about something like that.
I miss when our story was the one that everyone was tired of hearing about instead of Tebow’s mission trips or Cam’s “hard work and determination” that took him from Blynn to Auburn. I hope we’ll be hearing a lot about Ray Drew and the formation of this “Dream Team” in the years to come.
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Loran Smith has a whole book about them, Beloved Dogs.
It appears to be out of print now, but you can check WorldCat.org to find it in a local library, or Google Books to find it in a used bookstore.
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I read earlier today that Thomas Brown was pound for pound the strongest guy when he was on the team. That info would sure have come in handy a few years ago.
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Never forget that poor walk-on center from Albany throwing up on the ball. And the heat, oh my goodness the heat.
Fun to think back on the times when we were the well-prepared, meticulously paying attention to details group that went out and whipped ass in an efficient and business-like manner. Would be fun just to smell a whiff of that again, just once, in the Mark Richt era.
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“Fun to think back on the times when we were the well-prepared, meticulously paying attention to details group that went out and whipped ass in an efficient and business-like manner. Would be fun just to smell a whiff of that again, just once, in the Mark Richt era.”
Exactly what I was thinking. In addition, it would be nice to have the kind of players we had on defense in that game-Polack, Davis, Jones, etc..
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Cooper and Milton?
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Remember that year Freddie was off to a great start, then tweaked a hammie against SCU and missed the LSU game when our receivers dripped about 6 balls, then came back and was rusty for UF. A big time vertical threat receiver makes the Richt offense hum just as mush as a big time RB.
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Started out with a big smile, but then realized that we haven’t seen that kind of D in quite a while…
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Man, I almost forgot how impressed I used to be with our tackling. Wrapping up, swarming to the ball, minimal yards after contact… Can we start working on that again? That shot on the QB by Thomas Davis had a violence to it that I haven’t seen from our defense in quite a while.
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I think Ray Drew knows who he can model his game after. FWIW, I had a dream last night about the Boise game: the first offensive series we went 1 for 4 before punting, the second we went 0 for 3. But both times on defense John Jenkins mauled the Boise Center, Drew got a sack, and the coverage made Kellen Moore throw the ball away.
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Good to see a real “Hitman” laying the wood.
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Can you imagine the type of coach Pollack could be? Always kept his motor running. Always knew where to be. Put his hands up at just the right time. Wasn’t an athletic freak but got the most out of his size. Worked. Looked like he’d be fun to play for and could connect with the kids in recruiting.
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Here’s hoping we have a season that results in nobody suggesting that Pollack be added to the staff. Please.
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You know, that receiving corps (Gibson, Brown, Johnson) wasn’t so bad.
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Reggie Brown was the best of the bunch, though he was always overshadowed by the acrobatics of Fred Gibson. Brown was all about putting in the work that it took to be great. I’ve often wondered over the years what Gibson could have been if he had some of that heart.
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I’m with you on Reggie, I never understood why he didn’t recieve more credit in the NFL with the Eagles either. I know they had Westbrook, but it seemed like every game Brown would just make solid plays for them without hardly a mention of his contribution.
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That was exactly my thought.
That and that Clemson Sucks.
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Awesome. And so very true! It makes me wonder how I neglected to include that??
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That was the hottest game that I have ever been to. Death Valley ran out of water. Bourbon was not an option that day. Man it was hot! We did a lot with less those years. Good “D” helps.
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I remember sitting there and turning around –watching for the progress of the shadow of the upper deck rows behind me. Praying it would hurry up and come my way.
I’m talking Africa HOT.
My Clemson alumnus brother in law found us some cokes from somewhere. It was the best coke I ever had!
Back then the Dogs came to town and kicked your ass. With players that had heart.
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How many personal foul penalties would have been called on us in 2010?
Fred Gibson calling for cheers as he scored. Celebration penalty.
TD putting his helmet in the chest of the QB which was a ‘beautiful play’ in 2003. Personal Foul.
Quentin Moses getting in a shove over the fumble recovery pile. Unsportsmanlike.
Geathers on the faceguard on the pass play. Pass Interference.
Ok…enough conspiracy/whining…
Big difference…TD, Pollack, Geathers, Moses, Sean Jones, Kentrell Curry, Thurman, etc. etc. etc. That D was LOADED with talent.
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Fletch, the penalty thing was my first thought, too. Meh.
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ditto, couldn’t get it out of my head as I watched it
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I bet we’ll have more film clips in the future with another Geathers running around the backfield.
That D was impressive as was the one before it.
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Real nice when your highlights contain all NFL players. Fred Gibson just blew it with his work ethic or he could have been good in the NFL.
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Man, that defense could swarm and hit. And a legitimate shutout (with a little help from Bowden) despite Clemson getting deep into UGA territory a few times.
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Given that ’03 Georgia beat UAB on homecoming 16-13, indeed on that last point.
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Unbelievable defense.
But after watching this and the Boise 2005 highlights it REALLY makes one miss Richt’s role as OC.
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Loved BVG’s D. It was awesome! I remember the ’03 game against ‘bama. We put 2 of their QBs out of the game. The injured QBs stood side-by-side on the sideline. One had his left arm in a sling and the other had his right arm in a sling. Looked like bookends. It would be worth every penny of $2+ million a year if we could get BVG back, just to coach D.
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You said it brother! What a terrible day that was when he left.
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Whenever I hear about Clemson’s proud gridiron history, I think of two things:
41 – 17 -4 and 46 – 14 – 2
One is UGA’s all-time win-loss record vs Clemson and the other is vs South Carolina.
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Marcus Jackson from Norcross with a fumble recovery? I thought Musberger meant Jarvis Jackson but apparently not.
I don’t have a single recollection of this player in my (admittedly swiss cheese) memory. Does anyone else recall that kid?I guess he was a medical casualty.
http://dailydawgs.blogspot.com/2005/03/2004-injury-ends-uga-football-players.html
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Super highly ranked recruit that we had to scratch and claw to get out of Norcross, who as you say was health casualty.
CMR’s 2nd class that year had a lot of busts:
Michael Cooper
Dale Dixson
Reshard Dudley
BJ Fields
Randall Swoopes
Sanni-Osomo
Mario Raley
Antonio Mercier
Aaron Scranton
Preston Pannell
Mudcat
Pretty weak recruiting class that year that paved the way for 2006’s disaster.
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Though if as disasters go, it was a vintage year.
Mudcat- nuff said
BJ – tried to steal his car from impound lot (awesome!)
Scranton – samurai sword(!)
Mercier – type 2 diabetes (I believe)
Swoopes – driving issues if I recall. Too bad, his dad is a great guy.
Dudley – never enrolled. Probably could’ve been a stud RB
Cooper – he was Ealey before Ealey was Ealey (over hyped from A ball)
Dixson, Raley & Sanni = meh. they gave it their best shot. no hard feelings.
Pannell? WTF. No recollection of him ever playing though he apparently enrolled. His linkin page says he graduated in 07 from Georgia. Apparently, he’s doing ok.
http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/galleries/picture/963
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I recall Marcus Jackson being one our prized DE recruits. He was very heavily recruited by most major schools. Looked very promising early in career. But ran into the medical issue. IMHO he was better than his teammate Rob. Geathers, who’s been in the nfl for years now. Very unfortunate circumstances for Jackson.
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Sigh… I just watched a youtube video of highlights from the 2002 season. At the end of the Sugar Bowl the announcer made the comment while Richt was getting doused with Gatorade, “he’s embraced Athens and they’ve embraced him”. Sad how things are so much different now. I’m rooting like hell for this man to succeed this year.
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Thanks for the great memories…I remember everyone was worried about the suspensions we started the season with but then went on to blow out the first two teams we played and blow the LSU game.
Sigh.
Maybe this years team will shock and suprise us in a good way.
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