Why 3-18?

No, it ain’t the weather.  And it ain’t the travel, either.  It’s what’s in their heads that’s mattered.  And it sounds like Mike Bobo will need to earn his keep this week – as a quarterbacks coach.

… As Murray watched video of last year’s performance against the Gators — about eight times during the week following the game, another seven to 12 in the offseason — he hardly saw the good things he did: 313 yards passing, three touchdown passes, the two-point conversion run that tied the game at 24;  he saw the mistakes, over and over.

Bobo worried for a while that Murray was obsessing over the game.

“Usually kids bounce back pretty easy,” Bobo said. “They’re ready to go, ready to get out there and play again, while coaches sometimes dwell on the past and think, ‘We could have done this, could have done that.’

“But he couldn’t let that game go. He kept watching and kept watching. I was saying, ‘Hey, you got to let it go.’ He was, ‘I just want to learn so I don’t make those same mistakes again.'”

Such diligence is good to a point, Bobo said.

“He can’t let last year haunt him,” Bobo said. “He can’t worry that he’s got to be perfect. He’s got to go out and play and react to what happens in the game.”

One year too amped.  The next year too tight.  That’s been the real curse in Jacksonville.

Maybe Murray needs to spend some time talking to John Jenkins.

John Jenkins grew up in Connecticut, where he never heard much about how badly Georgia fans wanted to beat Florida. Then he played junior college football in Mississippi, where he still didn’t hear how Florida was the most important game on Georgia’s schedule every year.

Now the Georgia nose tackle has been brought up to speed.

“I hear it’s probably the biggest rivalry game or such. ‘Cocktail Party,’ I guess that’s what they call it,” he said, adding later, “From the intel I’m getting, it’s a big game.”

That’s some pretty laid back intel.  But you know, maybe that’s the attitude the Dawgs need this Saturday.

*****************************************************************************

UPDATE:  Maybe Aaron’s more relaxed than I thought.  Natty Light, though?  Ugh.

*****************************************************************************

UPDATE #2:  This ignorance is bliss thing may be spreading.

… Lots of talk about the one-sided nature of the series again. Many of the players aren’t aware of the history of Florida’s dominance of late.

“Is it really 18 of 21? That’s crazy,” redshirt freshman receiver Michael Bennett said. “I didn’t know that. Man, we’ve got to start winning I guess.”

102 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football

102 responses to “Why 3-18?

  1. charlottedawg

    we lose because the gators are in our heads it’s that simple. yes uf has generally been better than uga the last 21 years but not 3-18 better. this year i’d say uf is not as bad as their 3 losses suggest and we are not as good as our 5 wins would suggest. but we still can, should, and need to win this game. we are the better team, we need to know that and play focused football. if we take care of the football and clean up special teams we will win. emphasis on take care of the fb which we have not done the last 5 years in this game.

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    • Zero Point Zero

      Lot of the time they were just better. Bi week goes a long long way too. We are stupid not to ALWAYS have a bi.

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      • heyberto

        I agree.. there have been times it has been in our head, but not as much in recent years. I do think it got in Murray’s head a bit last year.

        As for the bye week, that’s not always up to us. I’m sure we get some lobbying power, but I believe the SEC office has the final say-so. Last year ‘Bama was griping about the timing of their bye week, so it was obviously out of their control.

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      • Chopdawg

        “Bi” week? Does that mean…oh never mind

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  2. H-Town Dawg

    Useful perspective from Big John. It’s clear that (on top of FL benefiting from having Spurrier and Meyer in their prime as head coaches for much of 3-18) that the self-induced pressure to beat the Gators has been crippling at times.

    The cure for that kind of thing is to have a strong, reliable defense. Nothing gives a QB more confidence than knowing that the defense can “get it back” even after a disastrous play. Big John is doing his part in making sure that continues.

    The curse will be lifted once the Dawgs are able to beat the Gators two years in a row. Murray will be a big part of accomplishing that.

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  3. Joe

    Agree with all and add that for a decade or more of that streak when we were evenly matched UF had the off week to rest, heal and prep while we were coming off an away game at UK or what always seemed to be a tough game after 7 or 8 straight weeks. I don’t make excuses generally, but if you give one team DOUBLE the normal time to prep, heal and rest for ANY sport over time it will give them a huge advantage. Add the empirical evidence that our wins came after off weeks (and yes we have also lost after an off week – it is no guarantee) and I say that has more to do with it than any of us admit.

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    • gastr1

      Here’s a better excuse: the vast majority of those years they were just better than us.

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      • Go Dawgs!

        Very true in the 90’s. In the 2000’s? There were a few years when they had the better team, but Georgia was right there toe to toe with them in terms of talent and ability most years.

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    • Russ

      Agree on the off week. That was one of the changes Spurrier made when he first got to UF. It made a big difference.

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    • Mayor of Dawgtown

      The Gators’ off week when UGA didn’t have one was half of it.

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  4. Zdawg

    Well Senator, I normally don’t get into your music selections, but you can’t go wrong with some SRV. Maybe he should play some of that before the game.

    The only thing that I know of that helps with the nerves is preparation and repetition. Hopefully Murray is into that part of the gameplan and not dwelling on the past.

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  5. Bad Marinara

    It’s really not a big deal. I couldn’t care less if we win or lose. Who cares?! It just a football game.

    /Stomp them. Destroy them. Then pick them up and crush them again! I hate them with a passion of a thousand suns. Eternal glory awaits thee. Just be man enough to take it!

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  6. Mike

    Tight sphincter muscles in UGA coaches and players usually are not a good sign for Georgia.

    The Mighty Gators need all the help they can get.

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    • Hogbody Spradlin

      Well Gators, as they say in Russia, tough shitsky. And the opposite of a too tight sphincter is diarrhea, and we’ve had plenty of that too.

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  7. Macallanlover

    The whole 3-18 conversation is a crock, pure crock. Why do UGA fans let rude, myopic florida fans dictate the time period this rivalry should be viewed? There is the entire history, which is nice but not very relevant (Georgia leads but that won’t help them Saturday), or there is the upcoming game. That’s it, you can’t slice it to slant thinks your way to win an argument or discuss things. If you talk about the past, talk about all of it, not selective periods. Dawg fans have been wimpy about this and allowed the media and florida fans to paint this picture. Guess what? You cannot feel good for a long time if you allow that, I mean how much better is 4-18 if you win this year? Or 5-18 if yoiu win the next two? How dumb is that? We win three straight and we still bow our heads to the almighty gayturd? Damn if I will, we have owned the series record forever, and I expect our lads to extend it on Saturday, and continue to put space between us the next year.

    Last year’s game if far more relevant than any othe portion of the past. UGA and uf were pretty equal, and we lost due to making more mistakes. We have more backk than they do, so we have a great shot at winning. All of you apologists can hang your head if you want, I proudly expect to whip that tacky gator butt again.

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    • Careful Brad

      We have had disagreements but I am 100% on board with this type of thinking. The gators can’t stop a united Bulldog Nation going into Jacksonville!
      After Saturday we will be able to claim the entire series and the most recent game. Nothing else matters.

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      • Cojones

        Whatever, guys. Agree completely and especially the agressiveness you both espouse. You both posted my feelings . Watch the cheerleading because that’s not appreciated by some. They would have us walk into this game head down and kicking a can. I’m going to enjoy this game, the team, the coaches and all the rest of you who just like this team and it’s people.

        SIC’EM DAWGS!!

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    • Like it or not, it represents a trend. I tend to respect trends.

      The way you end the talk about 3-18 is to end the trend. That doesn’t mean Georgia has to win fifteen of the next eighteen. Winning three out of the next five would do the trick, especially because it would track the change to a new Gator head coach.

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      • The ATH

        Well Said

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      • Go Dawgs!

        Yeah, I’m with you. I don’t give a crap what Gator fans say, I’m too drunk to listen when I’m in Jacksonville. What I care about is my own perception of the rivalry, and at this point, it belongs to Florida. It’s past time to take it back.

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      • Macallanlover

        Trends are significant in many areas of life, and should be respected. A football team whose make-up/chemistry changes every game, and very much every season isn’t one of those great predictors. When you add an equal number of variables changing on another team, it becomes even more so. If you think what happened when athletes in the 90’s interacted is more relevant than a positve mental state in the current week we have much room between how you assess this game, than I do.

        There have been many years over the past where one team or the other had a decided advantage in talent, or through match-ups. But for the most part, these games are pretty competitive and often hinge on one play/call/turnover. I cannot buy into the negative approach for our fans, and certainly for any current player, many of whom were not born, or still in diapers when this “trend” began. So yes, I think a united, positive outlook will not only help, it is justified. The trend I think everyone should focus on is: uf has lost 3 straight (some badly), and UGA has won 5 straight.

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        • What fresh hell is this?

          Agreed.
          The problem with trends is that they become self-fulfilling prophecy. When an incoming player is told that we always lose to UF, they enter the game expecting to lose. That’s a hell of a way to play a football game.

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      • Keese

        If we win 3 out of the next 5, why would we be looking for Florida to make another coaching change?

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    • W Cobb Dawg

      Well said Mac. Anytime someone talks about 3-18, it should be immediately followed by the all-time series record of 47-40-2.

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    • Mike

      Fair enough Scotch lover. Let’s take the series by calendar decade, shall we?

      10 UF 1 UGA 0
      00 UF 8 UGA 2
      90 UF 9 UGA 1
      80 UF 2 UGA 8
      70 UF 3 UGA 7
      60 UF 6 UGA 3 tied 1
      50 UF 6 UGA 4
      40 UF2 UGA 7
      30 UF1 UGA 8 tied 1
      20 UF 2 UGA 3
      10 UF 0 UGA 3

      Georgia leads the overall series by six games. Georgia dominated the 70s, the 80s and every decade from 1910 through 1940. Florida dominated the 50s, the 60s, the 90s and the 00s. The jury is very much out for the 10s.

      In the life times of virtually everyone one that reads this board, only one UGA coach has dominated Florida. Only one. By contrast, over that same time frame, at least 4 UF coaches have dominated UGA.

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      • I guess it’s a good thing that Muschamp knows what it’s like to be dominated in this series.

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      • James Stephenson

        I see a huge trend there of 2 decade swings. Could the 10’s start a 20 year swing for UGA. Oh man, if that were to happen some young Gator fans would jump of that wagon pretty dang fast.

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      • AusDawg85

        My back hurts from bending over to give you the benefit of the doubt in using decades (unintentionally?) as another (false?) measuring tool since many of your coaching regimes fall within those same time periods (decades).

        Since the post-war era, Dooley, Spurrier and Meyer have “dominated” the series. Butts dominated the first half of his long career. Looking at national championships earned and Heisman award winners, I’d suggest there is a common theme running there somewhere.

        Oh, and we’ve won 47 overall. The 1904 team were DGD’s. Suck it.

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      • Macallanlover

        Sorry Mike, you went to a lot of trouble to totally whiff on the point I was making: it is the past. I was attempting to make the point that you can only impact the future, and with each team a unique animal, the past is not a predictor…especially when you get more than 1-2 years back. So trends are not relevant, especially elongated trends.

        When we held a double digit lead just a few years agoi, it didn’t prevent a change from happening in ANY game. I know it makes some uf fans feel giddy, but you don’t own me hoss, and you won’t if you were to win Saturday. Has Florida improved their status in football, yes. But you have to earn it again every year. I always laugh at the UGA fans who bow to the mouthy uf fans, then turn around and say “just because we beat GT 9 of the last 10 doesn’t mean we have much of a chance tthis year. Same guys, wtf? Impossible to explain the lack of logic in CFB fans. You may rinaround after Saturday, should you upset us, and crow about a 3-19 to some but I will tell you quickly, you may have gotten me this year but I am gonna kick your arse next fall. You will never, ever own this Dawg,,,and shame on those who cowtow to the stupidity of those who think those trends, selectively pulled from the archives to slant a perception, are relevant to this group of young men. Now if the “old men” on this board would wake up, and stop being Energy Vampires, our chances of increasing our series lead this weekend would improve.

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        • Mike

          The Scotch Lover writes;

          “I was attempting to make the point that you can only impact the future, and with each team a unique animal, the past is not a predictor…especially when you get more than 1-2 years back. So trends are not relevant, especially elongated trends. ”

          Hard to disagree with that. That said, perception and emotion play a part in any series.

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          • Macallanlover

            That I agree with, that is why my attitude/approach is the best UGA fans can adopt for the good of our program. Wallowing around in the misery of the past 20 years can only do harm. I have access to, and can research all the numbers too, I prefer to look forward. And I really don’t get a high percentage of our fans swallowing the “bad medicine”.

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  8. gastr1

    Most of the posts reflect the problem the players are having–all kinds of hand-wringing over what external factors should be changed, all manner of excuses. This is the week I can barely tell us from those snotwipes at NATS.

    How about we start fielding better teams they than do. Starting with this year, I say. I bet that changes the dynamic rather quickly.

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  9. Dog in Fla

    “UPDATE: Maybe Aaron’s more relaxed than I thought.”

    In case things don’t work out well for Georgia this weekend, Aaron is entertaining offers to transfer to FSU to save Jimbo’s job

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  10. OKDawg

    Am I the only one who finds the picture of Murray from the link above disturbing on several levels?

    Scratching my head…

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  11. James Stephenson

    As far as the Nat Light, he is still young and has not grown into his full beer taste buds yet. No when he is 30 if he is drinking Nat Lights, then someone needs to do an intervention.

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    • stoopnagle

      I’m 39 and drank a Natty in the hotel lobby in Nashville a little over a week ago. It was cold and it was free (offered generously by two cooler toting students).

      Great beers have two things in common: cold and free.

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  12. Ginny

    Why is that guy being a tattle-tale? And why are we having a “meltdown”? I was unaware of this meltdown.

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  13. BulldogBen

    All the talk about “tight sphincters”, hell I’m glad he got out of town for a weekend to kick back.

    Might be the best medicine to get your head right.

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    • Dawg Vent

      Who is the shirtless dude that Murray drove all the way down to Tallahasse to hang out with?

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      • Normaltown Mike

        To be fair, AM is from Flarduh so he probably has a lot of friends down there.

        What’s more, shirtless and hair gel is actually a common game day “attire” in the sunshine state.

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  14. Dawg Vent

    Um…I’m having a meltdown here. I remember a similar thing happening with Stafford a few years back. At least he had the sense to:

    (1) Not wear an Auburn shirt
    (2) Get a picture with a scantily clad FEMALE
    (3) Pick up a keg of actual beer

    Florida week makes me so paranoid. Senator, what are the chances that Murray has to sit out for this?

    Oh, my bad: Fire MARK RICHT!!!!!1!

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  15. Red Blackman

    I find it amusing that Aaron is wearing a Free Shoes t-shirt and drinking the official beer of Gator Nation at the same time.

    He is no dummy. He knew the picture would get out. Non issue.

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  16. Dawg Vent

    From the look of that picture, I’m not sure Murray’s sphincter is that tight anymore.

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  17. D.N. Nation

    For those remembering the sweet Stafford pics, don’t forget that included in there was one of him spooning Joe Cox.

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  18. Brandon

    Brunette, short shorts, cowboy boots, background…Man, I love Athens.

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  19. Puffdawg

    UPDATE: Is that Aaron or his brother Josh?

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  20. The guy with the ring is soooooooo Florida State. There has never been a picture that so accurately summed up an entire fanbase as that one.

    Murray, being three weeks from his 21st birthday, drank a can of watered-down piss. Had he actually drank a beer instead, then someone somewhere might have given a fkcu. As it stands, nobody does. And Ricky Hayes from Senoia, GA is a douchebag and should be mocked as such.

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    • hailtogeorgia

      Agreed. What a chode. Who goes around and tattles on someone through twitter? Is he expecting to get some sort of recognition for that? Jesus Christ, it’s a bye week and he had a beer, bfd.

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  21. Go Dawgs!

    Personally, I was happy to hear that Aaron spent the weekend in Tally-town. Having visited there in the past year myself, I can report that the co-ed population in the ‘hassee is superior to Florida’s in every way, and I’m hopeful that the Lady Seminoles were able to give Aaron a little motivation to clear his mind and get him set to beat their biggest rival. I’ve always felt like FSU was a kindred spirit, really. They used to hand Tech an annual ass-whipping, though now they have to wait for the Yellow Jackets to rotate back onto the schedule before they pants them. They don’t care for Clemson, and they had a pretty healthy distaste for Auburn when the Tigers cancelled their series after firing Tater Tot. And, of course, they hate the Gators. What I really hope is that Aaron picked up a little mojo while he was down there, because FSU did beat Florida last year. And, they used to do so fairly often in the Spurrier days. So, good choice for vacation, Aaron. Perhaps a poor choice of picture, though. Of course, I have no problem with the FSU shirt, good idea to blend in. The Natty? Well, at least nobody’s ever going to accuse AM of getting impermissible benefits if his beer fund’s low enough to drink THAT swill…

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    • Dawg Vent

      The Natty? Well, at least nobody’s ever going to accuse AM of getting impermissible benefits if his beer fund’s low enough to drink THAT swill…

      Lol, no shit. In a world where a guy like Aaron Murray is forced to drink fermented well-digger’s piss, is there any rational argument against college athletes receiving extra stipends?

      Like

      • Puffdawg

        And good call on him blending in. For those worrying about him wearing an FSU shirt, maybe he should have worn his # 11 jersey instead?

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        • Go Dawgs!

          Exactly! It’s generally not a good idea to call attention to yourself, or else there would probably be a lot more of these pictures floating around out there. Besides, he was going to root for the Seminoles that day. He’s got friends on the team. He can’t support his buddies by wearing their gear? It’s not like he’s wearing a Tech shirt or an Auburn hat or a Gator jersey. FSU isn’t a rival.

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  22. Hobnail_Boot

    4-14. Tennessee’s record as of late against Florida.

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    • Mayor of Dawgtown

      3-1. Ole Miss’ record against Florida their last 4 games. Mississippi State is 2-1 their last 3 against the Gators. UGA’s record against Ole Miss with Mark Richt as HC: 5-0. Uga’s record against Mississippi State with Mark Richt as HC: 3-1.

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  23. AusDawg85

    Hutson Mason took the actual picture.

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  24. AusDawg85

    Never seen anything better than SRV up close and personal at the Fox in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve years ago. I’m sure all over the country there are kids resurrecting the SRV vibe, so I won’t go as far as to say this is the second coming….but if you ever get the chance to see this guy live, go for it http://www.erictessmerband.com/

    Maybe not the soul and voice of SRV, but the guitar work is just crazy sick.

    Like

  25. W Cobb Dawg

    ““He can’t let last year haunt him,” Bobo said.”

    This is what happens when Dawg supporters don’t demand top performance. Coaches put the yearly loss behind them and brush it off. If Bobo’s job was on the line, he’d be haunted too.

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    • Go Dawgs!

      What would you have him tell the kid? I’m asking you seriously, by the way. We’re talking about a quarterback who clearly was way too tight in last year’s game and missed a lot of chances early on that could have ended up winning the game for Georgia. So… what’s your solution? Put it in the past and focus on this year’s game, which is the only thing you can actually control? Or just continually remind the kid that all of the coaches could lose their jobs if he doesn’t play well, keep replaying each overthrown pass (despite the fact that the scheme on the game tape is irrelevant given that those coaches are gone with Urban) and see how tight we can make him for this year’s game?

      Get real, West Cobb. Football coaches know that their jobs ARE on the line. I’m sure that Bobo is more acutely aware of it than most, given that his performance has been objectively good this year, and yet every Georgia fan seemingly wants to stab him with a pitchfork.

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    • Dog in Fla

      ““He can’t let last year haunt him,” Bobo said.”

      Not even a bisexual Catherine Zeta Jones could save The Haunting

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  26. The closer It gets, The more concerned I get because of the importance this game has in regards to the Dawgs winning the East & to Richt’s future.
    I expect them to be up too tight & to not play up to their potential. It Is a Mental Problem they face after the game starts. Maybe this year? GATA.

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  27. BAILEY

    Murray had EPIC meltdowns in big games like Fla/Gamecocks.

    I BLAME MURRAY.

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  28. Is there any info yet about who the Chippendale dancer is on Aaron’s right, and what kind of ring that is?

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  29. HC

    Was thrilled to see Aaron hoisting anything other than a knife to circumcise some young orphan boy. And I liked the six pack his friend was carrying.

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  30. Oh. Well that makes perfect sense. Per Emerson: The guy in the photo with the ring was actually a Georgia Tech fan who kept pestering Murray to take a picture.

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    • Puffdawg

      According to Sting Talk, the ring he is wearing was their “45-42” ring. That is downright just funny as shit they got rings for beating their one and only rival one time in ten years. Speaking of which, where the heck has Paul’s Johnson been?

      Also, how lame is it that dude pestered Murray for a pic and now is trying to use it against him. I wouldn’t expect anything different from a Techie. It’s like they say, “If you can’t beat ’em, try to sabotage ’em.”

      Like

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