Ladies and gentlemen, it’s The Montana Project!

First, the clip.  Then, we’ll talk.

Some thank yous are in order for a finished product that turned out better than I could have hoped:

• The biggest, of course, goes to Hoppy.  How many of you would have been willing to shlep around to a bunch of sports bars, helmet and camera in tow, bugging a bunch of strangers?  (Most people I know go to bars to avoid being asked questions.)  That Hoppy did it, did it with such good nature and turned out a more than watchable finished product… well, as far as I’m concerned, he’s got a special place reserved for him in Dawg Heaven.  As I told him, if he ever comes to Athens for a game, he’ll never have to buy a beer.
• Kudos to all who helped Hoppy with the production support.  You folks did great work.
• Let’s not forget Big Shock, who was close to the scene and graciously supplied a very good looking helmet.  That made the logistics a lot easier (and a lot cheaper, too).
• Travis Fain, the spark for all this.  I really didn’t do much more than direct traffic.  Travis is the one who planted the seed and got everything going.
• Lastly, all of you who offered financial support, thanks.  It worked out where the help wasn’t needed, but the offers were appreciated.  Just make sure you’re around to help pick up Hoppy’s bar tab if he ever shows up for game day.

Next, a few words from our man in Montana:

Obviously a lot of people knew the “G”. However, it was hard to count people who said either “Georgia State” or “Georgia Tech” as a no, because they knew the “G” belonged to a-Georgia-team. That said, it was hard not jack slap the people who said Gators.

The “control questions we asked were”:
1. Are you a college football fan?
2. What does the University of Michigan helmet look like?
3. Do you know the official title of the USC cheerleaders? NO ONE KNEW THE ANSWER!! NO ONE–I REPEAT NOT ONE–HAD HEARD OF THEM REFERRED TO AS THE SONG GIRLS!
4. Can you tell me something, anything about college football.
5. Do you know what team this helmet is affiliated with.
We didn’t ask everyone all of those questions, but that is pool we chose from.
The bars we went to had casinos, so some people were wary about being filmed in a casino. Some people were really genuine, chatted, wanted to know how we were doing and wished us luck. I didn’t meet any Dawgs fans though, which I was a little surprised about.
Honestly, I expected higher numbers, but that’s what we go out of three weekends.

Thanks for this opportunity–it was a fun ride!

A few observations on my part:

• To the gentleman who answered “Grambling” – did you see the fake juice helmets from the ’09 Cocktail Party?
• Speaking of which, those folks whose answers included a Gator reference need to turn in their college football fan cards at the front desk.
• There were fewer Packers answers than I expected.
• By Mandel’s standards, Georgia fell short.  Still, I was pretty impressed with recognition from about three-quarters of those who responded.  And if that means Georgia isn’t a national power, what do we say about Mandel’s assurance that Southern Cal is, based on (supposed) universal recognition of the Song Girls?
• I’m also going to assume that Florida would flunk Mandel’s national power test, given the helmet mis-identifications.
• According to Hoppy, those who were asked to describe the Michigan helmet nailed it for the most part.  And pretty much everyone who could do that could also identify the “G”.  So maybe that’s our real tell for national powerdom.

I’m waiting to hear back from Travis this morning.  If he’s got something to add, whether here or at Lucid Idiocy, I’ll update for you.  In the meantime, enjoy.  And comment, of course.

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UPDATE:  Travis adds his thoughts about the Project here, including a worthy suggestion for those of you who generously offered to make a financial contribution to the cause.

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UPDATE #2:  Mr. Hall shows some love.

Go the distance.

I’m not the one saying this, Bruce Feldman is.

Georgia: Lots to be optimistic about here: The Dawgs have the most favorable schedule in the SEC since they avoid LSU and Alabama. Aaron Murray is off to a strong start. Their two young tailbacks have looked outstanding and the D has been superb, and that bunch should only get nastier now that they’ve gotten some key players back from their suspensions. The biggest hurdles: They host a capable Tennessee team later this month before visiting No. 7 South Carolina . Toward the end of October, they play rival Florida. The regular-season finale is home against Georgia Tech . The more you think about it, this all sounds quite doable for a program with the personnel Georgia has … if its O-line can hold up.

That’s from his post about the ten teams with the greatest likelihood of running the table in the regular season.

No question Georgia’s already had a few things click in its favor.  The early schedule set up well to allow Grantham to manage his defensive shortfall from the suspensions.  The running game has progressed faster than we hoped.  Aaron Murray looks like he’s rounding into form (there’s no question he’s improved his mechanics).  Special teams don’t look like a gaping hole.

I don’t know about 12-0 just yet, but Feldman’s right about how much of this season may be riding on the improvement on the offensive line.

Run the damn ball.

I know all the usual caveats about it’s early and the quality of the opposition apply here, but, still, an impressive statistical picture is beginning to emerge about Georgia’s running game.  Consider these facts:

• Todd Gurley is averaging 9.9 yards per carry.
• Keith Marshall is averaging 5.7 ypc.
• Ken Malcome is averaging 5.6 ypc.
• Gurley is fourth in the SEC in rushing; Marshall is fifteenth.
• The above has been accomplished despite that the high in carries in a game belongs to Marshall, with 12.
• Georgia’s average of 222.7 rushing yards a game is its highest in 20 seasons.  (Remember who the running backs were in 1992?)
• Through three games, Georgia already has nine rushes for 20 or more yards.  The Dawgs totalled 22 in that category for the entire 2011 season.

I’m not foolish enough to declare mission accomplished here.  It is indeed early.  But let’s not forget going into the season, with the departure of 2011’s two leading rushers, including the SEC’s freshman of the year, running back was an area of great concern.  I think it’s fair to say we can call off the Code Red now.