The more things change…

… the more Butts-Mehre stays the same.

Georgia football fans have continued to line up for season tickets to attend games at Sanford Stadium, and they’re finding availability at away games particularly difficult. That’s especially the case for the Bulldogs’ highly anticipated season opener against Clemson in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte.

It took a Hartman Fund score of at least 24,001 points (read that as dollars) for UGA donors to qualify for some of the 27,000 tickets allotted for the Bulldogs for the Sept. 4 game, according to a report circulated this week to season-ticket holders. If they were seeking seats in the desirable club section of Bank of America Stadium, it took a cumulative score of 90,140 just for the right to buy them.

“Demand is definitely far exceeding supply on that front,” said Ford Williams, Georgia’s executive associate athletic director for major gifts and the CEO of the Georgia Bulldog Club. “I think that’s just a testament to our fan base and how fervent they are and loving to travel places to watch the Dogs play. It speaks highly to the matchup, too, of course.”

The Magill Society is undefeated.  Just ask me — forty years of season ticket purchasing and I still managed to miss the cutoff.

By the way, looks like Ford Williams has made a seamless transition from Matt Borman.

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Meanwhile, at wideout

Two quick hits from Kirby Smart’s first day of fall practice (yay!) presser:

pic.twitter.com/iP7e20gCdV

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) August 6, 2021

"I don't know that we have four first-rounders at wideout…I think we've been able to close the gap, if the standard was LSU and Alabama's offense." – Smart on the evolution of the #UGA passing game.

— Jake Reuse (@ReuseRecruiting) August 6, 2021

Cause for optimism?

Zing went the strings of my heart.

Those folks at the Hargrett Library have got it going on.

The @UGAAthletics archives include uniforms, photos, & documents from the history of @universityofga athletics.

It also includes these records with songs about the #GeorgiaBulldogs, including one by the Godfather of Soul James Brown.#ArchivesAthletes #ArchivesHashtagParty pic.twitter.com/EkipHQPDXY

— Hargrett Library (@hargrettlibrary) August 6, 2021

Schwing!

Moar Why I YPP

I know some of you scoff at statistics, but this post from Groo that riffs off of yesterday’s YPP post here is a good reason why you shouldn’t be so quick to do so.

Along the same lines, Blutarsky looks at the imperative to raise Georgia’s net yards per play (YPP). He clearly sets out the target for a team with playoff aspirations: “you’d better create a net YPP of 2+ if you want a realistic shot at the CFP (the four-team version, that is). And if you want to win, you’d better wind up north of 2.5.” What does that mean in practical terms? “Georgia probably has to bump its offensive YPP up a full yard over the 2020 number to make the CFP field this season, assuming it can maintain its defensive excellence.” Maybe a bit more context will help: “A 7.21 ypp would be the best in the program’s history.”

So there’s the simple challenge for Tood Monken and J.T. Daniels: perform at a level never before seen at Georgia. That sets the expectations fairly high, and it raises some interesting questions. What if Daniels matches or just barely surpasses Murray’s 2012 numbers? It would be a superlative season for a Georgia quarterback, but would it be seen as a disappointment? What if Georgia’s defense, and its secondary in particular, slips a little and yields, say, another half yard or so per play? Would we notice an appreciable gain on the offensive side? Would the pressure instead be on Monken to offset the difference and still come out with a net increase?

It’s good to put some concrete numbers behind our expectations beyond straight wins and losses. We recognize the need to modernize and increase the output of the offense to compete at the highest level; it’s why Todd Monken is here. Metrics like YPP, EPA, success rate, and explosiveness are important benchmarks to follow that let us know how things are going. We know, based on those metrics, what a successful team and offense looks like. If we want and expect Georgia to contend at that level, watching those metrics will be the equivalent of the world record line superimposed over an Olympic swimming or track event – is Georgia on pace, out ahead, or falling behind where they need to be?

Again, I’ll be tracking SEC net YPP this season.  I know why I’ll be doing it; I hope you’ll appreciate why, too.

Serenity now

"Talking season is about to be over," – Lincoln Riley

— Eddie Radosevich (@Eddie_Rado) August 5, 2021

Amen to that.

Meet a reader: Just South Of Athens

Briggy1981 introduced us to his little establishment’s existence in the comments to this post.  I invited him to share a few more details about the joint, and here’s his response:

Hey there brother. As you saw in the comment section, my wife and myself have opened a Bulldawg themed restaurant and bar in Jesup GA. The name is Just South Of Athens, Steakhouse And Tavern. The address is 106 West Pine St Jesup Ga 31545. We operate Thurs-Fri 11-2 5-10, Sat 11-10, Sun 11-9. Bar is open until 2am on Thurs and Fri, and 12am on Sat and Sun.

My Wife, Dr. Krystal Brigman, is a UGA Pharmacy Grad, and I’m just a life long die hard fan. My bonus mom, Tracey Brigman, is a professor at UGA. I’ve always wanted to own a restaurant, but I know you don’t get days off. So I decided if I wasn’t going to be able to go watch the Dawgs in person like I love to do, I was going to bring everything we love about Athens here, and have the best damn Bulldawg bar in the south! We want fellow Dawgs to stop in when they pass through, and we want to be the place locals go to watch the games. My wife and I love UGA so much, we had a Bulldawg themed wedding. You know you found a good one when she’ll happily walk down the aisle to the battle hymn.

We have lots of Dawg memorabilia up in the restaurant, and have big plans to add lots more. So many UGA players, Cheerleaders, Majorettes, and even Band members have came from Wayne County, and we have plans to honor them on our wall of fame. We specialize in great steak. Our steaks are never frozen, hand cut daily, upper 2/3rds Angus beef. We season with a local seasoning, and cook them on a flame grill. We have lots of Dawg inspired food, like our Bulldawg Bites, Chubby Chunks, Classic City Salad, and The Big Dawg 24oz ribeye. We also have specialty cocktails like the Rum Lindsay Run, Damn Good Dawg, and our Munson Margarita. We feature live entertainment every Friday and Saturday.

He sent me a few more pics besides the one at the top.  My favorite is the cocktail menu.

If you’re in Jesup, I think you know where to stop in.

Rake-stepping in our time

Bill Connelly may not be a Georgia fan, but he sure knows how to sound like one.

In which I proudly and defiantly step on the Georgia rake once more. https://t.co/jBIHxU0SVd

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) August 5, 2021

Now here’s a narrative I can get behind.

Hey, he’s just asking!

Why is a team that competed for an SEC Championship last year having such a hard time recruiting this offseason? https://t.co/2l5SMmMH8x

— Josh Newberg (@joshnewberg247) August 5, 2021

And asking…

Recruits losing interest in UF after visiting is a head scratcher. Walter Nolan, Booker, Skinner, MJJ, McCall, Glover, etc.

Gotta wonder what that’s about

— Josh Newberg (@joshnewberg247) August 5, 2021

It’s probably portal time in Gainesville.

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

UPDATE:  Your Daily Gator responds.

“I’d rather limp than get it fixed.”

For a 210-second interview, there is a lot to unpack here.

JT Daniels opens up about his mental health.

A powerful conversation with @MartySmithESPN & @ESPNMcGee. pic.twitter.com/StvKJqZjoV

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 6, 2021

For one thing, it sounds like he believed he was ready to go before Courson was ready to bless his knee.  For another, maybe we didn’t fully appreciate what Daniels was going through emotionally during his 18-month absence from the game, after a season that wasn’t a triumph.

In any event, he sounds fully invested in both himself and the football program now.

Musical palate cleanser, get well soon edition

Well, shit.  This ain’t good.

We’re sure you’ll all join us in wishing Charlie a speedy recovery.

All 2021 tour dates will go ahead as planned. pic.twitter.com/8OgOIEwHWq

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) August 5, 2021

Just a reminder that age affects everyone.  Well, except Keef, obviously.

Here’s a little Charlie for today.