Blacked Out

So, I know I said I thought we'd see black. However, I must admit Saturday morning I changed my mind. But then, when it was time for the players to run out, and there weren't any players starting to trickle out of the tunnel at all, I knew. I have never heard that stadium erupt like that from the team running out. The energy in Sanford stadium was breathtaking on Saturday.

The Fans
I was amazed at how many people wore black. The Deaner and I were just getting giddy driving up to Athens. Every car we passed was full of people wearing black. It was a sight to see for sure once we got in the stadium. That was also the loudest I've heard the stadium since the LSU game in 2004. Hats off to the Bulldog Nation.

The Game
Georgia played a complete game. I'll admit I was worried when we fell behind 20-17. It seemed like a different game from when we were up 17-3. Thankfully, the defense buckled down, and the offense made Auburn pay. Knowshon became the first player since Garrison Hearst to top 100 yards in 4 straight games. This is also the first time since 1942 that Georgia scored over 40 points in three straight games. In reality, this game wasn't even as close as the score. And I know 45-20 doesn't sound close, but it wasn't even that close. The refs kept Auburn in the game. Which brings me to...

The Officiating
I usually don't complain when we win, but there were some horrendous calls. People need to know this was the same crew from the Florida game. It looked like they were still holding the celebration against us. I have found that many calls I thought were bad in the stadium were actually good calls. But, the "late hits" on Cox and the no call facemask of Knowshon were atrocious. Not to mention the ref threatening Brian Mimbs. That is why Richt was in the refs ear going into the half.

The Jerseys
They looked even better than I imagined. They fired up the players and the fans. Having said that, I hope we don't see them for a while. The players have other ideas.

Richt said players want to wear black again next week but he doubts the team will.

"The guys are already trying to work on me," Richt said. "They're like 'We're 1-0 in black.' "

I'm glad they were worn; however, I thought it was a very special thing. If the jerseys are worn again this season, it might take away some of the meaning. Personally, I'd like to see them less frequent than once a season but at least once every four seasons. I think it would be cool if a player got to wear them at least once in their career.

The video is in the works. Go Dawgs!

All images above from OnlineAthens.

Click below to purchase the official Blacked Out t-shirt.

Keys to the Game

The Black Out will defeat Auburn by itself. Just kidding!

Loren Smith says it best.

Well Larry, I think we're in for an all out dogfight. Back to you.

Everyone is making a big deal about the blackout and will we wear black jerseys etc. The fact is this game will be won on the field by the better team, and the team that is most fired up. Maybe the black helps fire our guys up, but that's about it. Having said that, I will include several what if pics throughout this post.

I'm expecting to see a battle like the game in 2005. Back and forth. Good offense. Good defense. A game that comes down to the final drive.

To win, our ground game must be effective. We've seen how well it can open up the pass against Florida. Getting Thomas Brown back should help keep Knowshon fresh. I also want to see a heavy dose of Sean Bailey, Mohamed Massaquoi, and Mikey Henderson. I feel that is another reason we played so well against Florida. Those three were in the game more than usual for the season. I liked it. Obviously, we need the line to hold up as well. This will be the best defense they have faced thus far.

On Defense, we need to make Brandon Cox try and win the game on his own. I don't think we can say we took away the run last year. We got ahead so fast Auburn had to pass. I'd be shocked if that happened again. If Lester runs wild, we could see the Cox of 2005 rather than 2006, and that would be a very bad thing.

Again, look for an absolute war. Don't forget to wear black and show up early. Let's rock Sanford. Black out Auburn!

Go Dawgs!

All images sent to me by 82 over at FootballHuddle.net.