Dogs cheerfully getting ready for Independence Bowl

By Bud L. Ellis

It certainly isn’t where the Georgia Bulldogs hoped to be going this holiday season, but that didn’t stop Brandon Boykin from spreading a little Christmas cheer.

In the process, the Georgia sophomore saved his teammates some running.

The Bulldogs wrapped up their Athens-based preparations for the Independence Bowl, where the Dogs will face Texas A&M on Monday in Shreveport, La. The Dogs will meet Thursday in Shreveport, where they will spend Christmas then step up final preparations for the Aggies and their high-powered offense.

Boykin helped send everybody out of practice in good spirits, upholding a Georgia tradition by singing a Christmas song to cut down the number of post-practice sprints the Dogs are required to run. Head coach Mark Richt joked with media members after practice that Boykin’s song saved the players more than 500 yards of running.

Georgia, which comes into the Independence Bowl off an upset victory of Georgia Tech, hopes to do plenty of running in Shreveport. In the victory against Tech, the duo of Washaun Ealey and Caleb King churned out 349 yards rushing (183 for Ealey, 166 for King, who rushed for two touchdowns).

The Dogs would love nothing more than to dial up the same recipe for success against the Aggies, who boast the top-ranked offense in the Big 12.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 11:32 pm by bud

Tags: Brandon Boykin, Caleb King, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Independence Bowl, Mark Richt, Texas A&M, Washaun Ealey

Dogs could land as SEC rep in Independence Bowl

By Bud L. Ellis

Amid a gaggle of SEC teams with seven wins, it’s quite possible the Georgia Bulldogs emerge as the conference’s representative in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.

It looked like the Dogs, who have struggled through their worst season in a decade, were heading for the Papajohns.com bowl in Birmingham. But then the Dogs stunned seventh-ranked Georgia Tech last Saturday in Atlanta, and moved into a crowded group of seven-win SEC teams.

Georgia is an interesting story, albeit disappointing. Head coach Mark Richt returned the Dogs to their glory days of the early 1980s in the early part of this decade, and Georgia kicked off last season ranked No. 1 in the nation. But after struggling through the second half of 2008, the Dogs flopped behind fifth-year senior quarterback Joe Cox and an underachieving defense.

But what makes Georgia’s 7-5 season so maddening is how many playmakers the Dogs possess. Sophomore wide receiver A.J. Green may be one of the top wideouts in the nation. Redshirt sophomore running back Caleb King teamed with freshman back Washaun Ealey to rip Georgia Tech’s defense, the two combining for 349 rushing yards (and Ealey winning SEC freshman of the week for the second time this season).

The last time Georgia played in this game, the Dogs beat Arkansas 24-15 on Dec. 29, 1991. This year’s game is Dec. 28.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 9:29 pm by bud

Tags: A.J. Green, AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, Arkansas, Caleb King, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech, Joe Cox, Mark Richt, Washaun Ealey