First of all, let me just say how nice it is to have Dana back on the team here at the blogspot. Now if you'll allow me, I have to get a few things about the Sugar Bowl off my chest.
-I hated this match-up from the beginning because no matter what, you cannot motivate a team to play Utah unless that team is Boise St. or the like. Granted, great teams motivate themselves no matter what, but I think that we showed we are not a great team, unless we have everything just so (meaning all of our pieces in place and run our gameplan just how we like it). We are a good team, not a great team...by the way "great" is the most mis-used adjective in all sports media.
-You can never overstate the importance of the offensive line. UGA had a sub-standard season, given the hype coming in. They also struggled in big games giving their quarterback time or their running back holes. The reason: their offensive line was mainly freshmen and sophomores. Alabama by contrast had a terrific season because their quarterback was sacked only 12 times this season, and their running backs had large meadows of running room whenever they needed them. We had three All-SEC linemen, one of which is going in the top 3 in April.
The week of the game we lose our best lineman, shuffle things around, then lose our second best lineman in the first 5 minutes of the game...all of a sudden, we ain't the same team anymore and things are NOT just so. JP got sacked 8 times, threw two picks, and fumbled once...sounds like 2007 to me.
It reminded me of that scene in Bloodsport where Chong Li throws the blinding powder into Frank's eyes and then just toys with him for the next 5 minutes.
losing the linemen was the powder in our eyes...only we didn't train with blindfolds on and somehow sense where their punches were coming from. That movie is bullcrap!
-Utah was better prepared and better coached during the prep period. Score after 10 minutes of gameplay: 21-0 Utah. hmmm. Their fist drive was something like what I would do to the computer on "freshman" settings in College Football 2002 for Playstation 2. And that had nothing to do with our O-line. After the 1st quarter, we settled in and held them to just 10 more points, but when I say "just so," I don't include down three touchdowns in that. Alabama fans have known all year that our style can not depend on quick scores to get us back...it was always about pounding the other guys into submission slowly and winning by 10-20 points.
-Utah was definitely better than us on Friday. I just wish that if we were going to lose, it would have been more like the Florida game where we had no real excuse except we weren't quite there yet. But then I ask myself, "Are you really there yet if things have to be 'just so' for you to win?" The answer is yes if you won 12 times by making things that way for yourself.
-One last thing, losing to Utah tasted like Poo Sandwich.
Now for more real life things, 2008 saw us get married and move into a nice little house. It took the dogs to a new home as well and they got a dog apartment that far beats any shelter they've had in the past...got em a space heater in Nov.
It saw Dana and I both do some "career experimentation." It gave us many firsts like Christmas and Thanksgiving together, houseguests for a weekend, a vacation alone, SEC championship game, and our first fight as a married couple which of course Dana won (she is much smarter than me).
It is important to me to look at life and try to only focus on the good and positive things, and there have been more than enough of those this year. I feel really lucky most days, and on the days that I don't, I just think about how differently things would be without the people around us who've invested themselves in us. And how rewarding it can be to invest back in them.
Without getting too corny, I feel like that is the best lesson I learned in 2008: to continue to invest in people. It feels good to have people believe in you. And it feels good to give that to someone else.
For those that don't know, I'm going back to school in a few days with the objective being to become a teacher. Any thoughts and prayers for us during this time will be appreciated. Mainly for my study habits and our bank account.
Also, for 2009, I resolve to play more basketball (to get into shape), to be a good student, and to play a practical joke, videotape it and post it online, kind of like this one, beware the language:
My favorite prank in their series.
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