UGA Prepares, National Profiles

AJC's Carter Strickland writes about the Georgia coaches teaching their players about Polynesian culture.

But Mike Bobo wasn't interested in showing the players the dance as they sat in the offensive meeting room earlier this week. Instead, Georgia's offensive coordinator wanted his players to learn why the Warriors do the dance, its origin and its meaning.

"We have been talking to the [players] about their tradition and what to expect," Bobo said. "We are trying to give them some history lessons. The more you can familiarize them with what they are going through and what they are playing for, it helps make our guys more aware of what to expect."

David Ching of the Ledger-Enquirer writes about Georgia scout QB Logan Gray trying to mimic Colt Brennan.

The Georgia freshman quarterback is doing his best Colt Brennan impression during Sugar Bowl practice, trying to simulate the run-and-shoot passing attack that helped the Hawaii quarterback become a Heisman Trophy finalist.

But asking Gray and the rest of the scout team to provide a close simulation of the nation's highest-scoring offense is a tall order.

"I can't sit here and say he throws the ball as good as Colt Brennan. It's so hard to simulate what they're doing with our guys," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "You draw on a card and you say, 'Read this card and do it the way they're doing it.' It's just impossible.

From a few days ago, here's video from Online Athens of some Georgia players talking about facing UH.

David Ching also writes about Hawaii's improved defense.

"(Hawaii isn't) overly sophisticated in what they do, but they do what they do well," Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford said.

Tailback Thomas Brown took it a step further, saying that Georgia's offense needs an effective game not only for its own sake, but to benefit the defense by keeping Brennan and the high-powered offense on the sideline.

"The defense doesn't get much credit, but they're a lot better than they were last year," Brown said. "They've gotten better in that phase of the game and they're gonna be a challenge for us. I think it's gonna be important, especially for us as an offense, to make sure we don't turn the ball over and keep (the offense) off the field as much as possible."

T Kyle King of DawgSports.com takes a look at Hawaii's passing game.

This may shock you to learn, but Hawaii can throw the ball. The Warriors rank second in the nation in passing offense with 450.2 yards per game through the air and their numbers are just plain gaudy: 50.5 attempts per contest, 8.9 yards per pass, a 70 per cent completion rate, and 50 touchdowns through the air. That just ain't right.

June Jones has more praise for Georgia.

"I think every player on their team will play in the National Football League," said the former NFL coach and quarterback. "They've got a lot of talent. They've got some young kids playing, too. But right now, they already look like they can play in the NFL."

Jones, who played and coached with the Atlanta Falcons, said Georgia has fast skill position players, a young and athletic offensive line and a running back, "who is one of a kind." Georgia freshman Knowshon Moreno has run for 1,273 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Via the Leahey blog, here's a short video clip of Coach Jones praising Georgia on "Sports Unfiltered with Dennis Miller."

Amy Brittain of the Christian Science Monitor takes a look at the Warriors and writes about the budget disparity between UH and a BCS team like Georgia.

Georgia's football program alone brings in more than $60.3 million in revenue compared to Hawaii's $7.5 million. Hawaii's underdog story is a nostalgic reminder of an era when a team's budget/deficit column wasn't correlated to its win/loss column.

"There is typically a decided advantage for well-funded schools such as Georgia," says David Carter, director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "In preparation for game day, these programs typically have better support for training and academics."

David Leon Moore profiles the Warriors for USA Today.

Jones, who played quarterback at Hawaii in the early 1970s, played in the NFL and eventually was the Atlanta Falcons' head coach for three seasons, says this year's team has especially embraced the concept of ohana. It also has four wins — two in overtime — in which it scored the tying or winning points in the final 1:34 of regulation. "This team is very connected," he says. "They really love each other. And they believe in fighting through adversity. … That's what makes it special."