Sidelines & Headlines

Jim Hardin and Blake Giles are back to talk about spring football, and everything else that crosses their mind, like Blake injuring his big toe, Jim going to watch Clemson’s spring football game where Dabo Swinny offered running commentary from the field, Blake went to G-Day and saw seven quarterbacks play, Jake Bobo gets to play for his father, OC Mike Bobo; Auburn turns to Byron Brown, South Florida transfer; Arch Manning played poorly in the Texas spring game; Brendan Sorsby is suing to get his eligibility after he was found to have gambled, an NCAA no-no; which sparked a short discussion on Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose; did you know that Ron Blomberg was the first designated hitter in the Majors; the Big 10 is bragging about its first-round performance in the NFL draft; how could Ohio State not win the national title with four of the top 12 players drafted?; where is the NIL money coming from?; Georgia is being precautious with Nate Frazier (precautious? Is that a word?); Zachariah Branch’s arrest was not much news after he was drafted by the Falcons; the five years for five seasons of eligibility seems like a good rule; the NCAA has to fight in court over and over again to maintain its rules; Georgia is keeping its football players by and large, but the basketball teams are turning over; the Bulldogs still recruit well in high school; Georgia is the standard that everyone shoots for; can Indiana win again?; the SEC will experiment with ABS in its conference tournament; will ABS become a thing in college baseball?; fun fact: the Savannah Bananas have played in Kyle Field at Texas A&M more than the Georgia Bulldogs; how is Texas not better than they were; Arkansas and three other schools are dropping their tennis programs; Jim likes Texas next year; Blake is high on Georgia; why did Alabama extend Kalen DeBoer’s contract, which practically guarantees he will be the coach for two more years?; Georgia is blessed to have alum Kirby Smart as its head coach; Auburn faces a tough schedule but Jim likes their quarterback; how did Auburn fall off the top of the food chain?; one reason, its biggest rivals—Alabama and Georgia—have been very good at the same time; Auburn has to keep playing them every year, along with ascendant Vanderbilt; Will Muschamp may revive Texas’s defense; will Lane Kiffin get LSU back in contention?; Jared Curtis says he will win a national championship at Vanderbilt; Blake saw Maxie Foster of Athens honored as the first scholarshipped black athlete at Georgia’ before the five, Ken Dious and James Hurley were the first blacks who practiced at Georgia; Sylvester Boler could have been “Herschel Walker” before Herschel; Boler starred when Georgia rallied to beat Tennessee and Condredge Holloway, “the artful dodger;” Georgia radio announces a new broadcast duo; Jim believes Florida has a good head coach; Jim is headed to the beach; Blake is cruising; they talk gardening; Blake visited his old friends Brian and Becky Tankersley at Double Branches Farm in Lincolnton to get some strawberries; they visited a brisket cooking and testimony event featuring Russ Tanner at Colbert Baptist Church; Jane Bath is the author of Landscape Design Answer Book; Jim talks vegetable gardening.

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles review the CFP championship game, won by Indiana, 27-21 over Miami, earning the first football title for the school. Then they look at the preseason rankings and the final AP rankings. Twelve teams ranked in the preseason failed to finish in the top 25. Most disappointing? Penn State, Clemson, LSU and Florida. Which team will emerge next year? Has the Big 10 surpassed the SEC? Georgia adds a late quarterback recruit. The Falcons underwhelmed with their hire. Both pick the Seahawks and Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl.

Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Harbin look ahead to the CFP Finals. Indiana looks too good to lose. But ex-Bulldog quarterback Carson Beck has played well for Miami. The portal has been busy as usual. Georgia has had less turnover than any team in the SEC. Oklahoma State has had wholesale roster turnover. The NFL playoffs look wide open.

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles review the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Both were surprised that Miami beat Ohio State. They were also surprised by how uncompetitive Texas Tech and Alabama were in their losses to Oregon and Indiana, respectively. They break down Ole Miss’s win over Georgia in a rematch. They agree that it was the great play of Trinidad Chambliss that made the difference. Was it a great season for Georgia, even without winning the national title. What is next for Georgia? What do they need from the portal? Running back and wide receiver seem like obvious needs for next year. The Falcons ended the season on a winning streak, but still out of the playoffs. Mention is made of wins by the Georgia men’s and women’s basketball team in back-to-back overtime games.

Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Hardin offer congrats to the Georgia state champs. And can Central Macon rediscover glory under a new head coach. There is news in college football. What about the young viral sensation, Nolan McGill, who refused to sing “Rocky Top,” endearing himself to Georgia fans everywhere. Will Muschamp, once the “Coach in Waiting” at Texas, is heading back to Austin to join the staff as the defensive coordinator. Bill Belichek hires Bobby Petrino. Alabama and Ole Miss won in the first round. Texas A&M and Oklahoma lost. The quarters will feature Ohio State vs. Miami in the Cotton Bowl, Texas Tech against Oregon in the Orange Bowl, Alabama vs. Indiana in the Rose Bowl and Georgia against Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. And they reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles preview the Georgia High School Association state finals. Then they celebrate—at least Blake does—Georgia’s decisive victory over Alabama in the SEC Championship. Then they break down the CFP selections. The 12-team playoff is doomed to be controversial as long as it is attached to a traditional format that left no room for a playoff. Notre Dame belongs in, they say, but maybe not Alabama. The Heisman finalists have been announced. The guys like Diego Pavia, but they believe the Indiana QB will win it. And finally, they look back at the season for every SEC team. Is their fan base satisfied or dissatisfied with the results?

Hosts Blake Giles, retired sports journalist, and Jim Hardin, former Auburn walkon (who never played) review the results from rivalry weekend. Blake describes how Georgia broke Florida State’s football program, and it goes beyond the 63-3 beatdown in the Orange Bowl. And then they preview the conference championships, particularly Georgia and Alabama. Who is on the bubble of the CFP, and who is in? Blake introduces his stress-free seconds calculator as a gauge. Finally, Lane Kiffen did what everyone assumed he would do, take the LSU job, and then the floodgates opened, as colleges filled vacancies. They had to hurry because signing day is looming, and the news is that No. 1 QB prospect Jared Curtis is flipping from Georgia to Vanderbilt. That leaves the Dogs without a QB in their commitments. And the Athens area teams, except for Jefferson, were bumped from the playoffs. It was a great year for Jackson County, and a rough end for Athens Academy and Prince Avenue Christian. And North Oconee lost on a walk-off field goal. Finally, Jim reveals the history of squirrel stew.

Hosts Blake Giles, a veteran of four decades of sports journalism, and Jim Hardin, a devoted fan, evaluate Georgia’s convincing win over Texas. The pre-game hype for Texas was greater than the on-field version. Then, how many SEC teams will get into the College Football Playoff? And just how good No. 3 Texas A&M. It may have the weakest schedule in the league. What is the future for conference championship games? Will the Atlanta Falcons ever have a functional from office? High school playoffs reach the second round.

Georgia hosts Texas in a showdown that has been on everyone’s calendar for two years. Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Hardin review the history between the two schools. Even though that game may suck the air out of Athens, there is more going on in college football. The two review last week’s games. Georgia played a complete game at Mississippi State. Auburn discovered an offense, but its defense collapsed in an overtime loss at Vanderbilt. Indiana toe-tapped past Penn State. Meanwhile, high school football playoffs start this week in Georgia.

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles review the firing of Hugh Freeze at Auburn and wonder how long Georgia can keep escaping. And who is in the playoffs, and who is not. And an abbreviated look at the playoffs is interrupted by a technical difficulty that cuts off the podcast abruptly. No worry. Everybody is fine, and we will be back next week.

Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Hardin discuss the many vacancies in college coaching created by a flood of dismissals. The media focuses on other head coaches. But 14 of the current top 25 teams have head coaches who previously had been only assistant coaches. The high school season reaches its regular-season zenith as teams jockey for playoff position. And its Georgia-Florida week. Blake remembers the 1993 game, when weather socked in the rest of the newspaper staff.

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles catch up with two reporters who specialize in high school sports: Sara Tidwell of the Athens Banner-Herald and Stuart Steele of the Oconee Enterprise. As the regular season winds down, they peek ahead to the playoffs. Then they all chime in on Georgia’s win over Ole Miss. On the college scene, Jim and Blake review the latest firing, Billy Napier at Florida. Is Hugh Freeze next? How big could the Georgia-Georgia Tech game be? Stuart picks his player of the year, Keyon Standifer of Athens Academy. Sara likes the “dynamic duo” at Prince Avenue Christian, Ben Musser and Andrew Beard.

Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Hardin discuss the controversial call of a fumble by Auburn at the Georgia goal line. Did Kirby Smart call a timeout? Did it matter? What has happened to Auburn football, once a conference power? Is Hugh Freeze in trouble? What is the difference between first-half Georgia and second-half Georgia? Lane Kiffen likes to gig his opponents, but in a gentler fashion than Steve Spurrier. It’s a big weekend in the SEC with eight conference games, most of them close. On the high school front, Oglethorpe County beats Rabun County for the first time in decades. The Patriots have their eyes on the playoffs. Brett’s Restaurant serves as podcast host.

Hosts Jim Hardin, an Auburn man, and Blake Giles, a Georgia Bulldog, preview the annual rivalry game. Jim has missed only three Auburn games since 1984. They recollect the history of the series: Pat Dye, Vince Dooley, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, the prayer at O’Hare, Joel Eaves, Buck Belue, orange jerseys, black jerseys, Pat Sullivan, Terry Beasley, Andy Johnson, Erk Russell, Joel Eaves, Columbus, Ga., Fran Tarkenton, Bill Herron, Shug Jordan, water hoses, missing quarterback, Lewis Grizzard, the famous photo from the four-overtime game, Mike Bobo, Kim Braswell, Robert Edwards, Tre Battle, the lack of a pass rush at Georgia, Gunner Stockton. Also on the agenda, North Oconee has championship banners galore in its gymnasium. Alas, star Khamari Brooks is done for the year with a fractured hip. The kickers in the Prince Avenue Christian-Stephens County game showed off strong legs. Speaking of kickers, the Kell kicker booted a late field goal to beat Blessed Trinity 3-0, an unusual score in the day of high-powered offenses. Blake’s high school mate Roger Harris kicked a 47-yard field goal for Athens High in 1967 and then kicked for the freshman team at Georgia. Blake proposes a radical idea to do away with penalty kick decisions in soccer games: In overtime, prevent even the goalie from using his hands. Soccer is a great game, but American football offers so much more interesting strategy. Habersham Central beats Clarke Central for the first time since 2007. Hebron Christian looks loaded. The Georgia High School Association is switching to a points-based system to determine the playoffs next year. Blake lobbies for the mile run to replace the 1,600 in high school meets, because the mile run is magical. What other podcast has ATV farm vehicles hauling supplies? Maybe the media overrated Texas and Arch Manning. Penn State is in a deep hole as it relates to the playoffs. Ole Miss rated as favorite to win the conference. Who said, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Frank Broyles and Keith Jackson worked together as commentators. In the end, Jim picks Auburn 30-28. Blake picks Georgia 30-20. The athleticism of professional wrestlers is impressive.

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles visit with former Georgia football player Russ Tanner. They are all amazed that Ty Cummings of West Laurens rushed for 615 yards, by himself. Johnson County, Russ’s alma mater, is undefeated. Georgia has an Alabama problem. How do you explain it? It used to be a Florida problem. NIL and transfer portal has evened the playing field in college football. Roster management is a critical mystery. Russ says you need eight or nine strong players to field a stable offensive line. Has the game been hurt by players getting paid? Russ said the “on-the-field” product is as good as it has ever been, making it the greatest sport in the world. (Russ offers our podcast services for $500,000: send an email if you are interested.) Look how competitive the SEC is. Vanderbilt is no longer a walkover. Jobs opening, and who will get hired. Dan Lanning is not leaving Oregon. How long will Kirby coach? Big-boy reception for Alabama: what are you going to do. No secrets in bouncing back from a loss: go to work. Where is the Auburn offense? Lane Kiffen learning how to be a head coach at Ole Miss, but wouldn’t he leave for the right paycheck? Florida’s had three decades of greatness, surrounded by mediocrity. Are schools going to have to deal with donor fatigue? Texas Tech is an interesting experiment, with a rich portal class. Talent can trump culture. The cat is out of the bag with paying players; there is no going back. No salary cap in the college game. Mark Richt coached three or four teams that would have made it into the expanded college playoffs. People who criticize coaches have no standing to evaluate coaches. Coaches want to win more than fans do. Russ never thought about coaching because he wanted to have a family life. Neither does he feel compelled to be a professional commentator. It took years for David Pollack to rise to prominence. Paul Finebaum says he is going to run for office. Russ has not been invited to be on Relatable, the podcast by his sister-in-law, Allie Beth Stuckey. And how can Arkansas make Bobby Petrino the face of their program again?

Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Hardin preview a big weekend in college football, including Alabama at Georgia, Oregon at Penn State, LSU at Ole Miss, Georgia Tech at Wake Forest, and Notre Dame at Arkansas. Blake quizzes Jim on the top 10 Heisman candidates, as listed on ESPN.com. How is it that David Weeks did not mention that his son Whit, an LSU linebacker, is dating Landry Kiffen, daughter of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffen? And LSU plays at Ole Miss this week. Landry says she’s pulling for her dad’s team. How did Oklahoma get away with what Jim calls the Lonesome Polecat, which was his first suggestion for the name of this podcast. Auburn’s quarterback got sacked for nine time, because he held on to the ball too long. Clemson looks like toast after its loss to Syracuse. But the Orangemen were fined for faking injuries to slow play down. Jim asks about Dabo Sweeney’s defensiveness around the media. Kirby Smart is in his 10th season and is at the pinnacle of his profession. Mark Schlabach does an excellent profile on ESPN.com, which appears that Smart gave Schlabach access that he normally does not give to the local print media. On the high school front, Hebron Christian rocketed to No. 1 in the private class with a win over a strong Blessed Trinity team. Prince Avenue Christian won 59-34 over Westside of Anderson, S.C., which came to the area for the first time since the late 60s, when it played Burney-Harris, the black high school in Athens. Blake found an old story that mentioned some Burney-Harris players. Athens Academy’s Josh Alexander won his 100th game as a head coach. Jackson County beat Clarke Central by 50. Cedar Shoals lost to unbeaten Walnut Grove on a late field goal. East Jackson goes to 5-0 and gets ranked for the first time ever, just in time to play No. 1 Hebron Christian. Oklahoma State fired its head coach, Mike Gundy. Jim and Blake reminisce: Mike Rozier was a questionable role model. Bruce Pearl was a great basketball coach at Auburn. They remember Georgia’s great win over Alabama in 1976. Also, the 1965 flea-flicker win, when Blake was sitting in the high school bleachers. $2 seats where the president’s box is now. Would instant replay have overturned the play? What about in 1968 when Tennessee scored a TD and two-point play at the end of then game to tie Georgia? Channel 5 got tricked into running a bulletin on TV that the SEC Committee for Fair Play had reviewed the play and reversed the call and given Georgia the win. Turned out to be a hoax that the station put on the air.

Georgia outlasts Tennessee 44-41 in an instant classic, and hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles discuss that, plus Georgia Tech’s dramatic win over Clemson. Also food for thought: Auburn faces a stern test at Oklahoma, is Arch Manning just overrated, and Vanderbilt continues to impress. In the SEC, which fan bases are glad, which are sad, and which are mad? Blake caught up with David Weeks, a center for Georgia under Ray Goff, and now the father of not one, not two, but three sons playing linebacker at LSU. He loves Brian “BK” Kelly. But he is still waiting for his NIL-paid sons to pick up a dinner tab. On the high school front, it was a light week, but Lee County almost rallied from 31 down with a running clock in the fourth quarter against Colquitt County.

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles review the previous week’s high school football games, and preview upcoming action. The Falcons broke their fans’ hearts in the season opener with a narrow loss to Tampa Bay. Athens Academy beats John Milledge Academy and looks set up for a strong finish. Former Georgia letterman J.T. Wall is coaching John Milledge and has a son garnering college offers. Big game this week: North Oconee vs. Jefferson. Prince Avenue Christian up against bad luck with the power-rating system in Georgia. As for the college scene, Georgia was lackluster in a win over Austin Peay. They play at Tennessee this week, their first real test. Do they have the offense to score enough points? Florida shows incredible lack of discipline with a spitting incident that contributed to South Florida’s comeback win. And the gauntlet ahead is formidable. Starting with LSU this week. Blake thinks Georgia Tech has a good chance to beat Clemson. Vanderbilt continues to impress. After Blake and Jim said last week that Vanderbilt would do worse than last year. Now they are second guessing themselves. Vanderbilt visits South Carolina this weekend. The Gamecocks have yet to hit their stride. Trips to Knoxville are usually eventful. Blake revisits the highlights of the Robert Miles story. He talks about his interaction with the Tennessee football program. And a shout out to cousin Glenn Hardeman, who had an unlikely career as a high school football coach. Jim and Blake pick some winners. Jim wraps up with the Clemson joke.

Blake Giles and Jim Hardin talk about the first week of college football: Florida State upsets Alabama; Arch Manning plays poorly at Ohio State; Georgia’s offense finds a breakaway receiver in Zechariah Branch, but answers no more questions; Auburn finds an offense, but does it have a defense; LSU gets a big win; Bill Belichick has a long way to go at North Carolina; on the high school front, Prince Avenue Christian loses, Jefferson routs Clarke Central which loses a key player, Oglethorpe County beats Washington-Wilkes for the first time since 1983 and Grayson takes on out of state opponents.

Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Hardin review high school football results, including a trick play called by a fifth-grader to start a game. Clarke Central Football Coach David Perno looks back at his time as the Georgia baseball coach, including a memorable regional against Clemson when he was ejected after throwing a bucket of baseballs on the field. The ploy worked, rallying his team to a comeback win. After a tongue-lashing from AD Vince Dooley, Perno led Georgia past Georgia Tech the Super Regional to advance to the College World Series. Perno recalls the influence that Billy Henderson had on him, and he brags on a brilliant young defensive lineman, AJ Lonon, committed to Georgia. Blake and Jim then talk about the college season: Blake runs down the question marks for the Georgia offense. The SEC is wide open this year. Jim believes Auburn will be a lot better. Blake recalls a great story about Jeremiah Smith and his father.

Blake Giles and Jim Hardin interview Athens Academy head coach Josh Alexander, and Cedar Shoals Athletic Director Dreco Thomas. They talk about Apalachee’s emotional win in the season opener, Cedar Shoals’ new coach (Coach Sharpie they call) him, GHSA transfer rules and game-winning kicks. Cam Newton’s number will be retired…at the Georgia game. Josh Alexander talks about cooking steaks. Blake reports on a wet night at the Prince Avenue Christian opener, a comeback win.

Jim Hardin and Blake Giles interview Jon Richt about his new role as the head football coach at Prince Avenue Christian. Also, C.J. Dockery talks about leaping catches. And Jim and Blake talk about the beginning of the high school football season.