Lou Williams Out For The Rest Of The Season With Torn ACL

The Atlanta Hawks face a devastating blow to their team. Starting SG Lou Williams suffered a torn ACL in the Hawks' game on January 18th in Brooklyn against the Nets and will be done for the rest of the season. Atlanta faced a similar situation last January when center Al Horford tore his left pectoral muscle which required surgery.

Hawks' SG Lou Williams tore his ACL in a loss at Brooklyn

Lou Williams has been a huge contributor for the Hawks this season as he was acquired from Philadelphia in free agency last summer. Williams was Atlanta's sixth man but made the transition into the starting lineup. The Hawks have used many different starting lineups this season but saw that Lou Williams brings the energy to the team and can have a huge game on any given night. Williams has been a huge factor in many of Atlanta's fourth quarter comebacks.

Although this may be a huge loss for Atlanta, they may be able to handle this situation well. As I pointed out, they lost Horford for the second half of the season in 2012 but they still performed well and skyrocketed with huge momentum heading into the playoffs. Horford returned to play two games for Atlanta but lost in the first round to the Boston Celtics.

Losing Williams for the rest of the season leaves a huge hole to fill in the starting lineup but the Hawks have key players and many guards who can fill Williams' role such as Devin Harris, Kyle Korver and rookie John Jenkins. Williams may be gone but the Hawks still have key players in their starting lineup such as Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jeff Teague.

With Lou Williams being gone, many Hawks fans may start to panic. With the talent on this team, Atlanta can still be a threat in the Eastern conference. With great sharpshooters like Kyle Korver and John Jenkins and players who dominate the paint such as Josh Smith and Al Horford, the Hawks can beat anybody on any given night. Keep your heads up, Atlanta. Until next time, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A.

Georgia Defeats Nebraska in Capital One Bowl, 45-31

UGA QB Aaron Murray

The Georgia Bulldogs came out strong after a heartbreaking loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game last month.  UGA QB Aaron Murray had a phenomenal game in what may be his last game at the University of Georgia.

Aaron Murray went 18/33 for 427 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. WR Chris Conley had two catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Senior WR Tavarres King had three catches for 104 yards and one touchdown. RB Todd Gurley had 23 carries for 125 yards and one touchdown. The offense had 589 yards in total offense.

Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez went 16/27 for 204 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. RB Rex Burkhead had 24 carries for 140 yards and one touchdown. He also had four catches for 39 yards and one touchdown. The Bulldogs completely shut down Nebraska's wide receivers as none of them caught at least 50 yards.

Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez

Georgia fought hard and was motivated after they felt that they deserved a better bowl game. They were five yards short away from beating Alabama in the SEC championship game and were heart broken after not being able to go to the national championship. They finished 12-2 and head coach Mark Richt will have many spots to fill after losing key players to the NFL. Among them are All-American linebacker Jarvis Jones, Alec Ogletree, and WR Tavarres King.

After the South Carolina game in mid-October, everybody wrote Georgia off. The Bulldogs proved the critics wrong and won the rest of their games and one of them included a win over the #2 ranked Florida Gators. Some of the challenges of next season will be facing Clemson in the opening game, LSU, and South Carolina. This team proved that they're championship ready and will still be a contender. Everybody in Athens will be praying that Aaron Murray stays at UGA for one more year.

I appreciate the support from all of you on viewing my blogs and watching me cover the Georgia Bulldogs throughout this year. Hopefully more improvements will be made with the team and they will have bigger championship opportunities next year. So until next time, GO DAWGS-Yuriy A.

Falcons Defeat Bucs 24-23, Improve to 10-1

It was a competitive game for the Atlanta Falcons from the opening kickoff to the final play of the game. Their division rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaners came into the game at 6-4. The Bucs were looking to upset the Falcons but fell short in their push for the playoffs.

Falcons' QB Matt Ryan

Falcons QB Matt Ryan went 26/32 for 353 yards with one touchdown and one interception. WR Julio Jones had a career day as he caught six passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. He was questionable with an injury heading into this game. Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez each added five receptions. RB Michael Turner had another off game with 10 rushes for a dismal 17 yards. RB JaQuizz Rodgers got into the game often as he had 10 carries for 49 yards and one touchdown. He knows how to be a playmaker and gain the right amount of yardage during crucial points of games.

Like Julio Jones, Sean Weatherspoon and Asante Samuel were both questionable heading into this game with injuries. Nonetheless, they played and gave everything they had. Samuel left the game at times with a hand injury but his toughness brought him back in the game. Weatherspoon had six tackles, one of which was for a loss. CB Daunta Robinson had six tackles and one sack.

Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman went 19/30 for 256 yards and no touchdown passes. WR Vincent Jackson caught five passes for 96 yards. Rookie sensation RB Doug Martin had 21 rushing attempts for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

Bucs' RB Doug Martin

Atlanta finishes another game with a hard fought victory. They look to seal the NFC South when they face the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night football. The Saints handed the Falcons their only loss of the season two weeks ago. Atlanta looks to impress the nation under the spotlight and continue to prove why they're a Super Bowl contender. Thank you for tuning in once again and continue to look for more blogs analyzing the Falcons. So until then, RISE UP ATLANTA!!!-Yuriy A.

Georgia Shuts Out Auburn 38-0, Clinches SEC East

The Georgia Bulldogs came into Auburn looking to clinch the SEC East and a trip to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. They had no problem accomplishing this mission. The Bulldogs came out fired up from the start of the game and didn't let the Tigers go anywhere.

QB Aaron Murray & RB Todd Gurley celebrating

UGA QB Aaron Murray had another great game. He went 18/24 for 204 yards and three touchdown passes. Tavarres King, Malcolm Mitchell, and Chris Conley made up those three scores. The freshman RB duo of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall both had fantastic games. Gurley had 11 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown. Marshall had eight carries for 105 yards and one touchdown also. The Bulldogs had 497 yards in total offense.

The Bulldogs' defense took care of business yet again, All-American and NFL-projected first round pick Jarvis Jones got into the backfield at will and always got to the ball. Safety Baccari Rambo had an interception. The defense also recovered a fumble.

Auburn QB Jonathan Wallace went 15/22 for 181 yards and one interception. Georgia completely shut Auburn's run game down as RB Tre Mason had 11 attempts for only 33 yards. The offense had a dismal 3-11 third down efficiency. They had two turnovers and only had 238 yards in total offense.

RB Keith Marshall running downfield on the Auburn defense

Georgia now awaits the winner of the SEC West. It will be either LSU or Alabama. It will be interesting now after Texas A&M's upset of Alabama on Saturday. Last year Georgia was in the SEC Championship game but got blown out by LSU after a fantastic first half. The Dawgs look to learn from those past mistakes and apply those to do anything necessary to win the SEC Championship and keep their national championship hopes alive. Georgia improves to 9-1 and will face Georgia Southern next week. This is a time where the Bulldogs cannot afford to make any mistakes in these last regular season games. They control their own destiny. Hopefully Georgia can raise the SEC Championship trophy high in Atlanta and do the same thing in Miami in the national championship game. Tune into my blog next week. So until next week, GO DAWGS!!!-Yuriy A.

Hawks Upset Thunder In Oklahoma City, 104-95

The Atlanta Hawks came into Oklahoma City looking to bounce back after losing their season opener at home to the Houston Rockets. They did just that. The Hawks didn't have Josh Smith playing because of an injured ankle. This did not stop Atlanta from playing with heart and showing everybody that they can compete with anybody in the NBA. This is the second time the Hawks beat Oklahoma City in the year of 2012. They pulled out a win against the Thunder in March at Philips Arena.

Al Horford helped propel the Hawks to an upset win over OKC

Al Horford had the big game for Atlanta as he had 23 points and 12 rebounds. He also added three assists, one steal and one blocked shot. PG Jeff Teague had 16 points and Lou Williams scored 19 points off the bench. Atlanta has a wide variety of go-to shooters and anybody can be the hero for the Hawks on any given night.

For the Thunder, Kevin Martin was the leading scorer with 28 points off the bench. Three time NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant had 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. PG Russell Westbrook had an off-night with 14 points on 5-18 shooting.

I think that Oklahoma City is vulnerable as the result of them trading reigning Sixth Man of the Year James Harden to the Houston Rockets. Kevin Martin could be a good asset to the team but may not bring the same game that Harden did to the Thunder. I think Harden should of been a starter in OKC. He is now demonstrating that in Houston.

PG Jeff Teague drives aggressively to the basket

As far as the Hawks go, this team looks promising. They bring energy every night and have the attitude of a contender. Josh Smith will continue to display his leadership when he returns from his injury and the clutch sharpshooting from players like Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson, and Lou Williams will help Atlanta win in late game situations.

The Hawks play the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, another contender in the Eastern Conference. They will face all-stars David Granger and David West. Indiana gave the Hawks some problems last season. We will see how the new-look Hawks stack up against them. Keep on tuning in to my Hawks blogs as I cover them all season. Get excited Atlanta, it's going to be a great year.-Yuriy A.

Atlanta Hawks 2012-13 Season Preview

The Atlanta Hawks have made a lot of changes this past offseason after a disappointing first round loss in the playoffs to the Boston Celtics. They signed general manager and president of basketball operations Danny Ferry from the San Antonio Spurs to the organization. All-star SG Joe Johnson was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets to clear up cap space. The players received in the trade were Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson, and Johan Petro. Atlanta also received a couple of draft picks. By dealing away Johnson, that clears up $90 million over the next five years. The Hawks are looking to acquire a superstar player next summer such as Chris Paul or Dwight Howard with this cap space.

PG Jeff Teague

Head coach Larry Drew hasn't declared the official starting lineup yet. There are many scenarios. You can make it Jeff Teague, Anthony Morrow, Kyle Korver, Al Horford, and Josh Smith or Teague, Stevenson, Korver, Smith and Horford. Some of the key players coming off the bench are Lou Williams and Devin Harris. Lou Williams was acquired from Philadelphia and Devin Harris was acquired in a trade with Utah for Marvin Williams. The Marvin Williams experiment never went well at all. He was the second overall pick for Atlanta in the 2005 draft coming out of North Carolina. He never reached his full potential and was eventually a bust for the Hawks. The Hawks passed up on drafting Chris Paul and Deron Williams that year. 

Another good move Atlanta made this offseason was resigning PF Ivan Johnson. Johnson was an undrafted free agent out of San Bernardino. He was banned from the Korean Basketball League as a result of his anger problems. The Hawks signed him before the 2011 season started and he made an impact. With his powerful dunks and physical presence in the paint, he brought a lot of energy to the Hawks and became a fan favorite.

In the Draft back in June, the Hawks drafted John Jenkins from Vanderbilt and Mike Scott from Virginia. Jenkins is a SG that is a sharpshooter. He averaged 19 PPG. Jenkins was the best player in the SEC last season. Atlanta has a hand full of guards and Jenkins can be a major contributor and can be a clutch player late in games. Scott is a PF. He averaged 18 PPG and 8 RPG for Virginia. 

PF Josh Smith

Josh Smith had arguably his best season of his career last season. He averaged 18 PPG and 8 RPG. He was not selected to the all star team and was viewed as the biggest allstar snub. Smith is entering his 9th season in the NBA and is only 26 years old. He can only get better. He is making better decisions on the court and is learning what shots to and not to take. His leadership skills has improved tremendously as head coach Larry Drew made him a team captain last year. Based on what happens this season, we'll see if Smith decides to sign a contract extension with Atlanta. Aside from this, Hawks fans should be excited about what Smith is going to bring to the team this year.

All-star PF Al Horford tore his left pectoral muscle in January and was sidelined for the rest of the season. The Hawks made up for his absence and other players stepped up for him such as Zaza Pachulia and Ivan Johnson. Atlanta was a 5th seed in the playoffs. Atlanta may have been a higher seed had Horford finished the season. Nonetheless, every season he has all-star potential.

Center Al Horford

The Hawks won't be receiving much love from the media but this is a team that can make some noise this season. They were aggressive in the offseason to rebuild their team and find out what the main focal points were to get over the hump in the playoffs. Getting rid of Joe Johnson was the biggest move they made mostly because it gave them an opportunity to get players who can step up and win Atlanta games this season. One big problem with the Hawks last season was that they couldn't close games out. Fourth quarter leads evaporated but they eventually found ways to pull out wins. As a team, they have to play hard for 48 minutes and can't take their foot off the gas.

The Eastern Conference is wide open every year. Everbody believes that Miami is the unanimous number one seed but after that, everything's up for grabs. The Boston Celtics made a good move by signing Jason Terry from the Dallas Mavericks to make up for not being able to resign Ray Allen. They aren't getting any younger, though. One team that did give Atlanta problems last season was the Indiana Pacers. The Chicago Bulls were a threat last season until 2010-11 MVP Derrick Rose suffered a horrible knee injury and won't return til February. Due to this, Atlanta shouldn't have any problem with Chicago.

Hawks fans in Atlanta should expect good basketball out of their team this season. Philips Arena will be ecstatic as usual and I can't wait to see what the team's new acquisitions will do in the Highlight Factory. Hopefully the Hawks will improve on their mistakes from last season and make a big run in the playoffs. Good coaching from Larry Drew and fantastic managerial knowledge from Danny Ferry can make Atlanta a surprise team in the NBA. I cant wait to cover the Hawks this season and it will be another crazy ride, so tune in. Until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A.

Falcons Remain Undefeated, Win In Philadelphia, 30-17

It was a great day for the Atlanta Falcons as they came into Philadelphia and manhandled the Eagles, 30-17. Matt Ryan had three first half touchdowns and head coach Mike Smith passed Dan Reeves as the Falcons all time winningest coach at 50 wins. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is now 0-2 as a starter when facing his former team.

Falcons' QB Matt Ryan

Falcons' QB Matt Ryan went 22/29 for 262 yards and three touchdown passes. WR Julio Jones caught five passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. WR Drew Davis played in his first career NFL game and caught two passes for 30 yards and one touchdown. RB Jason Snelling also caught one touchdown. RB Michael Turner had another off day on the ground as he had 24 rushing attempts for only 54 yards. RB Jacquizz Rodgers had eight attemps for 60 yards. The offense had 392 total yards.

On the defensive side, safety Thomas DeCoud had nine total tackles and one sack. Robert McClain and Kroy Biermann each added seven tackles. Sean Weatherspoon and John Abraham each had six tackles. Weatherspoon suffered a minor ankle sprain and is questionable for next week's Sunday night game against Dallas.

Eagles' QB Michael Vick went 21/35 for 191 yards and one touchdown pass. WR DeSean Jackson caught five passes for 59 yards. LeSean McCoy also had an off day for Philadelphia's running game. He had 16 carries for only 45 yards but ran for a touchdown. McCoy added three catches that accounted for 22 yards and one touchdown. 

Eagles' QB Michael Vick

Atlanta came out with great energy and it resulted in their first win in Philadelphia since 1988. Eagles head coach Andy Reid was 13-0 coming off a bye week heading into this game. The Falcons improve to 7-0 and are now looking ahead to the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are 3-4 following their 29-24 loss to the New York Giants. The Falcons will be playing the Cowboys under the lights on Sunday night and are looking to make a statement and show why they're the best team in the NFL. Good teams over come adversity to win games no matter what the situation is and that's what the Atlanta Falcons have been doing all season. Tune in to my blog next week and until then, Rise up, Atlanta.-Yuriy A.