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DAMN: Kendrick Lamar performs exhilarating halftime show

Bianca Theodore — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 05:09:16 +0000

DAMN: The name of Kendrick Lamar’s latest chart-topping album, and the only word Atlanta could utter after the rapper’s exhilarating halftime performance at the college national football game.

“I don’t do it for the ‘gram, I do it for Compton,” boasted rapper Kendrick Lamar as he performed in front of a crowd hundreds deep at Centennial Park Monday night.

But that night, the rapper did it for more than just Compton; he did it for Atlanta, for the people, and most importantly, for the culture.

The show itself was free, so the much anticipated concert turned the park into an unrecognizable sea of college kids and teenagers. It was a bitter winter night, but even the threat of sleet and snow wasn’t enough to deter the die-hard fans.

The audience went word for word and song for song with the iconic musician, vibrating with energy as he took them through a catalog of his latest hits. Lamar wasted no time, going straight into “DNA” which was smoothly followed by “Element”, two crowd favorites from his 2017 album, DAMN.

Then came the moment everyone was waiting for: the performance of his summertime banger, “Humble”. Lamar went acapella for the first verse, but the song needed no introduction. When he paused the music to let the crowd sing, the entire city seemed to reverberate with the thumping order to “be humble.”

As a night of firsts, it was only fitting that Kendrick also performed his new single, “All of the Stars”, off of the Black Panther soundtrack. As the crowd swayed side to side with their hands in the air, it was clear the SZA featured song is bound to be his next hit. Lamar then followed his performance with the premiere of a new Black Panther preview, for which he served as the producer.

It was surely a night to remember, full of exciting firsts and crushing losses. Kendrick delivered on his promise to deliver the inaugural college national championship, and made history doing so.

So while the city mourns UGA’s loss, we should remember the wise words of a good kid in a mad city: we gon’ be alright.

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Alabama Beats Georgia Behind Freshman Quarterback In The National Championship Game!

Michael Walker — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 05:33:26 +0000

Alabama went into halftime of the national championship game trailing Georgia by 13 points, but a switch to Tua Tagovailoa, a true freshman, at quarterback proved prophetic as he led them to a shocking 26-23 victory in overtime, throwing a 41-yard pass to DeVonta Smith to seal the win.

The victory, which was as much a Georgia collapse as it was an Alabama triumph, represents Coach Nick Saban’s sixth career national championship and his second of the playoff era.

Tagovailoa, who came on in relief of a struggling Jalen Hurts, completed 13 of 23 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 27 yards. He outdueled Georgia’s true freshman, Jake Fromm, who passed for 232 yards.

Georgia’s rushing attack, which had been so devastating against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, was not nearly as effective this time around, rushing for 133 yards thanks to Alabama’s stout front-seven.

The national championship is Alabama’s 17th, while Georgia is still seeking the team’s second title after having won it all in 1980.

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Protests Planned As Donald Trump arrives in Atlanta for College Football Playoffs Title Game

Michael Walker — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 00:26:38 +0000

ATLANTA — The scene was relatively quiet Monday morning around the stadium in downtown Atlanta where the College Football Playoff title game was set to be held. A light drizzle fell on some fans milling about, but there were no anti-Trump demonstrators in sight.

At least two groups have announced plans to protest President Donald Trump’s visit to Atlanta for the game, which was set to kick off after 8 p.m. But their announced actions were scheduled for later in the day, closer to the time of the president’s arrival.

The Atlanta branch of the NAACP is urging people to wear white to the game and to bring white towels to wave when the president enters the stadium. The white is meant to mock the “snowflake” insult that Trump supporters have made against those who oppose the president.

“We’re going to make a snowflake turn into a mighty blizzard inside of Mercedes-Benz stadium when Mr. Trump comes,” Gerald Griggs, a vice president of the Atlanta NAACP, said at a news conference Monday.

The organization also planned a “Twitter storm” beginning at 6 p.m. and continuing through the end of the game. They plan to use the hashtag #AllTrumpsLies to highlight what they say are lies told by the president.

Another group, Refuse Fascism ATL, said it was planning a demonstration outside CNN’s world headquarters near Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The group plans to “take a knee” there at 6:30 p.m.

Atlanta police have said they will set up several designated areas for protesters and won’t interfere with demonstrations unless protesters break the law. Local, state and federal law enforcement authorities said last week that they’ve worked for months to develop security plans.

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Trump plans to attend Georgia-Alabama National Championship in Atlanta

Michael Walker — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 12:00:23 +0000

ATLANTA – President Donald Trump is planning to attend the national college football championship game between Georgia and Alabama on Monday in Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Police Department.

He is set to be hosted by Nick Ayers, a Georgia native who is Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, and his wife Jamie Ayers. First Lady Melania Trump is also expected to attend the game, which will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

APD says it is working with the U.S. Secret Service on security plans.

It’s not immediately certain whether two other top Trump allies in Georgia – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Sen. David Perdue – will join them.

Trump and his aides have focused their attention on the college football playoffs even as he continues a war of words with the NFL over players who protest social injustice during the national anthem.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders opened her press briefing Tuesday by congratulating the SEC schools “from two great states, both in the heart of Trump country” for bowl victories that propelled them to the championship.

Trump carried both states in 2016 – Alabama by nearly 30 points and Georgia by about five. But Alabama voters dealt Trump a blow in December by electing Democrat Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate over Republican Roy Moore, who Trump endorsed.

When pressed on Moore’s defeat, Sanders said she was simply trying to congratulate “two great football teams in the greatest conference in the country.”

As the room erupted into laughter, she added: “Which I’m sure that most of you will all agree, even those that don’t live in one of those lucky states.”

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Georgia claims a 54-48 double-overtime victory over Oklahoma in Rose Bowl

Michael Walker — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 16:17:46 +0000

It’s almost hard to remember, given how much happened from halftime on, but there was a point in Monday’s Rose Bowl when it looked like Oklahoma had the game all locked up. As Georgia desperately tried to make a goal line stand while down 24-14 in the final minute of the second quarter, OU pulled out a gorgeously designed trick play to further assert their offensive dominance and take a 17-point lead.

But somehow, after dropping 31 points in the opening 30 minutes, Oklahoma could only manage one more offensive touchdown in the entire rest of the game, which eventually ended in a 54-48 double-OT Georgia win. The Sooners scored on all but one drive in the first half; in the second, they punted or turned the ball over on seven of eight possessions. Even with the first-half cushion, only a fourth-quarter fumble returned for a TD let the Sooners take the game to overtime, where even with the ball starting on the opposing 25, they couldn’t find the end zone.

For anyone who watched Oklahoma in conference play this year (particularly their 62-52 win over Oklahoma State), it’s no surprise that Georgia was able to run all over the Sooners’ defense throughout their comeback. They got five of their seven touchdowns from the run, with Sony Michel and Nick Chubb combining for a total of 326 yards on an average of 13 yards per carry. Especially as the game went on and the OU defense got more and more tired, the Sooners had less and less of a chance to stop Georgia on the ground. It was a 27-yard Michel TD that ended the game.

But more importantly, the backs weren’t stuck trying to play catch-up with a two- or three-score deficit. Something was different about the Dawgs’ defense, especially up front, after they came out of the locker room in the second half. They were faster, more aggressive, and just plain scarier, ferociously pursuing ball-carriers and not letting Oklahoma’s stars shake tackles. Only six Oklahoma plays after halftime went for 10 yards or more, compared to 12 before the break. Add that success to one Baker Mayfield overthrow for an interception, and that’s all you need for a comeback.

The best Georgia sequence came right after a 25-yard Rodney Anderson third-down run, when Oklahoma was still up by seven. The Bulldogs rushed four on the next two plays, and got to Mayfield for back-to-back sacks that killed any momentum the Sooners were building up. The next play was a run for no gain, and the subsequent Georgia drive yielded a tying touchdown.

Particular credit goes to linebacker Roquan Smith, who led the team with 11 tackles. His key play of the game came in the first overtime on a third-and-two, when he chased down and stood up Jordan Smallwood with perfect form right before the first down line. When Oklahoma was in the red zone with a chance to win the game, that tackle added another OT.

Kirby Smart said after the game that the change in the second half was due to passion, energy, and enthusiasm, and honestly, as coachspeak-y as that answer is, it mostly checks out. Georgia had the fourth best defense in the country by yards allowed per game heading into the Rose Bowl, and even though they gave up 531 yesterday—nearly double their season average—that doesn’t change the core talents of this team or their formula for success. There was no switch to flick or some genius strategy move from the sidelines. It just took some time for Georgia to play to its full potential.

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