Georgia 2015 Preview: Roaring Bulldogs?

 

 

 

People laugh at Clemson for managing to choke the big games away, but let’s be honest, Georgia’s as bad as Clemson is. They lost to South Carolina and Florida despite being overwhelming favourites, and didn’t get to the SEC Championship Game, thanks to Missouri – a team they beat – managing to only lose to….(you guessed in) Georgia. 

Despite losing Todd Gurley to the NFL, hopes are high, thanks to Nick Chubb. But there are a lot of things for Mark Richt to do before that….

LAST SEASON

Georgia beat Clemson handsomely at the start of the season, and the sold-out Sanford Stadium swore that this was going to be their year – especially after seeing The Devil Spurrier get shellacked at home to Texas A&M. Well, they played badly in a quagmire. And lost. They then rebounded with wins over Tennessee, Vanderbilt, a shut-out win at Missouri and an impressive win at Arkansas – despite Todd Gurley getting suspended for four games over signing autographs. They walked into The Cocktail Party with the arrogance of a frat boy senior who knows everything, and left with their red pants round their ankles. After smashing Vanderbilt, Auburn and (gasp) Charleston, they then – in true Bulldogs fashion – lost inexplicably to Georgia Tech in a game uglier than One Of Them Heifers They Talk About Huntin’ On A Tuesday Night.

OFF-SEASON

Key NFL and graduation departures included running back Todd Gurley, WR Chris Conley, WR Michael Bennett, C David Andrews, DE Ray Drew, and LBs Armando Herrera and Ramik Wilson. In short, a pretty fair amount of talent.

Spurrier said that it was an advantage to play Georgia early because so many people were suspended. Well, we are stunned to tell you that with two weeks to go – no Georgia player has been arrested. Of course, that’ll probably change as soon as I put this out there, but that’s the pain of getting stuff like this out early.

Anyway, offensive co-ordinator Mike Bobo took over Florida-bound Jim McElwain’s position as head coach of Colorado State, and Brian Schottenheimer – formerly the St Louis Rams’ OC – came to Athens.

IN CHUBBSTER WE TRUST

Georgia girls are now proud of saying that they are “Chubby Girls” and Georgia boys are proud of saying that they are “Chubby Boys”. Yes, that’s what this kid Nick Chubb’s done to a campus after a 1,547 yard, 14 TD season where he took over from Todd Gurley and did quite well, thanks. People are using him in the same word as ‘Heisman’.

But it’s the running game that’s going to make Georgia dangerous, because if Chubb comes off the field, then he’ll be replaced Keith Marshall (who, if he stays healthy, is pretty damned good) and Sony Michel, who’s had his own injury problems, but if he stays healthy, is a human joystick.

SO WHO’S GOING TO WIN THE QB BATTLE?

God only knows. Brian Schottenheimer’s keeping it under his hat as to who’s going to be the QB – or doesn’t know. It’s a pretty straight fight between Brice Ramsey, UVA transfer Greyson Lambert or Fauton Bata. I think it’ll be Ramsey, because he knows the UGA system better than the other two, but everyone’s new in a new system.

The problem for UGA will be playing teams that are really good at shoring it up against the run (like Alabama or Florida), because Malcolm Mitchell and freshman Terry Godwin are the Dawgs’ only WRs of note at the moment, what with Isaiah McKenzie’s not-particularly-great hamstring and Justin Scott-Wesley’s screwed knee. Scott-Wesley’s not going to need surgery, but he’s not going to be 100%, is he?

DEFENSIVELY….

Jeremy Pruitt did a pretty good job, with Georgia 17th in the country in yards/game and 16th in points/game. If you take out the blow-out against Florida, they actually were better than that. Still, how did they ****-up against Florida?

Anyway, Georgia returns just five defensive starters – and a lot will be expected of LBs Leonard Floyd (6 sacks 55 tackles in 2014), Jordan Jenkins and Lorenzo Carter, who are freaks. Trent Thompson will help to shore up the D-Line, and the secondary – as is always the case with Georgia – is going to enrage at times. Step up, Dominik Sanders, Quincy Mauger and freshman Reggie Wilkerson.

THE SCHEDULE

Sep. 5 – Louisiana-Monroe
Sep. 12 – at Vanderbilt
Sep. 19 – South Carolina
Sep. 26 – Southern
Oct. 3 – Alabama
Oct. 10 – at Tennessee
Oct. 17 – Missouri
Oct. 31 – Florida (In Jacksonville, FL)
Nov. 7 – Kentucky
Nov. 14 – at Auburn
Nov. 21 – Georgia Southern
Nov. 28 – at Georgia Tech

Otherwise, they should be 4-0 to start the season, with their only SEC games a rebuilding South Carolina (at home) and a still-poor Vanderbilt team.

Then there’s a small game at home to Alabama on Oct 3 that no doubt we’ll be hearing through the dulcet tones of Verne Lundqvist and Mr. Irritating Gary Danielson on CBS. We think they’ll lose in a thriller. 

Georgia will then slide through at Tennessee, beat Missouri, get revenge against Florida, beat Kentucky and then lose to the super-speed of Auburn in a heart-breaker, because that’s how Georgia loses games to Auburn. They then rebound to smack Georgia Southern and beat Georgia Tech in another wild game in a full town of nerds (their words, not mine).

In other words, Georgia ends up 10-2 and winning the SEC East.