Numbers Mean Progress (Even If They Don’t Mean Victories)

With a 3-4 record, Georgia has certainly not lived up to the expectations that many had during the summer of 2010. That being said, the Dawgs have certainly shown improvement over the 2009 team, even if the record is worse than it was last year. Stastics, while not telling the whole story of a season, at least provide insight into the ability a team has to perform on the field. For example, Georgia was third to last in the FBS in turnover margin last year and lost a number of games (such as Kentucky) that should have been won.

In total, I found 10 major team categories in which the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs are better than their 2009 counterparts:

#41 Passing Offense – 244.8 yards per game (201.1 - 71st in 2009)
#53 Total Offense – 395.1 yards per game (362.2 – 66th in 2009)
#51 Scoring Offense – 29.7 points per game (28.9 – 51st in 2009)
#16 Rushing Defense – 103.43 yards per game (126.1 – 36th in 2009)
#30 Passing Defense – 186.71 yards per game (213.1 – 51st in 2009)
#20 Scoring Defense – 17.43 points per game (25.9 – 64th in 2009)
#13 Kick Off Return Defense – 1st in the SEC (117th in 2009)
#23 Punt Return Defense (82nd in 2009)
#48 Penalties – 5.71 for 44 yards per game (8 for 67 – 113th in 2009)
#30 Turnover Margin - +4 for season (-1.23 per game – 118th in 2009)

Todd Grantham has clearly made a difference on defense. The only major statistic that Georgia is actually worse in this year is rushing offense, thanks in part to suspensions to Caleb King and Washaun Ealey. After seeing these numbers, you can’t help but wonder what might have been if AJ Green had been around for all seven games.