BnE's 2010 Georgia Football Superlatives

The 2010 regular season has come to a close. Here is my first look back at the season, as I present the 2010 Georgia football superlatives. These are my opinions, but I would love to hear your opinions as well. Please leave your picks in the comments section.

Best Surprise – Kris Durham
After missing the entire 2009 season with injury, Durham returned for his senior year and became the second leading receiver for the Dawgs. During the suspension of AJ Green, Durham was Aaron Murray’s favorite target. He made some amazing catches in traffic and also showed his speed on a 67 yard touchdown to open the scoring in the Tech game. For the season, he registered career highs in receptions (29), yards (612) and touchdowns (3).

Biggest Disappointment – Bacarri Rambo/ Cornelius Washington
While some would say that the entire 2010 squad was a disappointment, two players in my mind stick out. The first is Bacarri Rambo, personally one of my favorite players coming into the season who has one of the best names for a safety in the history of football. Unfortunately, the promise he showed as a backup in 2009 disappeared this fall. Rambo often looked lost in coverage and while he tied for the team lead in interceptions, he really has a lot to work on before next season.
My other major disappointment was Cornelius Washington. While Justin Houston shined in his position moving from DE to linebacker in the 3-4, Washington was basically invisible. He recorded only 23 total tackles on just one sack. With Houston most likely headed to the pros, Washington will need to become that great pass rush linebacker we expected to see.

Most Overrated – The offensive line
Heaped praise for its experience prior to the season, the offensive line played horribly this year. Even with a quarterback who has the ability to make people miss and run, the line gave up nearly three times as many sacks this year as it did in 2009. The inability to get any kind of push in the middle also limited the run game. And with the Dawgs twice driving for potential game winning field goal attempts (against Arkansas and Colorado) they let a defender go into the backfield and kill drives. Ben Jones is still a hell of a center so there is hope for next season.

Most Underrated – Akeem Dent
After tackling machine Rennie Curran left early, there was a question about who would step into the role as the consistent tackler on the team. Dent took the mantle and ran with. He lead the Dawgs with 122 total tackles and finished second on the team with 2.5 sacks. He also had two forced fumbles and 6.5 tackles for a loss.

Offensive MVP – Aaron Murray
While I was pretty confident that Aaron Murray would be successful under center for Georgia, many fans questioned whether he was the right man for the job. A rough outing during G-Day fueled the fire, but after throwing for 4 touchdowns and running for another during the season opener against Lafayette, people began to see the light. What was supposed to be a position of question in 2010 turned into the most solid on the field. He currently sits one touchdown away from tying the Georgia all-time record for touchdown passes, he has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards, while only throwing 6 interceptions. The only game all season where he actually looked like a freshman was Florida, but it should also be noted he threw for over 300 yards and 3 scores in that game. AJ Green may be the best offensive player at Georgia, but there is no doubt who the most valuable was this fall.

Defensive MVP – Justin Houston
Houston was expected to flourish as he moved from defensive end to outside linebacker in Todd Grantham’s 3-4 defense. Boy did he ever. 57 tackles, 10 sacks, 18.5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, and 1 defensive touchdown. That was a hell of a year. If he leaves early, I wouldn’t blame him, but it would sure be nice to have his skills for one for fall.

Play of the Year – AJ Green touchdown against Colorado
After being suspended for the first four games, Georgia fans eagerly anticipated the return of AJ Green in the Colorado game. After not touching the ball in the first quarter, Green finally got going on a long reverse run. A few minutes later, AJ turned in the most amazing catch I have ever seen in person:


While the game turned out bad, I will never forget this play. Some other memorable plays from the season include Aaron Murray’s 35 yard scamper for a touchdown against Tennessee, Brandon Boykin’s 4th career kickoff return for a touchdown against Kentucky, Washaun Ealey’s 5 rushing touchdowns against Kentucky, the long Kris Durham catch and run against Tech, and Justin Houston’s fumble recovery and game clinching interception against Tech.

Worst Play of the Year – Third down sack against Arkansas
At home against Arkansas, the Dawgs mounted a huge fourth quarter comeback to tie the game at 31. With the ball and about two minutes left, the Dawgs drove near the 50, within one first down of a Blair Walsh field goal attempt. On third down, Aaron Murray dropped back to pass and Washaun Ealey missed a block. Murray was sacked and the Dawgs had to punt. A few plays later, Ryan Mallett hit Greg Childs for a long touchdown and Georgia fell, 38-31.

Best Win – Tennessee
This is a hard one to pick. Georgia did not have a victory this season over a team that finished with more than 6 wins. The Dawgs were close to wins in a number of games (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida) but came up short in each try. So my pick for game of the year is the Victory over Tennessee at home. Coming in with a 1-4 record and having just lost to lowly Colorado, the Dawgs desperately needed to show up and win big. They did just that, beating the Vols 41-14. Aaron Murray passed for two scores and added two more on the ground, racking up 325 yards of total offense. The defense shut down the Tennessee running game, holding them to a total of just 9 yards. It was revenge for the beat down the Dawgs took in 2009 and helped get the Dawgs back on track to finish with wins in 5 of their last 7 contests.

Worst Loss – Colorado
Colorado is a horrible football team. There is no excuse for Georgia losing that game. We had tons of fans, including myself, he flew thousands of miles to watch the game. AJ Green was back and dominated when playing. But an injury caused him to miss much of the second half and the Dawgs squandered a lead. A Caleb King fumble inside the Colorado 30 killed the Dawgs final drive, which could have ended with a Blair Walsh game winning field goal. But he never got the chance and the Dawgs fell, 29-27.

Biggest “Stock Down” – Rantavious Wooten
What happened to Wooten? So much a part of the game plan in 2009 on screen passes and reverses, he was mostly absent for the entire season. I had high expectations for him after he caught two TD passes against Kentucky last year. With AJ out, I thought he, along with Marlon Brown, would begin to show the potential that earned them high rankings in high school. But it just didn’t happen. How absent was he this season? He only caught seven passes for 41 yards and one TD. He had 6 carries for 28 yards. In other words, he had almost as many carries on offense as he did catches, and neither were significant. His touchdown catch came against Tennessee and it was a great route. I just expected more from him. Hopefully I am wrong, but right now, I just see him falling farther on the depth chart next fall.

Biggest “Stock Up” – Alec Ogletree
By far the most talented freshman coming into the season, Ogletree lived up to the hype by earning a starting job by the end of the season. He started out on special teams and was occasionally seen as a blocker on runs plays. But as the season went on and the secondary struggled, you began to see him more often on the field. The much maligned pass defense seemed to get better towards the end of the season and Alec is one of the reasons why. He was only a freshman and did make his share of mistakes (the blown coverage on the TD pass to the TE against Auburn) but his upside definitely outweighs his faults. Now, if we could only get Rambo to play better, we would have one awesome safety tandem.

Once again, leave your thoughts below.
GO DAWGS!!!

Victories of the Moral Variety

Most of us Dawg fans are beginning to grasp at something, anything to restore meaning to the rest of the 2010 football season. I'm a little down after these first couple of games, but remember, all of us have been looking forward to football for 9 months. Let's try to embrace it and our Bulldogs as much as we can.

Or is it?

It's hard to say that we're playing for pride when we came out flat and lost to an inferior (talent-wise) Mississippi State football club, especially when our Dawgs appear to have all but forgotten how to "Finish The Drill".

In an attempt to somehow overlook our 0-3 SEC start and our 1-3 record, here are 4 moral victories so far to takeaway for the season; while they obviously don't show up in the polls, maybe you can take a little bit of solace in them for our near future.

1) Aaron Murray - The preseason buzz was whether this newcomer to the returning 10 offensive starters would somehow slow down our attack; so far, Aaron is more than carrying his fair share of the offense. Aaron currently ranks 4th in the SEC in passing yards/game as well as in total offense; his passing efficiency is a solid 6th in the SEC, especially accounting for him being the only underclassmen on the list.

The excess play-action calls notwithstanding, Aaron could develop into an even deadlier quarterback over the rest of the season if the playbook is thrown open and more shotgun snaps are taken, giving Aaron a longer time to assess the coverage and routes. Then there's also that All-American wide receiver coming back from suspension...


2) Kris Durham/Blair Walsh - I think we could all agree that there have been several small positive surprises from our roster this year, among them Durham and Walsh.

Kris Durham is one of several remaining 2006 signees left on our roster; after battling through a shoulder injury and a resulting redshirt season last year, Kris currently ranks 3rd in the SEC in reception yards/game and 8th in receptions/game. All this while Durham is known as the go-to receiver for Georgia during AJ's suspension, with opponents focusing on him more; Durham has 17 out of the team's to-date 66 receptions for the season, having almost twice as the 2nd leading receiver on the team (Tavarres, with 9). With AJ returning, Durham and our passing attack could flourish further, with Kris fighting less double teams from our opponents' secondary.

Blair, a 2009 Lou Groza award finalist, has proven to be the only true consistency so far this year. Blair currently ranks 8th in overall scoring in the SEC with 31 points, and is a perfect 7-7 on FGs this year, with a long of 52 yards. While we have given up some bad kickoff returns so far this season, the statistics prove otherwise, with UGA ranking 12th in the nation in fewest yards per return given up (@17.47 yards/return), helped in part by 25% of our kickoffs (5/20) being downed for touchbacks. I hope that we can convert more of these FGs into touchdowns in the near-future, but it's always good to have almost guaranteed points at the end of a scoring drive.


3) Potential NFL lockout?- Beyond the above two, it becomes tough without listing obvious future moral victories (AJ returning!) or minuscule ones from this season. This is part 1 of my forward look to possible impacts on next year.

Out of the 29 listed juniors and 17 redshirt sophomores on our roster, the big names to circle for the spring's draft would be AJ, Justin Houston, and Ben Jones, with possibly Cornelius Washington and Brandon Boykin also in the mix. There always might be another surprise name popping up at some point due to the swirling uncertainty with the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.

As long as there's no CBA, any players who are taken in the 2011 Draft cannot sign with their drafting teams (especially since one of the major points in any CBA agreement will be instituting a rookie wage scale).

So, if you are a stud draft pick with remaining eligibility, do you:

1) Leave college for the draft in the hopes that the CBA might get signed, leaving your career at risk should some sort of fluke accident happen? Also, if there's no NFL season in 2011 (which is a real possibility, since the owners are reportedly collecting partial TV revenue for the season, whether it gets played or not; this of course is a lawsuit in the making), you would have to shake off some rust to fight 2011 and 2012 picks for a roster spot.

2) Stay in school, play football, get the regular NCAA injury insurance and maintain their draft stock for 2012. Or,

3) Avoid the 2011 draft, keep an eye on the CBA negotiations, and if an agreement is reached, screw up your eligibility to make yourself available for the summer NFL supplemental draft.

This option, which Paul Oliver took in 2007 after he was declared academically ineligible, is only realistic for the more elite, AJ/Justin Houston type prospects, especially since teams would be surrendering future draft picks. And this of course assumes that the players wanting to go in the supplemental draft could figure out a way to kill their fall eligibility (really tough not throwing in a joke here...).

While it would be a small miracle if AJ did return for a senior year, the possibility is definitely out there with the NFL CBA uncertainty.


4) New scheduling approach - While Damon Evans did wonders for the men's basketball program with the hiring of Mark Fox, his football scheduling approach was somewhat questioned, especially last year when we opened on the road against Oklahoma State during the inauguration/setup game of the newly refurbished Boone Pickens Stadium.

While I agree with BulldawgJosh that McGarity's proposed approach is a bit of a buzzkill and will hurt UGA's coast-to-coast public exposure, there is something to be said for Florida's results (3 MNCs) in the 18 years that they have not held an OOC game outside the state of Florida.

The alumni buzz for next weekend's Colorado has been more than palpable (I can only imagine a sold-out, 3,000 ticket UGA tailgate in Boulder with a waiting list), and I'm sure the buzz will be even more overwhelming for the 2013 Clemson game and especially the 2015 Oregon game in Eugene.

Although there is definitely merit in Nick Saban's approach to scheduling marquee games in recruiting hotbeds, I think that approach is more appropriate for outsiders-looking-in (ala Boise State, and the early years of Bowden/Florida State) and for state schools with recruiting areas less rich than Georgia.

For the OOC games UGA does pursue in the future, hopefully it will target recruiting-rich areas for games, approaching schools in California and Texas, as well as large media markets that will further expose UGA nationally (ie Rutgers).


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It's tough trying to put lipstick on a pig. But I do think there are some things to continue to look forward to this year, especially the treat of seeing Murray blossom as a QB and the continued evolution of Todd Grantham's defense, which actually ranks 5th in the SEC in total defense.

For the rest of the season, I want to see the Dawgs playing with more fire and passion, living up to those words on the back of their off-season workout shirts. I want to see Grantham's energy on the sideline, which I suspect has been bottled up by some of the higher-ups. And as a suggestion to Mike Bobo, I think he needs to move back up to the box for play-calling, since he's definitely not seeing what everyone else is.

Thoughts on: Louisiana-Lafayette

Now that I've had a chance to rewatch the game on the DVR, here are my thoughts on the 2010 opener:

- Todd Grantham is awesome! All of the Georgia coaches were wearing white shirts on Saturday, except for Coach Grantham who sported a black Georgia polo. He was fired up when we made great plays, but even more fired up when Rambo blew his coverage on the 60 yard touchdown. I've never seen a crowd get so excited about a coach chewing out a player. It was the complete opposite of Willie.

-That was the most vanilla offense I think I have ever seen us run. The running plays were mostly straight up the middle, we did not run any zone reads, and even barely used the toss sweep. So while the rushing numbers were not fantastic, they were pretty good considering ULL was stacking the box.

- Murray is a playmaker. While the touchdown run may have not been the best decision, he still got the ball into the end zone. But the play that really impressed me was the incompletion to Logan Gray in the end zone. even if he would have caught it, there would have been a penalty, but it was a great scramble and throw. I also really liked the come back route by Orson Charles. Murray can definitely make things happen and with a more open playbook, he may out up some really big numbers this year.

- Jakar Hamilton is going to be great in the secondary. covers well, hits hard, and should have had two picks.

- Justin Houston was unstoppable. I see him getting the Pollack treatment from now on.

- The player who impressed me the most: Christian Robinson. Seemed to be everywhere, all game long. He has a bright future in the 3-4.

- My last thought concerns the AJ Green situation. I think it is horrible that the NCAA has not made a ruling. If he is going to be suspended, make that decision. even if AJ did not attend the party in Miami, the NCAA can deem any type of contact as a violation. Since it seems pretty clear that he was at least invited to the party, that may be what they are looking at. Or it could be something different all together. Either way, the decisiveness is crap. They made a ruling on Dareus at Alabama, why can't they make one on AJ.

All in, a great way to start. We didn't look flat like we typically do in these cupcake games. The defense looked great and the offense looked better on TV than it did in person. Next week is going to be a battle.

GO DAWGS!!!

Bubba 'N Earl's Music Videos - One Week to Go Until Kickoff Edition

With only one week to go until the start of the 2010 season, here is Europe's 1984 hit (term used loosely), "The Final Countdown".



Time to dust off your chairs, clean up the grill, and get ready for another season of Georgia football. Can't wait to see the rest of the Bulldog Nation in Athens next Saturday!

GO DAWGS!!!

First Look: Louisiana - Lafayette

With a just over a week to go until the start of the 2010 season, here is our first look at Georgia’s opening day opponent, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.


Nickname: Ragin’ Cajuns – An appropriate nickname for a school in Louisiana. Apparently, they want to be called just Louisiana instead of Lafayette.

Conference: Sun Belt – Louisiana – Lafayette joined the Sun Belt conference in 1991. Did you know that Georgia State was a founding member of the Sun Belt? I wonder if their football program turns out if they try to rejoin in a few years. The Troy Trojans have either outright won or shared the conference title for the last four seasons. Georgia defeated Troy 44-34 in 2007, the last time the Dawgs faced a team from the Sun Belt.

Coach: Ricky Bustle – 2010 will be his 9th season as a head coach, all at Louisiana-Lafayette. He has a career record of 38-56 (including a 28-31 record in conference). His best season came in 206 when the team finished 6-5 and tied for the conference championship. Before coming to Lafayette, Bustle served as offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech from 1993 – 2001 (including the Michael Vick years).

2009 Record: 6-6. The Ragin’ Cajuns won six games to become bowl eligible for the fourth time in the last five season. Unfortunately, they failed to earn a bowl bid for the fourth time in five seasons. They played three games against BCS opponents, going 1-2 in those contests. They defeated Kansas State 17-15 at home on September 12 but then dropped games the next two weeks to LSU (31-3) and Nebraska (55-0) the next two weeks. They finished with a 4-4 record in conference play, including a 48-31loss to conference champion Troy in the season finale.

Returning Starters: 14 (5 on offense, 7 on defense, kicker, and punter)

Offense: Averaged only 22.2 points per game last season (93rd in the country). The offense is lead by returning quarterback Chris Masson, who threw for over 2,400 yards on 60 percent completions with 10 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. The Cajuns leading returning receiver is tight end Ladarius Green (533 yards). On the ground, the Cajuns are very inexperienced with Julian Shankle (only 38 yards in 2009) expected to be the starter. The offensive line will also be replacing three starters but will have senior Ian Burks, who has 32 career starts but will be moving from guard to center this fall.

Defense: The strength of Lafayette’s defense in 2009 was its ability to produce interceptions. They finished 13th in the country with 16 picks in 2009 and the defensive backfield returns 3 starters in ’10. As successful as the pass defense was running defense was not. The rush defense allowed over 180 yards a game last season, something Georgia backs should be looking forward to. Their best overall defensive player is senior linebacker Grant Fleming and every projected starter will either be a junior or senior this fall.

2010 Outlook: Once again, Louisiana Lafayette faces a tough out of conference schedule with match ups against four teams that made bowls in 2009 (Georgia, Oklahoma State, Ohio University, and Ole Miss. ) In conference, they are not expected to challenge reigning champion Troy and with only 5 home games, it looks like they are headed to another season that ends without a bowl game invitation.

So Take It From BNE...

...and this guy...


Here's to the start of fall practice!

What's the worst that could happen?

During the fall of my freshman year at Georgia, I witnessed the final season of the Jim Donnan era. The insanely talented Dawgs (the defense had too many future NFL players to count) lost 4 games in the regular season, something they would not do again until 2006. Since I became a student at Georgia, it remains the worst season I can remember. Last fall, we once again saw the Dawgs struggle and what we got was an 8-5 season that suddenly has people outside of Georgia questioning Mark Richt's job. After sticking to his guns in previous years, Coach Richt gave in and a massive overhaul of the defensive staff took place.

So I had to ask myself, what is the worst thing that can happen this fall? With 10 starters returning on offense, we should be able to score points. Even if freshman Aaron Murray struggles, can it be much worse than a number of the interceptions thrown by Joe Cox last fall (and before you jump down my throat, I know Joe cox made some great plays as well. But it always seemed like he threw interceptions at the absolute worst time.) And the defense can't get any worse, can it? Worst case scenario, the defense performs the same as it did last year.

Even if Georgia has another terrible season in 2010, can we really expect a record worse than 7-5? Even if the defense is still bad and the offense is about the same, the schedule is easier as we get Tennessee and Arkansas at home, LSU is off the schedule, and Colorado is no where close to Oklahoma State. I expect the Dawgs to be much improved, but even if they are at their worst, I think the record will be better than it was in 2009.

What do you think?

Senior Leadership

When Georgia takes the field this fall, the team will be filled with young players at a number of key positions. This definitely pertains to the offensive "skill" positions (QB, TB, WR, TE), where not a single senior is found at the top of the depth chart. However, there are a number of key seniors that will play big parts in the success of the Georgia Bulldogs this fall. Here is a quick look at this year's senior class and what to expect from them this fall.

Offense

- Clint Boling, OT - After being an "everyman" on the offensive line the last few years, Boling really came into his own at left tackle last fall. He will be a pre-season All-SEC team member and is expected to be the anchor of an experienced Georgia O-line.

- Shaun Chapas, FB - With Georgia expected to rely heavily on the running game this fall, Chapas will need to continue to improve his blocking. He has on occasion been known to break off a long run or screen as well. I expect this element of surprise will be an important part of the offensive game plan this fall.

- Chris Davis, RG - Another important cog in the Georgia line this fall. Davis is a three starter with a total of 38 career starts under his belt.

- Josh Davis, RT - Made 6 starts down the stretch last fall and really helped solidify the right side of the line.

- Kris Durham, WR - The sure-handed Durham returns after missing the 2009 season with injury. Durham will provide a key target for Aaron Murray from the slot receiver spot. Michael Moore had 5 touchdowns in 2009, I expect at least that many from Durham this fall.

- Fred Munzenmaier, FB - Another key blocker, he has also taken up Brannen Southerland's former role as the short yardage back.

Defense

- Darryl Gamble, LB - Gamble has had his share of big games (LSU in '08) and will be expected to play at all different LB positions in the 3-4 scheme this fall.

- Vance Cuff, CB - Touted as the most improved player during Spring, Cuff will compete with Branden Smith for the starting corner spot opposite Brandon Boykin.

- Demarcus Dobbs, DE - Dobbs will earn the starting nod at DE in the 3-4. His game saving play against Kentucy in '08 still remains the most important play he has made at Georgia.

- Akeem Hebron, LB - He came to Athens as a 5 star recruit but has never lived up to the billing. This is final chance to prove they type of player we thought he would be.

- Kiante Tripp, DE - The coaches have never been able to find a true position for Tripp, moving him from defense to offense line to tight end and back to defense. Hopefully, he finds a home and makes an impact on defense this fall.

- Brandon Wood, DE - Wood will start the year as a back up at the DE position.

Special Teams
- Chad Gloer - A walk-on who seems to be everywhere on special teams. Georgia has always had a special teams player who makes an impact (Burt Jones, Chris Gaunder, Zach Renner), now it is Gloer's turn.

GO DAWGS!!!

2010 G-Day Preview - Part 3: "Don't Blow my Cover"

Todd Grantham’s complete overhaul of Georgia’s defense is not complete with just the shift from the 4-3 to the 3-4. Georgia’s secondary is also getting a complete overhaul in the former of new defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos. Lakatos has essentially been given a clean slate in the secondary this fall as the graduation of Prince Miller and Bryan Evans in addition to Reshad Jones leaving for the NFL leaves 3 spots in the secondary up for grabs.

Much has been written during spring practice about the complete change in coverage philosophy. Brandon Boykin, Georgia’s lone returning starter in the secondary, has raved about the technique and footwork the Dawgs have been taught already. On Saturday, I want to see the Georgia secondary holding coverage longer. I want to see safeties step up and prevent short dump passes to the tight end and running backs from going long distances. And I want to see improved tackling and fewer penalties.

The most interesting thing to look at on Saturday is the individual performance of the players competing for starting jobs this fall. I assume Bacarri Rambo will be the starter at one safety spot, leaving two positions open. Branden Smith and Vance Cuff are the favorites to win the other corner position. The remaining safety position is wide open, but I am excited to finally see Jakar Hamilton out on the field.

Two more days until football!

GO DAWGS!!!

2010 G-Day Preview - Part 2: “Bring the Rain”

The 2009 Georgia defense was a complete and absolute failure. A team once known for putting constant pressure on the quarterback was reduced to a team more famous for letting Jonathan Crompton look like an All-SEC quarterback. Georgia managed to win 8 games last year in spite of the defense and it was clear that regime change was needed. Georgia fans got their wish in the hiring of former Dallas Cowboys line coach, Todd Grantham.

Grantham brings with him the 3-4 defense, a departure from the traditional 4-3 defense that was run under Willie Martinez. The new defensive scheme means players in new positions, such as former defensive end Justin Houston now lining up at rushing outside linebacker. The defense is designed to get more pressure on the quarterback, which was seriously lacking last year. Hopefully, more pressure will not only lead to a lower third down conversion rate for opponents, but hopefully a few more turnovers to boot.

This Saturday, most of my attention will be on the linebackers. With so many guys in new positions (including Richard Samuel now at linebacker), it will look a lot different than it did in the Independence Bowl. A few sacks on Saturday would be nice as well.

G-Day Preview Part 3 – “Don’t Blow my Cover” – coming tomorrow.

Just 3 more days…

GO DAWGS!!!

G-Day Preview: Part 1 – “Less is More”

This Saturday marks the end of Georgia spring practice for 2010 and it culminates with the annual G-Day game. One of the most intriguing stories of the spring is the battle to see who will be Georgia’s new starting quarterback. Zach Mettenberger has looked strong in both scrimmages, but his arrest in early April has him facing at least a 1 game suspension and most likely a back up job to start the year. Logan Gray has shown improvement, but a poor showing in the first scrimmage hurt his chances at winning the job. The front runner continues to be Aaron Murray, who has looked impressive in both practice and the scrimmages. And while Coach Richt is expected to name a depth chart to begin fall practice (though he will not be ready to name a starter), the question I keep asking myself is does it really matter.

Georgia will return 10 starters on the offensive side of the ball this fall, including a veteran offensive line, a talented duo at running back, and the best receiver in the country. This year, the quarterback will be asked to do less in the offense, and I say that is a good thing. For all of his faults, Joe Cox was brilliant at times for the Dawgs last season. Take a quick look at these two statistic lines:

55.8%, 2588 yards, 24 TD
55.9%, 2584 yards, 24 TD

The first line belongs to DJ Shockley during the Dawgs 2005 SEC Championship season and the second line belongs to Joe Cox last season. The major difference between the two is DJ only threw 4 picks, Joe threw too many to count.

To have a successful season under center in 2010, the Georgia signal caller does not need to put up 2,500 yards and 20 scores. These are figures that are often only seen by experienced Georgia QBs. The running game of Caleb King and Washaun Ealey should provide the firepower to keep the Dawgs in the end zone on a consistent basis.

What I am looking for on Saturday is the quarterback who embraces the “less is more” mentality. We need a little less Stafford and a little more David Greene under center this fall. The player who can find the right balance between making the big play and also knowing when to take a sack will give Georgia the best chance at success this fall.

Only four days until football…at least for one day!

GO DAWGS!!!

SEC Out of Conference Shceduling 2010: Seven Great Match Ups

The SEC has always done its part to schedule tough out of conference games and 2010 will be another year marked by interesting match ups between schools who do not normally meet in the regular season. Here is a quick look at seven intriguing games to watch out for this fall:

LSU vs. North Carolina - Sept. 4 in Atlanta
Everyone keeps waiting for Butch Davis and the Tar Heels to have that breakout season they have been expecting. A win over LSU to start the season would be a great springboard into the 2010 season.

Penn State at Alabama - Sept.11
Penn State took advantage of sloppy play and conditions to beat LSU in the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day. I don't think they will find their visit to defending national champion Bama quite as pleasant.



Oregon at Tennessee - Sept. 11
Pac 10 Champion Oregon comes across the country to face Derek Dooley's Vols. The Vols did not fare well against the Pac 10 in recent years, dropping two games to a weak UCLA team.

South Florida at Florida -Sept. 11
South Florida has been a consistent contender in the Big East the last few years, but after firing head coach Jim Levitt they will face a lot of questions. Do they have what it takes to put up a strong fight against the reloading Gators?

Clemson at Auburn - Sept. 14
A rematch of the 2007 Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Auburn hosts "Auburn with a Lake" in this early season game. Will Cameron Newton be ready to handle his first big test on the Plains?

Georgia at Colorado - October 2

The Dawgs should win this game, but it may be a challenge. Colorado almost upset the Dawgs at home in 2006 and Georgia has to travel to Mississippi State the week before.

Arkansas vs. Texas A&M - Oct. 9

Offense should not be a problem in this game as two high scoring teams with talented (and tall) quarterbacks square off. The question is, will there actually be any defense played at all?

Pre-Signing Day Depth Chart - Defense

With new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham bringing the 3-4 defense to Athens, it is hard to know exactly what Georgia's defense will look like this fall. The early exits of Reshad Jones and Rennie Curran paired with the graduations of Bryan Evans, Prince Miller, Jeff Owens, and Geno Atkins means there are at least 6 starting jobs open. Here is my best guess at the current Georgia depth chart, before signing day and spring practice.

DE - Justin Houston, Demarcus Dobbs
- I expect both players to be starters under Grantham's system, however we may see Justin Houston move to a linebacker hybrid position.

DT - Deangelo Tyson
- The graduations of Kade Weston, Atkins, and Owens leaves Tyson as the only experienced tackle the Dawgs have left.

ILB - Akeem Dent, Daryl Gamble
- Dent should have one of these spots, but Gamble may move outside.

OLB - Marcus Dowtin, ???
- Dowtin will occupy one spot but the other spot is anyone's guess. Christian Robinson played well at the end of last season.

CB - Brandon Boykin, Branden Smith
- Both players should improve in 2010. Look for Smith to really develop into a shut down corner.

S - Bacarri Rambo, Jakar Hamilton
- I am so excited to see what Rambo can do as a starter. The defense was clearly better when he was on the field last season. At the other spot, I will give the early edge to the Juco transfer Hamilton, though a healthy Quentin Banks and freshman Alec Ogltree will also push for playing time.

Pre-Signing Day Depth Chart - Offense

National Signing day is a week away and soon we will know who the new additions to the Georgia football family will be. But before signing day and eventually spring practice, we should still have a pretty good idea who will be lining up for Georgia opening day in 2010. Here's a quick look at the Georgia offensive depth chart heading into National Signing day.


QB - Open
- This job is open right now, but I expect Aaron Murray to take hold of the position.

RB - Caleb King/Washaun Ealey
- Both backs are young and finished the '09 season playing great.

FB - Shaun Chapas
- Chapas and fellow senior Fred Munzenmaier should be a major force in the Georgia running game.

WR - AJ Green and Tavarres King
- Georgia is loaded at receiver. Behind Green and King, the Dawgs will have Marlon Brown, Rontavious Wooten, and Israel Troupe. And don't forget that Kris Durham will also be back from injury.

TE - Aron White
- Georgia may have the strongest TE crew in the country. In addition to White, Orson Charles is a major threat in the passing game. And with the return of Bruce Figgins, Georgia gets its best blocking tight end back.

LT - Clint Boling
- Boling is the most versatile player on the Georgia line, but really found his home at left tackle last year. If Trinton Sturdivant can come back again, he will be able to provide some relief for Boling.

LG - Cord Glenn
- Entering his third year as a starter, Glenn will only continue to improve.

C - Ben Jones
- An absolute beast in the middle, he may be on the pre-season All-SEC team.

RG - Chris Davis
- Senior guard who is backed up by Justin Anderson.

RT - Josh Davis
- Played great after stepping in when Clint Boling moved to left tackle.

I personally feel Georgia may have one of the best all around offenses in the SEC. If Murray can step into the QB role, Georgia could be an offensive juggernaut in 2010.

Top 10 Reasons to be Execited for 2010

Continuing to look ahead, here are ten reasons why the Bulldog Nation should be looking forward to the fall of 2010.

10. Bacarri Rambo starting at safety

As I have stated on many occasions, I did not enjoy having Bryan Evans as a starting safety for the Georgia defense. His complete lack of coverage and tackling skills made him a near waste of space on the field. When Rambo took the field in 2009, the defense seemed to improve. Can't wait for #18 to be in there a lot more next season.

9. Strength of Schedule = Weak

For the last few years, we have been set forth with gauntlet like schedules while Florida and other schools have danced through cakewalk games. Next year, Georgia finally has a schedule that should allow for the development of young players early in the season and allow us to enter big games like Florida not exhausted and beat up. Our out of conference schedule includes Louisiana-Lafayette, Colorado, Idaho State, and Georgia Tech with Arkansas and Mississippi as our west opponents. This is a lot easier than last year when we had Oklahoma State, Arizona State, and LSU included in the schedule.

8. A Healthy Offensive Line

Once again, this season began with a constant shuffle on the o-line after Trinton Sturdivant got hurt. Late in the season, the line really gelled with Boling, Glenn, Jones, and the Davis boys. Aaron Murray (or whoever is QB) should hopefully have more time to make his reads this fall.

7. The Best Kicking Duo in America

Drew Butler won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's best punter and Blair Walsh was a finalist for the Groza. It doesn't get much better than that.

6. A New Man Under Center

Let's face it, Joe Cox did not perform like a fifth year senior this year. While he was fantastic at times, a fifth year senior quarterback should not throw 15 picks, particularly some of the ones he threw that directly led to scores for the other team (see the Kentucky game). Whether it is Murray, Mettenberger, Gray, or Mason, we will have a new leader at QB who we can get behind for the next few years. With a solid line, two great running backs, and a ton of receiving weapons, there should not be too much pressure placed on the new starter.

5. A New Philosophy on Kick Offs

With Fabris gone, hopefully we will abandon the directional kicking and let Walsh kick it deep. Despite still using directional kicks, Walsh lead the SEC in touchbacks this season. I expect him to do it again in 2010.

4. AJ Green's Final Season

While he will only be a junior, we all know next fall will be AJ Green's last in Athens. The kid has way too much talent to pass up the first chance he gets at the NFL. Despite missing 3 games this fall, he seemed to single handily carry Georgia to victories this year. He is the most talented wideout Georgia has ever had and I plan to enjoy every minute he is on the field next fall.

3. The Dynamic Duo: King and Ealey

Caleb King and Washaun Ealey proved down the stretch why they were both highly recruited players out of high school. Georgia's offense average over 200 yards a game running in the second half of the season and I expect the success to continue next year. Remember how great a duo Thomas Brown and Knowshon Moreno were in 2007? I think these guys can be even better.

2. Weapons on Offense

In addition to King and Ealey, Georgia will have an insane amount of offensive firepower at their disposal next fall. They have two of the best offensive tight ends in the SEC in Aron White and Orson Charles and a receiving corp that includes AJ Green, Tavarres King, Rontavious Wooten, Marlon Brown, a returning Kris Durham, and incoming freshman Da'Rick Rogers. Add in the fastest man on the team, Branden Smith, and the possibilities are endless. Georgia returns a total of 10 of 11 starters on offense.

1. The Return of the Defense

We all have wanted it and now Willie Martinez is finally gone. While Coach Richt is still searching for the right man for the job, we can be clear that the Georgia defense will have a new look in 2010. Soft zones and four man rushes are hopefully a thing of the past. I want the return of the junkyard dawg defense.

So that is my list. Let me know what makes you excited for the 2010 season.

Thoughts on Texas A&M and a Look Towards 2010

The 2009 football season for the Georgia Bulldogs officially ended Monday with a 44-20 beating of Texas A&M. And while the Dawgs scored nearly as many points as I predicted, this game was not the shootout I thought it would be. The game was tied 0-0 with under three minutes to go before the Bulldogs' special teams took control.

Brandon Boykin's third kickoff return for a touchdown on the season ignited a fire under the Georgia team that would turn this game into an easy victory for the Dawgs. After Asher Allen left early last year, I was not sure who would step up and take over the return duties, but Boykin has been a pleasant surprise this year and I look forward to see him work for the next few years.

After the Boykin return, Georgia forced another 3 and out and looked poised to get the ball back with just over a minute to go. Bacarri Rambo then proved once again while he is my new favorite player on Georgia's defense. Rambo, who also would have blocked a Texas A&M field goal earlier if Geno Atkins had not gotten to it first, blew past the line and blocked the kick. Georgia would punch it in to take a 14-7 lead at half.

Despite the 7 point lead at half, the Bulldogs were actually getting dominated on the field. The main cause was the complete lack of a rushing attack that had been so good late in the season. I think this finally made me realize how good of a player Josh Davis had become at right tackle. Vince Vance was really struggling in the first half, and the coaches made the adjustment (pulling Vance in favor of Justin Anderson) that seemed to fix the problem in the second half. It makes me really excited to know that we will have all five starters back on the line next season.

After the defense looked like it might be falling back into Willie mode by allowing the Aggies to quickly tie the score to start the second half, Georgia answered with another long field goal for Blair Walsh. The kid is money on long kicks and may end up with a better career than both Billy Bennett and Brandon Coutu. After another A&M special teams break down, Cox found Aron White for a 24 yard score and the rout was on. White had two touchdowns in the game and it will be a lot of fun to watch Murray have both White and Charles as safety valves when teams double cover AJ Green.

Speaking of AJ Green, it was great to see him back on the field but clearly he was not 100%. Both of the jump balls that Cox threw to Green would have been catches if he was healthy. We really missed him against Kentucky but I sure am glad he will be back for one more season.

The rest of the game was dominated by the Georgia running attack. The O line had finally worn down the Aggies' D and began opening huge holes for Caleb King and Washaun Ealey. In the fourth quarter, it was Georgia's fullbacks turn to pound the ball, ending with a Shaun Chapas TD. Despite only about 25 yards on the ground in the first half, Georgia once again finished with over 200 yards rushing. In the end it was 44-20 victory for Georgia securing the Dawgs' 13th consecutive season of at least 8.

This season was definitely a disappointment, but perhaps it was just what Georgia needed. We had become complacent, almost comfortable, with the success we had and it was time for some changes to be made. But without a 7-5 regular season and a trip to Shreveport, do you think Mark Richt actually pulls the trigger and gets rid of Willie? I don't think so. It is an exciting time to be a Georgia fan. We will soon know who the new DC will be, we return 10 of 11 starters on offense, and the schedule sets up nicely for a run at the SEC East championship. Year ten of the Mark Richt era will hopefully be the crowning achievement of one of the best decades in Georgia football history.

GO DAWGS!!!

Live at Folsom Field...in 11 months

Eleven months from now, myself and a great number of Georgia fans will make the long cross country trip to see Georgia take on the Colorado Buffaloes. Boulder is supposed to be a great town and home to historic Folsom Field. ESPN has a nice feature story up right now about Colorado's home stadium and it is a good read for anyone planning to make the trip next fall.

Folsom Field is also famous for holding conecerts, including the Dave Matthews Band every year.

Can't wait to see the Bulldog Nation invade the Rockies next fall!