Each year, there is a great deal of turnover for every college football team. The same is true for the 2010 Bulldogs. Gone are familiar names like Joe Cox, Rennie Curran, and Willie Martinez. New names sure to be familiar very soon like Aaron Murry, Alec Ogletree, and Todd Grantham have arrived in Athens. Here is an early look at the 2010 Bulldogs broken down by position.
Offensive Overview:
The Dawgs return 10 of 11 starters on offense in 2010. However, most of the talk preseason will focus on the 1 starter that is new to the bunch. Aaron Murray has been complimented by coaches, teammates, and the media, however, none of that will matter on September 11 when Murray takes his first road snap in Columbia, South Carolina. AJ Green will be the offensive star, in what will likely be his last season in Athens. The offensive line should be great with all upper classmen in the starting lineup. There is talent all over the field for the Dawgs, but talent alone doesn’t win games.
Quarterback:
Barring injury, Aaron Murray (#11) will be the Georgia Quarterback for the entire 2010 season and beyond. The red-shirt freshman from Plant High School in Florida was highly recruited out of high school, and will make his first start against Louisiana-Lafayette between the hedges.
While many teams in the SEC East will have new starting quarterbacks, Georgia will have the most uncertain quarterback depth chart as the backup quarterback looks to be true freshman Hutson Mason (#14). Junior Logan Gray will only practice at wide receiver for the Dawgs according to Offensive Coordinator, Mike Bobo.
Don’t confuse yourself with pre-season hype. A freshman quarterback in the SEC is going to make mistakes. There will be a learning curve for Murray, and the most the Dawgs can hope for from their young signal caller is that he improve week to week. With early season trips to South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Colorado, Dawg fans should know by October how good Aaron Murray can be.
Running Back:
After their performance against Georgia Tech last season, many Georgia fans are excited about the running back combination of Washaun Ealey (#3) and Caleb King (#4), and they should be. However, keep last season in perspective. Georgia running backs had only 2 100-yard games last season, and they both came against Georgia Tech. Overall, the running game wasn’t great last year, and most of the offense’s problems originated with the inability to consistently run the ball. You have to run the ball in the SEC, and that is even more true when you consider the freshman quarterback. Ealey and King will have to carry the offense early in the season, if they can’t, Georgia will be out of the SEC East race before the end of September.
Wide Receiver:
It seems impossible that with the best receiver in Georgia history lining up for the Dawgs, there would be questions at that position. However, there are huge questions for Georgia behind AJ Green (#8). Green had 808 yards last season, which is only 15 yards less than the next three Georgia receivers had, combined! Of that group, Michael Moore was a senior.
Tavarres King(#12) will be the starting wide out opposite of Green, but Rantavious Wooten (#17) will also see considerable playing time. 5th year senior Kris Durham (#16) will bring experience and steady hands to the slot receiver position after missing all of last year with an injury. Israel Troup (#28) and Marlon Brown (#15) were highly recruited but haven’t performed on the field yet.
The most important thing for receivers will be catching the ball this year. Georgia fans will remember the struggles that the Georgia receivers had when Matt Stafford was a freshman. If the receivers can help Murray out by having sure hands, it will help the young quarterback with his confidence.
Tight End:
As the season wore on in 2009, Orson Charles (#7) seemed to be the best tight end on Georgia’s roster. With his former high school quarterback (Aaron Murray) now starting for Georgia, expect Charles to improve even more in 2010.
Behind Charles, Georgia has two very capable backups. Aron White (#81) and Bruce Figgins (#89) will both contribute this season, but if Georgia is going to have a real playmaker at tight end, it will be Charles.
Full Back:
Perhaps more than any other team in the SEC, Georgia uses the full back as a key position in their offense. Shawn Chapas (#49) will return as the starter with back up Fred Munzenmaier (#48) providing an important safety net. Chapas doesn’t run the ball as much as past full backs have, however, he is an excellent blocker.
Offensive Line:
While the line is the last position I have chosen to talk about for the offense, I believe the line will be the number one position to watch this season. If the offensive line plays the way it can, there is no reason to believe that Georgia can’t contend in the SEC East. A good line can make good runners great, and a talented quarterback look a lot better than he is right now. Anchored by Ben Jones (#61) at center, the line features upperclassmen with a lot of experience. Add the return of Trinton Sturdivant (#77) after 2 straight years of not playing because of injury, and there is the talent on the line to be one of the best units in the country.
Key Offensive Player for 2010:
This is obvious. While AJ Green is the best offensive player Georgia has, the first and last chapter of the 2010 book on the Georgia offense will be Aaron Murray. His ability to limit mistakes early in the season and progress throughout the year will dictate how far this team can go in the SEC East.
Defensive Overview:
The biggest question on defense is how quickly can new Georgia Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham teach these old dogs new tricks. Grantham was hired well after the recruiting class had all but been put together, so these Dogs were recruited to play in Georgia’s traditional 4-3 defense. Georgia fans will become more familiar with Grantham’s 3-4 look as the season goes on, but bigger than where players lineup is Grantham’s overall philosophy. Grantham promises that Georgia’s defense is going to be more aggressive this season, and the 3-4 look should allow for more options for blitzes.
Defensive Line:
How Georgia performs on the defensive line will set the tone for how effective the 3-4 defense will be in 2010. The problem on the line will be the crucial position of nose tackle. With only 1 defensive tackle, instead of the 2 you would typically see in a 4-3, it is crucial that the nose tackle be an impact player that can occupy two offensive linemen. Conceptually, if the nose tackle can occupy the center and one of the offensive guards, then the defensive ends can go one on one with 2 of the other offensive linemen, while a blitzing linebacker (or two), has only one man to beat to get to the quarterback. Got it? Good.
So all of that said, Georgia has no prototypical nose tackle. The perfect nose tackle has been on display the last two seasons at Alabama. “Mount” Cody anchored the line for the Tide weighing in at about 350 pounds. Georgia will send out DeAngelo Tyson(#94) who is listed currently at 295. That is a huge difference. At end, the leaders after spring practice were Abry Jones(#93) and Demarcus Dobbs(#58).
Linebackers:
In the 3-4, the linebackers are the stars. Think guys like Lawrence Taylor for the Giants in the 1980’s, Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Bucs in the 1990’s, and Shaun Merriman of the San Diego Chargers in the 2000’s. On almost every play, at least one linebacker will be blitzing, and that blitzer can come from any of the 4 linebacker positions. No doubt, Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham will have options and the ability to keep opposing offensive lines off balance. With 4 positions, close to 10 linebackers may see action in any one game, but the main guys to keep an eye on are Christian Robinson (#45), Marcus Dowtin (#38), Akeem Dent (#51), Cornelius Washington(#83), Darryl Gamble(#50), and maybe even former running back Richard Samuel (#22).
Cornerbacks:
There is a ton of talent at the corner position, but not a lot of experience. Brandon Boykin (#2) will be the returning starter in the secondary, and he will be joined by Vance Cuff (#25). Cuff is a senior, but hasn’t seen much of the field to this point. Brandon Smith (#1) and Sanders Commings (#19) will serve as backups, but each will have a chance to earn a starting job during fall practice.
Last year, we saw almost every quarterback Georgia face have the best game of their season against the Dawgs. With Grantham’s aggressive style of defense, these cornerbacks are going to see a great deal of one on one coverage. The pressure will be on for the corners to really step up this season.
Safety:
There will be two new starting safeties this year, and personally, I’m thrilled. Let’s not live in the past, and move forward optimistically. Bacarri Rambo (#18) saved the game against Auburn last year, and he will lead some unfamiliar names like Nick Williams (#39) and Quintin Banks (#31) as Georgia’s last line of defense. One name that all Georgia fans will know before the end of the season is Alec Ogletree (#9). Ogletree may play linebacker or safety, but no matter where he plays, he has the talent to be one of the best defensive players Georgia has had since Champ Bailey.
Key Defensive Player:
Justin Houston (Linebacker). Houston played well last year at defensive end, but will move to linebacker in the 3-4. Houston has the skill set to be an impact linebacker in the 3-4 defense. Look for Houston to live in the opponent’s backfield.
Special Teams:
While there are many questions for the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs, there are no questions when it comes to the special teams. Georgia features the best punter in the country in Drew Butler and perhaps the best place kicker in the country in Blair Walsh. The only decision for Mark Richt to make is which talented player will return kicks and punts this season. Richt will have to choose from Brandon Boykin, Brandon Smith, Carlton Thomas, and perhaps even AJ Green. A nice problem to have. Georgia’s special teams have been special for the last two season, and I wouldn’t expect any different in 2010.
Overall, Georgia will feature 6 seniors, 8 juniors, 7 sophomores, and 1 very important freshman if projected starters from the spring make it through fall practice. There is plenty of leadership for this team, and especially on offense, plenty of experience. As always in the SEC, execution will be the difference between a trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game or a trip to Nashville, where Music City isn’t so great before New Year’s Day.
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