I’ve already told you that there are a lot of reasons to be
excited about Georgia in 2015, but let’s be honest; there are a lot of question
marks as well. For those fans that grew up in the Vince Dooley/Larry Munson
era, you are more accustomed to hearing about all of the bad things that could
happen to our beloved Bulldogs than to hearing anything positive. While both
Dooley and Munson loved Georgia, I’m not sure if they ever felt confident
before any game against a significant opponent.
A cynical man would say that there isn’t much difference
between a realist and a pessimist, but I’m not sure that I buy that. Realistic,
Pessimistic, or whatever you might want to call it, here are five reasons to be
concerned about the 2015 Georgia Bulldogs.
1.
Who will be the starting quarterback?
For only the third time in the 15 seasons
that Mark Richt has been at Georgia, there are legitimate questions surrounding
the quarterback position as fall camp starts. In 2001, David Greene and Corey
Phillips were battling for the job. Obviously that battle was won by Greene and
he would lead Georgia to the SEC title one year later. In 2006, there was a
three man race between Joe T 3 (I didn’t want to look up how to spell his
name), Joe Cox, and Matthew Stafford. That season, all three quarterbacks
started for Georgia and won games for Georgia, but eventually, Stafford won the
job and led Georgia to a #2 national finish a year later.
This year, the race is more wide open and a
lot different. Barring some unforeseen turn of events, none of the quarterbacks
on Georgia’s roster will be the starter when the 2016 edition of the Bulldogs
take the field in the Georgia Dome against North Carolina next year in the
Chick-fil-A kickoff game. In January, Jacob Eason will be enrolling in classes
and will participate in spring practice. Eason is the quarterback of the
future, and I expect him to start from day one when he gets to Georgia, so
while the quarterback race this year is intriguing and important, it is for one
season only.
Bryce Ramsey, Faton Bauta, and Virginia
transfer Grayson Lambert will all be vying to start under center for Georgia
this year. Ramsey has the most experience as he was Hutson Mason’s back up a
year ago and appeared in a few games. Ramsey played the rest of the Belk Bowl
after Mason’s injury and looked shaky at best. Bauta brings potentially a new
wrinkle to Georgia’s offense, with his ability to run. However, it remains to
be seen whether or not Bauta can be effective enough from the pocket to fit
into Georgia’s Pro Style offense. The Dawgs won’t be running the spread option
any time soon, and for play action to actually work, you have to be able to
throw the ball down field with some sort of effectiveness. Lambert is the
biggest question mark. Fall practice is his first chance to get on the field
with the coaching staff. He hasn’t learned the offense and his numbers at
Virginia were pedestrian at best. The biggest question for Lambert is why did
Georgia want him? With Eason coming in next year and two experienced quarterbacks
already on the roster, what did the coaching staff see in Grayson Lambert?
It has been proven in recent years that
your quarterback doesn’t have to be the best in the nation to win a national
title, but he has to be at least effective. With the running game that Georgia
is bringing back this season, all you need is a guy who can get you in the
right plays at the line of scrimmage and 5-10 big throws per game at the right
time in the game. I hate the term, but Georgia needs a game manager this season.
I don’t think any of these guys is going to win the job with excellent
performance, I think we are going to see two guys lose the job by not being
able to run the offense and by turning the ball over. One thing is for sure,
Georgia can’t win the SEC unless one of these guys can perform better than
Hutson Mason did last season.
2.
The Schedule
Every year, the schedule in the SEC is
difficult, but this year, Georgia got about as bad of a draw as you can get.
Georgia plays Auburn every year, so there is always going to be a strong
opponent from the West on Georgia’s schedule. However, this year, Alabama
travels to Georgia on October 3rd, meaning that Georgia will play
the projected two best teams from the West this season.
The month of October will make or break
Georgia’s season. The Dawgs open at home on the 3rd with Alabama,
then travel to Knoxville to play Tennessee, before returning home to play
two-time defending SEC East champion Missouri. The Dawgs close out the month on
Halloween night against Florida in Jacksonville. Even the most optimistic
Georgia fan would be crazy to feel confident about any of those games.
Alabama is the best coached team in the
country, year in and year out, and the last time they were in Athens, they
humbled Georgia on national television. Tennessee could have beaten Georgia two
years ago in Knoxville if it weren’t for a fluke play in overtime. Missouri
stunned the Dawgs in their only other trip to Athens in 2013, and have won the
division for the last two years. Florida, well, all Georgia fans know that you
can never, ever feel comfortable in Jacksonville.
November is a little better, but you still
have to go on the road to both Auburn and Tech, both of whom will be in the
running for their respective conference titles. There is no wiggle room in the
schedule, and Georgia will have to peak in October if 2015 is going to be a
season worth remembering.
3.
A Disappointing Trend
Why should Georgia fans be worried about
2015? Because Georgia has managed to lose games it should have won in each of
the past, I don’t know, 15 seasons? That might be a little bit of an
exaggeration, but not really.
Here is a list of bad losses, either
because of the team that Georgia lost to, or the manner in which they lost,
under Mark Richt:
2001: South Carolina, Auburn (clock runs
out on Georgia), Boston College
2002: Florida (only loss of season)
2003: Florida
2004: Tennessee (after destroying LSU a
week earlier)
2005: Florida (Shockley hurt), West
Virginia
2006: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky
2007: South Carolina (didn’t score a
touchdown), Tennessee (35-7)
2008: Alabama, Tech
2009: Tennessee, Kentucky
2010: Mississippi State, Colorado, Florida,
UCF
2011: Michigan State (lost in overtime when
we had a field goal to win in regulation)
2012: South Carolina
2013: Vanderbilt, Auburn (prayer at
Jordan-Hare), Nebraska
2014: Florida, Tech
That’s right, every single year there has
been at least one game that left you scratching your head or breaking your
furniture, depending on your temperament. Some of the losses have been
embarrassing, like any loss to Kentucky or Vanderbilt because that should never
happen. Some of the losses have cost Georgia a shot at a title, like Tennessee
in 2007, and Florida in 2002. Last year was probably the most obvious of all. Georgia
was miles better than Florida, but they underestimated the Gators, and made no
adjustments to the Florida run game, and managed to not only lose, but
embarrass themselves in the process. Georgia won the Tech game. It was over.
Until a bad squib kick left Tech enough time to tie the game with a field goal,
and eventually win in overtime.
I have already said that the schedule is a
big obstacle in 2015, so it should go without saying that Georgia can’t afford
a single bad loss this season. The most Georgia thing that couldn’t happen to
the Dawgs this season would be to lose to Vanderbilt and Auburn, beat everyone
else, and get shut out of Atlanta and potentially the college football playoff
because of a week 2 loss to a Vanderbilt team that won’t go to a bowl game.
Mark Richt must find a way to get the
players up for every game, because last year was close to being special, but
the entire season fell apart in Jacksonville.
4.
10 Long Years
2015 is the 10 year anniversary of
Georgia’s 2005 team that won the SEC title. While the 2005 team should be
remembered fondly and celebrated, you can’t think about the 2005 team without
adding one little piece of information: 2015 is the 10 year anniversary of
Georgia’s LAST SEC title in 2005. Since 2005, 4 SEC schools have won National
titles, including 7 straight from 2006 until 2012. Since 2005, Georgia has
played in the SEC title game twice, 2011 when they were blown out by LSU, and
2012, which we do not speak of.
In 2005, you wouldn’t have believed that 10
years would pass without another SEC title. Georgia had won 2 of the past 4 SEC
titles, and they were, arguably, the best program in the conference. Richt was
one of the, if not the, best coach in the league, and Georgia had the number
one quarterback recruit in the entire country coming in for 2006. The past 10
years have been filled with disappointments and close calls, and in a business
that is all about winning, Mark Richt has managed to win barely enough to keep
his job. I love coach Richt and believe that he is the best coach Georgia has
ever had, but the reality of major college football in 2015 is that you have to
win championships to keep your job. I’m not sure an SEC title is in the cards
for 2015, so the streak will probably reach 11 years, but Georgia needs to be
in the conversation in November, and Richt needs to bring a conference title
back to Athens soon, or Georgia will be looking for a new man to lead the
Bulldog Nation.
5.
The Unexpected
A fear of the unknown seems illogical,
unless you are a Georgia fan. There is no other way to say it, Georgia has had
some terrible luck in recent years. Think about 2012, I know, I know, I’m
breaking my own rule. Georgia was on the cusp of playing for a national title.
One year later, they beat LSU and South Carolina and look to be on their way to
the SEC title game again, then Gurley gets hurt. Marshall gets hurt. Michael
Bennett gets hurt. Georgia manages to pull out a win in Knoxville, only to lose
at home to Missouri and then on the road to Vanderbilt. Murray has the game of
his life in Auburn, pulling Georgia back, nearly single handedly, only to see
two freshman manage to screw up a Hail Mary to lose the game. A week later,
Murray tares his ACL and his season is over.
Last year, Gurley is the best running back
in the nation and on his way to the Heisman, and then he is suspended. Will he
come back, won’t he come back? It drags on and on and costs Georgia the Florida
game. Gurley comes back, Georgia dominates Auburn, but Gurley tares his ACL and
is done at Georgia. Chubb keeps Georgia afloat all season, and the Dawgs only
need to Missouri to lose to either Tennessee or Arkansas at the end of the year
to go to Atlanta. A day before Georgia plays Tech, Missouri manages to beat
Arkansas, clinching the East, and the next day, Georgia loses to Tech with
nothing to play for.
Go back even further. Isaiah Crowell was
fantastic as a freshman, then he gets busted with a gun, and Georgia loses a
star player. Washaun Ealey, Caleb King, Ray Drew, Jay Rome, Nick Marshall, Josh
Harvey-Clemons, Trey Matthews, Shaq Wiggins, these are just a few of the names
of guys who come in with a lot of hype and or expectations who flopped big time
for one reason or another. Most of these guys ended up leaving Georgia, and not
because they graduated.
Nick Chubb seems humble, team oriented, and
talented, but the I can’t remember the last Georgia tailback that contributed
as a freshman and didn’t end up being a disappointment before leaving school.
Did Musa Smith contribute as a freshman? The point is, Georgia hasn’t caught a
lot of breaks when it comes to the intangibles lately. But maybe that means
they are due?
I like to think I am an optimist, but there are real
concerns about the 2015 team, and now I have shared them with you. We are going
to focus on the positive for the rest of the preseason, but don’t be shocked if
we look back in December at this list, and realize that the fatal flaw of this
team was right here all along.
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