Georgia Spring Game - The D Sacks The O

2013 Georgia Bulldogs ... Head Coach: Mark Richt

Georgia Bulldogs

2013 Schedule
8/31 at Clemson
9/7 South Carolina
9/14 OPEN DATE
9/21 North Texas
9/28 LSU
10/5 at Tennessee
10/12 Missouri
10/19 at Vanderbilt
10/26 OPEN DATE
11/2 Florida (in Jacksonville)
11/9 Appalachian St
11/16 at Auburn
11/23 Kentucky
11/30 at Georgia Tech

What Happened In The Spring Game?
On the plus side, the defense that has to replace so many key starters looked in midseason form. The Black team beat the Red 23-17, with Aaron Murray completing 12-of-18 passes for 200 yards and two scores for the losing side. Jonathan Rumph was the star for the Black team coming up with four catches for 98 yards and two scores with a 30-yard play from Hutson Mason and a 47-yarder from walk-on Parker Welch.

- Kosta Vavlas led the way for the Red team with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss, while John Taylor showed what he could do moving from tackle to end making two sacks and seven stops.
- The Red O line had too many problems, allowing six sacks from six different players. Linebacker Ramik Wilson led all Black defenders with eight tackles and a tackle for loss.
- For the losing Red side, running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall combined for just 31 yards on ten carries with Gurley coming up with most of them on a 12-yard run.

Why To Be Excited ... Last year the excitement surrounded the “Dream Team” defense, but this year it’s the offense that has the potential to be unstoppable with ten starters returning and only losing solid-but-replaceable receiver Tavarres King. All five starters are back up front, and while tackle John Theus and Chris Burnette might not take part this spring as they heal up, it’s not a bad thing for the development of the depth. All the stars return to the backfield that made everyone immediately forget about Isaiah Crowell, and Aaron Murray is still slinging it around instead of pushing Geno Smith for the honor of being the No. 1 quarterback taken in a mediocre draft. On the other side, massive losses of defensive talent should make this a fun offseason full of position battles. Several of the key recruits and JUCO transfers are in early to vie for spots right away. However …

Why To Be Grouchy ... You don’t get better by losing Jarvis Jones, John Jenkins, Cornelius Washington, Kwame Geathers, Alec Ogletree, Sanders Commings, Shawn Williams, Bacarri Rambo and a slew of key defensive backups. No, the D wasn’t a brick wall against the better teams up to the standards of most top SEC teams, but it was still ultra-talented and it found its groove over the second half of the regular season allowing just 43 points over a five game stretch. The focus throughout spring and the offseason might be on a few JUCO transfers up front – Chris Mayes needs to shine on the inside right away – but the secondary is going to be a work in progress with little time to gel. August 31st against Tajh Boyd and Clemson is coming faster than you think, and facing the Tigers, South Carolina and LSU before September is up will be a challenge.

What Needs Working On ... Yeah, the defense might lose a who’s who of NFL talent, but it’s not like this group held up against the run. The Alabama offensive line imposed its will in the SEC championship; Georgia Tech and Nebraska didn’t have many problems moving the ball; and even Georgia Southern rumbled well. Stuffing Florida cold masked the missed tackles and the problems holding firm for a full sixty minutes on a regular basis, allowing 299 rushing yards per game and a total of 1,197 over the last four with seven touchdowns. By comparison, Alabama gave up 1,069 rushing yards and ten scores all season. Step One for all the new guys up front will be to figure out how to hold firm in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s defense, and getting into the backfield will have to be a part of it.

Non-Conference Games: at Clemson, North Texas, Appalachian State, at Georgia Tech
Games Against The West: LSU, at Auburn
Realistic Best Case Record: 12-0
Worst Case Record: 8-4
Likely Finish: 10-2

Pre-Preseason Projected Wins: at Clemson, South Carolina, North Texas, at Tennessee, Missouri, at Vanderbilt, Appalachian State, at Auburn, Kentucky, at Georgia Tech

Pre-Preseason Projected Losses: LSU, Florida

Schedule Analysis: The Bulldogs aren’t taking it easy starting out with a statement game against Clemson in the Georgia Dome and finishing up on the road in the rivalry battle against Georgia Tech. The two nasty non-conference games make home dates against North Texas and Appalachian State forgivable, but it’s not a plus get one of the off weeks before dealing with the Mean Green in mid-September.

As if facing the Tigers to kick off the year wasn’t tough enough, the Bulldogs have to be rocking and rolling the week after for the SEC opener against South Carolina. The bad: the next SEC game is against LSU. The good: it’s at home, and missing Texas A&M and Alabama is a positive. The home game against Missouri is the only date in Athens from late September to November 9th, going on the road to face Tennessee and Vanderbilt in between to go along with the dates against Mizzou and Florida. Going to Auburn won’t be easy, but the team should be rested after playing Appalachian State the week before. The SEC season ends up with Kentucky at home.

Team Concerns For 2013: The Bulldogs have a ton of work to do on the defensive front that loses Jarvis Jones, John Jenkins, Alec Ogletree and Cornelius Washington. The offense might get just about everyone back, but the line has to be stronger in pass protection while the defense has to tighten up against the better running games. Penalties were a problem committing 96 for 749 yards - compared to the opponents getting flagged 70 times for 557 yards - and the placekicking has to be stronger after Collin Barber hit just 8-of-14 chances.

The 2013 Class Is Heavy On ... Linebacker. It might have been a rough Signing Day with several key in-state losses, but everything is fine, helped by getting defensive end Davin Bellamy and offensive tackle Devondre Seymour. As always, Georgia isn't having much of a problem bringing in several top-shelf stars, and the bulk this year is at defense. Corners Shaquille Wiggins, Brendan Langley and Reggie Wilkerson are among the best in the country, while JUCO transfers Kennar Johnson and Shaquille Fluker should help out right away. Getting star prospect Tray Matthews isn't going to hurt, either. However, the best prospects are at linebacker with Tim Kimbrough, Ryan Rankin, Reggie Carter and Johnny O'Neal all big, fast options for inside or out in a few years, but Leonard Floyd could see time right away.

2012 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 12. That Class Was Heavy On ... Patience for last year’s class to mature. No one helped themselves more than Georgia last year with terrific transfers coming in to blend with young stars like Isaiah Crowell. Mark Richt has loaded up on the offensive line over the last few seasons, and now it’s time to fortify the talent across the board. There isn’t any one glaring need.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 8. That Class Was Heavy On ... Offensive tackle. The dream class should change around Georgia football over the next several years with superstar prospects like QB Christian LeMay, RB Isaiah Crowell, and DE Ray Drew all with the potential to be major national figures, but for all the flash for the offense and for all the good things done in the secondary, the key should be on the offensive front with rock-solid prospects for the interior in David Andrews and Chris Mayes, and top tackles in Watts Dantzler, Zach DeBell, and Xzavier Ward to bank on by 2014 to provide next-level talent on the outside.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 16. That Class Was Heavy On ... The lines. After signing a ton of skill players last season, Georgia needed the building blocks this year. The team's best recruit was Alec Ogletree, a guided missile of a linebacker who was the key to the defensive haul several months ago. Up front, head coach Mark Richt inked Brent Benedict out of Jacksonville, one of the nation's top tackle recruits, and also got the very promising Kenarious Gates. On the defensive side, Garrison Smith spurned Alabama, Florida State, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC to be the leader of the Dawg line in the near future. T.J. Stripling will be a terror on the end after hitting the weighs and adding at least 25 pounds, while Michael Thornton is a ready-made tackle who's good enough to see time right away.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 10. That Class Was Heavy On ... skill players. This isn’t a big class, but it’s a class full of talent with a few top-shelf skill players looking to be the next big thing now with Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno gone. Aaron Murray is the receiver to combine with A.J. Green to potentially give the Dawgs the SEC’s best 1-2 receiving punch, while QBs Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger should wage an interesting battle for the starting spot in the near future. Only one running back, Washaun Ealey, signed on, but he’s a good one.