2010 NCAA Football Preview: Georgia
Mark Richt has done quite well during his tenure as the head of the Georgia Bulldogs football team. In nine seasons he has won 90 games while losing only 27. Every year he has taken the team to a bowl game, winning seven and only losing two. He has led the Bulldogs to two SEC championships, the most recent coming in 2005.
Success has long been a part of the Bulldog program. A few seasons ago they finished the season ranked third in the Coaches' Poll and second by the AP Poll. Since Richt has taken over they have finished every season but the 2009 season ranked in the top 25; and five times they were ranked in the top 10. With such success in the recent past it is no surprise that Richt has been able to attract such quality recruiting classes the last few seasons.
In 2009 he led the team to an 8-5 record including a 44-20 win over Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl. Going into 2010 the Bulldogs would like nothing more than to return back to the championship quality team of years past. With the number and quality of starters they have returning, especially on offence, the team should be able to compete for the title to say the least.
Offence
Almost the entire offence returns in 2010 and should be much better than they were in 2009. The only thing that could hold them back is whether or not they can get someone to play as well as or better than departing quarterback Joe Cox.
Most likely to fill the spot will be Logan Gray. Gray only had 12 passes scattered throughout the 2009 season, completing only five. He will have to compete with two incoming freshman for time, Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger. All three were considered among the best coming out of high school so it will likely come down to a pretty heated competition to see who starts.
Whoever does start will have the benefit of an experienced offensive line coming back, one that did not give up many sacks last year. Coming back together will put them above other units that will have to take time to gel. A trio of running backs ran behind this group last season and will likely be used again. Caleb King is penciled into start, but he will share time with Washaun Ealey. Last season King had 594 yards on 114 carries while Ealey had 125 carries and 717 yards.
A.J. Green will be eager to see who wins the starting job at quarterback more than anyone. Last season with Cox behind centre he put up just over 800 yards off of 53 receptions, good enough for all-conference honors. Early Heisman talk has Green being a potential candidate, but any hopes there will hinge completely off of his quarterback.
Defence
The big challenge for Georgia is going to be in rebuilding their defence. Only four starters return to a group that ranked 38th in the nation overall in 2009.
Two starters return to the front four, all-conference end Justin Houston and Demarcus Dobbs. Houston is definitely a smaller, speed oriented rusher standing 6’3” 259 pounds; that speed helped him collect seven sacks along with 35 tackles last season. On the other side of the line Dobbs added another five sacks in 2009. Looking to get time next season will be DeAngelo Tyson, Abry Jones, and Cornelius Washington.
Brandon Boykin will be the only player returning in the secondary. In 2009 the unit ranked 51st in the nation; to last in the SEC and compete for the title they will need to do better. Boykin made 41 tackles and three interceptions last season and will look to do better as the anchor of the secondary. A pair of sophomores, Sanders Commings and Makiri Pugh, and senior Vance Cuff will all compete for time.
In the end it will come down to how well the new defence will be able to slow down the other team. Georgia will be good on offence regardless of who they have at quarterback; the only question is how good they can be with whoever does start at quarterback.
Tags: