Is it possible for a program to have a problem with consistency after winning 52 games in five years with four straight seasons with ten or more wins, two SEC championships and three SEC East titles?
No one's questioning Georgia's status as a superpower under head coach Mark Richt, but there seems to be something missing even after all the success.
Fine, so it's nitpicking to search for problems with the SEC's best program over the last five seasons, but there's a nagging feeling of wanting more. Since Richt has taken over the reins, LSU has won a national title, Auburn went unbeaten and could've/should've played for a national title, and both Florida and Tennessee were in a position to go to the national title game in 2001 before each tripped over its own feet late in the year. Georgia, for all the wins, hasn't been really been in the national championship mix outside of the marvelous 2002 team that lost its shot with a 20-13 loss to Florida in the Cocktail Party.
The Bulldogs won their two SEC titles with veteran lines and solid quarterback play, and now they might be another year away from being back to that elite status. For now, being more consistent game-in-and-game-out will be the key. How does a team play so flawlessly against a national-title caliber power like LSU in the SEC title game and then come out so flat and unprepared against a far less talented West Virginia team in the Sugar Bowl? When will the offense finally bail out the defense in a game and not vice versa? While the Dawgs aren't just going to take a seat and hand over their SEC title ring, they might be thinking that this year is all about playing better from week to week before being able to finish the drill, as the coaching staff likes to say, in 2007.
While the team is now at a point when it can just reload, this year will take more work losing some major players on both sides of the ball, particularly on the offensive line and in the secondary, but as 2003 proved, when the team had to do a major rebuilding job after its SEC title year, Richt can plug in the right pieces and still get into the SEC championship game.
There's talent to burn on offense, but it isn't fully developed. The team's best quarterback is a true freshman, Matthew Stafford, and the receiving corps needs at least a few warm up games before it becomes dangerous. The offensive line has no depth whatsoever and has to replace several key starters, while the running game, considering all the talent in the backfield, has to be better than 43rd in the nation. The defense has even more issues with a thin linebacking corps that can't stay healthy, a slightly undersized line, at least for Georgia, that likely won't be better against the run, and a secondary that needs to develop the corners and has to replace three starters.
For all the problems and all the concerns, there's still no reason whatsoever for Georgia to shoot for anything less than a ten-win season. The schedule works out almost perfectly with the toughest games late in the year allowing the young team time to develop, and the shelves are fully stocked with next-level athletes.
Now if they can put it all together on a weekly basis and keep doing all the little things right, like special teams and not giving the ball away, they just might find themselves playing an SEC game in December again.
The Schedule: It's certainly not a walk in the park, but it's as good as can be reasonably asked for considering the conference Georgia plays in. The SEC opener at South Carolina could become a beartrap if things aren't quite meshing with all the new starters. However, get by that game and all the big games are either in Athens (Colorado and Tennessee) or on a neutral site (the Florida battle), before the conference finale at Auburn. It's too tough a slate for an inexperienced team to get through unscathed, but 10-2 is very, very possible.
What you need to know ... The big concern is consistency after struggling to come up with the same performance from one game to the next. Don't expect things to be steadier with seven new starters. While it's a rebuilding year for the Bulldog offense, there's a good foundation in place with one of the nation's best running back corps thanks to the return of Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware. Will they have holes to run through? It's no coincidence that Georgia won SEC championships under Mark Richt when it had a veteran, senior dominated offensive line, and now there's a lot of patching to be done losing three top starters. The receiving corps has potential, but there aren't any obvious stars needing top receiver Mo Massaquoi to be more of a big-play target. There are enough top prospects at quarterback to provide productive starters for four teams with senior Joe Tereshinski the main man while super-recruit Matthew Stafford learns the ropes.
Best Offensive Players: Junior RBs Thomas Brown, Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin. The trio of fantastic backs all average around five yards a crack and all can produce. As good as they are, they only combined for 1,658 yards and seven touchdowns despite playing behind a tremendous offensive line and with a veteran quarterback like D.J. Shockley to take the heat off. This year, these three have to carry the load.
What you need to know ... Georgia's run defense wasn't a rock last year allowing 144 yards per game, and there could be more problems early on after losing its top three defensive tackles and needing the injury-riddled linebacking corps to get healthy. The secondary is also an issue losing three All-SEC performers, but the safeties should be solid led by speedy Tra Battle. Cornerback will be a problem if Paul Oliver doesn't shine, and depth needs developing just about everywhere. On the plus side, few teams will be better at getting to the quarterback with ends Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson certain to be in opposing backfields all season long. Even with all the concerns, Georgia has athletes to burn and, if nothing else, its D should be able to simply outrun most teams.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Quentin Moses. One of the SEC's best pass rushers could've turned pro early, but he's back for what should be an All-America caliber season if all goes well. He has 19.5 sacks and 32.5 tackles for loss over the last three years, and he should be even better if Charles Johnson turns into the playmaker he's expected to become on the other side.
Key player to a successful season: Junior CB Thomas Flowers. The quarterback situation will turn out fine, the tackles are talented enough to hold their own and the linebacking corps will be solid if/when everyone is healthy. But the defense, and the team, will break down if the secondary isn't up-to-snuff. It's asking too much for it to finish seventh in the nation again, but Flowers and fellow junior Paul Oliver must have big years.
The season will be a success if ... Georgia wins ten games. It doesn't have quite enough firepower to win the SEC title, or even the SEC East if Florida plays as well as expected and if Tennessee rebounds, but it'll get back to a bowl game and it should have a good chance at finishing with double-digit wins.
Key game: September 9 at South Carolina. The Florida and Tennessee games are always huge, but the second game of the year, and the SEC opener, in Columbia will be the tone-setter. Lose to Spurrier and the boys and the Dawgs will be playing catch-up all year long. Win it, and an 8-0 start is doable before the Cocktail Party.
2005 Fun Stats:
- Penalties: Opponents 104 for 756 yards - Georgia 77 for 697 yards
- Average yards per penalty: Georgia 9.1 - Opponents 7.3
- Third down conversions: Opponents 70 of 188 (37.2%) - Georgia 60 of 163 (36.8%)
The Last Time Georgia …
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Sugar Bowl vs. West Virginia)
…missed a bowl game…1996
…pitched a shutout…2003 (Clemson)
…was shutout…1995 (Alabama)
…scored 50 points…2004 (Kentucky)
…went undefeated…1980
…won a conference title…2005 (SEC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2003 (David Greene)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2002 (Musa Smith)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2002 (Terrence Edwards)
…had a first-round draft choice…2005 (DB Thomas Davis and DE David Pollack)
