Georgia Bulldogs
Overall Rank #26
#7 SEC Conference
Georgia Team Page
2010 Record: (6-7, 3-5)
2010 Bowl: Liberty Bowl vs. Central Florida (L 6-10)
Coach: Mark Richt
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Bobo
Defensive Coordinator: Todd Grantham
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Carlton Thomas, RB, 272 yards
Passing: Aaron Murray, QB, 3,049 yards
Receiving: Tavarres King, WR, 504 yards
Tackles: Bacarri Rambo, S, 82
Sacks: Christian Robinson, LB, 2
Interceptions: Rambo, S, 3; Sanders Cummings, CB, 3
Other Key Returnees: TE Orson Charles, WR Marlon Brown, OT Ben Jones, DE DeAngelo Tyson, LB Alec Ogletree, CB Brandon Boykin, K Blair Walsh, P Drew Butler
Key Losses: WR A.J. Green, WR Kris Durham, RB Washaun Ealey, RB Caleb King, OT Clint Boling, LB Justin Houston, LB Akeem Dent,
There will be plenty of pressure and speculation on Mark Richt this fall. He still has a loyal following among the red and black, but he’s coming off his worst season at Georgia, so anything more than two losses in conference could be considered failure. Rising sophomore Aaron Murray is a star and could work his way into Heisman talk with a couple of early wins against higher ranked opponents. Whether this is Coach Mark Richt’s most interesting season to date is up for debate, but one thing is not, it is definitely his most important.
Strengths:
Aaron Murray is reaching the Matthew Stafford, David Greene, and Eric Zeier level of hype at Georgia. After throwing for 3,049 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and adding four rushing touchdowns, Murray is setting the bar extremely high for his sophomore season. His main target this season will be his old high school teammate Orson Charles. Charles is extremely athletic and with his speed he can be split out wide in certain formations taking advantage of smaller cornerbacks. During the summer, Georgia lost both of their starting running backs from a year ago in Caleb King and Washaun Ealey, opening the door for Isaiah Crowell. Crowell was the top high school running back in the country last season. The defense should be very strong this season unlike last year. It’s the second season under Todd Grantham and linebacker Jarvis Jones has joined the fold. Jones started his career at USC, but transferred to Georgia last season. Word around Athens was that Jones was the best player on the team last year, as he terrorized the first team offense while running the scout team defense. The secondary is led by Brandon Boykin and Bacarri Rambo. The secondary will be fast but they need to continue working on getting better angles on the ball to avoid allowing the big play. Kicker Blair Walsh and punter Drew Butler are both All-Americans leading the special teams.
Weaknesses:
Running back is a major question mark for Georgia this season with Ealey transferring and King being ruled ineligible. Georgia was left with three scholarship running backs, Carlton Thomas, Ken Malcome, and Crowell. With a thinning back field, Coach Mark Richt moved linebacker Richard Samuel, a former running back, to his original position to add depth and experience. The offensive line is thin and injury prone, which could prove a major problem for Murray just as it did last season, when he was running for his life more than Coach Mark Richt would have liked. On the defensive line there is promise, but production still needs to be produced in Coach Grantham’s 3-4 defense. Defensive tackle John Jenkins is the key for Georgia’s defensive line. He is a 6’4 340 pound junior college All-American that slides into the nose guard position, moving DeAngelo Tyson over to his more natural position at defensive end.
The Bottom Line:
The 2011 season for the Georgia Bulldogs is full of promise, but there are also many unanswered questions. Opening up against consensus top 25 Boise St. and South Carolina will answer many of those questions Georgia has about their team. After those games it’s a very winnable schedule until they play Florida, which always seems to have Georgia’s number. In a season when the SEC East is down, Georgia could really sneak up on the league, but if that’s not the case, the season could sneak up on Mark Richt’s tenure as Georgia’s football coach.
Projected Bowl: Gator Bowl
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 142.6 (73rd in nation, 10th in conference)
Passing Offense: 242.4 (40, 5)
Total Offense: 385.0 (56, 8)
Scoring Offense: 32.1 (30, 4)
Rushing Defense: 147.2 (56, 7)
Pass Defense: 181.3 (17, 5)
Total Defense: 328.5 (23, 4)
Scoring Defense: 22.1 (36, 5)
Turnover Margin: 0.77 (19, 2)
Sacks: 1.82 (72, 9)
Sacks Allowed: 1.96 (64, 7)
Madness 2012 NFL Draft Rankings:
#61 Brandon Boykin
Madness 2011 FBS Football Recruit Rankings:
#14 Isaiah Crowell
#19 Ray Drew
#33 Jay Rome
#43 Malcolm Mitchell
#70 Damian Swann
#86 Christian LeMay
#100 Corey Moore
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