|
QB
Matthew Stafford |
|
|
2007
Statistics |
Coach:
Mark Richt
72-19,
7 years |
2007
Record: 11-2 |
|
OKLAHOMA
STATE |
WON
35-14 |
SOUTH
CAROLINA |
LOST
12-16 |
WEST.
CAROLINA |
WON
45-16 |
at
Alabama |
WON
26-23 (OT) |
MISSISSIPPI |
WON
45-17 |
at
Tennessee |
LOST
14-35 |
at
Vanderbilt |
WON
20-17 |
vs.
Florida |
WON
42-30 |
TROY |
WON
44-34 |
AUBURN |
WON
45-20 |
KENTUCKY |
WON
24-13 |
at
Georgia Tech |
WON
31-17 |
SUGAR
BOWL |
Hawai'i |
WON
41-10 |
|
2007
Final Rankings
AP-2, Coaches-3, BCS-5
|
2008
Outlook |
Head
coach Mark Richt’s name
is becoming synonymous with
Georgia football. Seven was
recently his lucky number, for
in ’07, he became the
ninth coach in I-A history to
record 70 wins in his first
seven seasons. He won two SEC
titles in his first five years,
something only six SEC coaches
have done. And he is one of
only five SEC coaches all-time
to win 10 games four years in
a row. Many Dawg fans were calling
for his head just two years
ago when Georgia looked average
struggling to a 9-4 result,
but he seems to have paid them
back (and then some) with last
year’s campaign-ending
seven-game win streak and the
No.2 ranking, both in the final
AP poll and here in the preseason.
This team is chock-full of top
athletes, guys who are willing
to play backup roles who could
get more face time at other
schools. Richt’s recruiting
results should keep him in Athens
for many years to come, let
alone due to how good this year’s
squad looks to be.
Established
QB Matt Stafford has a new-look
two-back set to distract opposing
pass rushers, and RBs King and
Moreno are likely to become
the 42nd pair to ever both rush
for 1000 yards in a season.
The UGA no-name receivers are
also deep, and the line is both
young AND experienced. All of
the pieces are in place for
this to become a commanding
offense, one that can score
at will and wear opponents down
by controlling the clock and
keeping the Georgia D resting
on the pine.
The
defense will be even more special.
The secondary, with most of
its major cogs returning, are
coming off of holding Hawai’i’s
deadly aerial assault to only
10 points and Heisman finalist
Colt Brennan to 169 yards and
three INTs. Much of the reason
Georgia did so well on defense
in ‘07 was due to the
pressure applied by now-departed
Marcus Howard, but guys like
Geno Atkins and newbie DeAngelo
Tyson have the chops to pick
up that slack and keep UGA (close
to being) the No.16 rushing
defense. The DBs, as stated,
have too many studs…it’s
ridiculous. The back seven should
be able to make the Dawg’s
pass defense another top 20
unit. No pressure on opposing
QBs will mean defensive struggles
could arise, but finding that
pressure will make this a truly
feared stopping unit.
The
surest path to the national
championship is to take on as
many top challengers as possible,
and Georgia’s slate doesn’t
disappoint. Non-cons No.16 Arizona
State (away) and in-state rival
Tech are no gimme’s, and
the Central Michigan game seems
easy, but the MAC champs are
no cake-walk, either. The sequence
to end the conference schedule
– (preseason) No.7 LSU,
No.6 Florida, upstart Kentucky
and No.15 Auburn – is
a killer and all are outside
of the state of Georgia, so
this team earns anything they
get, BCS or otherwise. Even
with this buzz-saw slate, the
slobbering Uga (VI, to be exact)
is likely to be hunkering down
on some of the major bones of
the SEC by November. This team
could come in second in possibly
the toughest division in any
conference, but they likely
make the BCS “final 10”,
regardless. It will be a banner
year in Athens, one that will
place Georgia back in the top
10…as they were before,
for years to come.
Projected
2008 record: 10-2
|
|
|
DT
Geno Atkins |
GEORGIA
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 4 |
DL
- 4.5 |
RB
- 4.5 |
LB
- 4 |
WR
- 3.5 |
DB
- 4 |
OL
- 4 |
.. |
|
GEORGIA
2007 Statistical Rankings |
OFFENSE |
|
National |
Conf. |
Rushing: |
37 |
4 |
Passing: |
83 |
8 |
Total
Off: |
74 |
6 |
Sacks
Allow: |
13 |
4 |
|
DEFENSE |
|
National |
Conf. |
Rushing: |
16 |
3 |
Passing: |
36 |
8 |
Total
Def: |
14 |
3 |
Sacks: |
8 |
1 |
|
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Matthew Stafford, 194-348-10,
2523 yds., 19 TD
Rushing: Knowshon Moreno,
248 att., 1334 yds., 14 TD
Receiving: Mohamed Massaquoi,
32 rec., 491 yds., 4 TD
Scoring: Knowshon Moreno,
14 TD, 84 pts.
Punting: Brian Mimbs,
57 punts, 42.4 avg.
Kicking: None
Tackles: Dannell Ellerbe,
93 tot., 63 solo
Sacks: Geno Atkins, 7.5
sacks
Interceptions: Asher
Allen, 3 for 4 yds.
Kickoff Returns: Asher
Allen, 28 ret., 24.6 avg., 0
TD
Punt Returns: Asher Allen,
1 ret., 1.0 avg., 0 TD
|
|
|
|
|
GEORGIA |
|
|
OFFENSE
- 8 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 9 |
|
KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Thomas Brown-RB, Sean Bailey-WR,
Mikey Henderson-WR, Fernando Velasco-C,
Chester Adams-OT, Brandon Coutu-K |
DEFENSE:
Marcus
Howard-DE, Brandon Miller-SLB,
Thomas Flowers-CB, Kelin Johnson-SS |
|
|
2008
OFFENSE |
-
Contributing writer Gene Rice
QUARTERBACK
One of the reasons Georgia was able
to be merely the No.74 total offense
but the No.34 scoring offense was
because Matt Stafford stayed in the
pocket more. With enough ground options
to keep the Dallas-native’s
jersey cleaner, Stafford is again
dangerous since he’s turned
his TD:INT ratio around – it
was 7:13 in 2006 but soared to 19:10
in 2007. The junior hurler stands
tough in the pocket at 237lbs, and
the former-No.1 (Rivals) pro-style
recruit is still on the upside of
his learning curve…in other
words, he will continue to improve
as he has so far during each off-season.
Backup Joe Cox was used modestly in
2006 when coach Richt played musical
QBs for a large part of the season,
so he isn’t as green as his
number may lead you to believe, but
still would make the offense take
a step back if inserted for a lengthy
time.
RUNNING
BACK
The biggest change you will notice
about the Bulldog offense will be
their move to a two-back set. Since
spring began, the aim has been to
try and get both SEC Freshman of the
Year Knowshon Moreno and RS frosh
Caleb King on the field at the same
time. This will not be a traditional
two-back set, but a modern approach
that allows King to move outside (in
the flat/flank) and both backs to
confuse defenses, ala Williams &
Brown at Auburn (or McFadden and Jones
at Arkansas). Moreno, New Jersey’s
all-time prep career leader in points
(second in rushing) took the nation
and SEC by storm with his seemingly
unlimited motor and bruising style.
A team leader with enthusiasm, Moreno
earned both All-SEC and Freshman All-American
First Team honors, and was basically
realized across the board as the top
new runner in the country. These two
are almost the same exact size, with
Moreno having the experience and King
being a step faster. This will be
the best tandem set of tailbacks in
the league, a real statement when
considering they are both underclassmen
still. Expect to still see Brannan
Southerland, their senior fullback
who missed spring due to foot surgery,
and incoming frosh Dontavius Jackson
(No.8 RB recruit) also in the fold.
UPDATE:
Brannan Southerland will miss start
of season following surgery to repair
a stress fracture in left foot.
RECEIVER
Big Kris Durham gets the early promotion
as the next starting WR, joining senior
Mohamed Massaquoi on the outside.
The big news out of Athens this spring
headlines the nation’s No.2
incoming WR as a major weapon Richt
will look to in UGA’s multiple
receiver sets. This team has receivers
stacked four deep at each slot, so
injuries here would not really impact
overall production for long. TE Tripp
Chandler offers the same quality as
a blocker as he does when he comes
off the line and goes down the deep
middle, so he can stay in much of
the time and not telegraph the play
call.
OFFENSIVE
LINE
The line is the lone area in which
the Dawgs must do some retooling.
Three sophomores, guys who played
over their heads to help UGA finish
so highly ranked, are now war-tested
veterans who will anchor the offensive
attack and will make the new guys
feel comfortable due to their experience.
The left side is super solid in the
care of tackle Trinton Sturdivant
and guard Chris Davis, and classmate
Clint Boling will effectively pull
for lateral blocking when needed.
The reason Davis can remain at LG
(he was slated to possibly move to
center) is due to the sudden emergence
of true freshman Ben Jones. Jones
has been a quick study, learning the
blocking schemes well enough to be
trusted to call them right away. Rounding
out the starters is newbie RT Kiate
Tripp, who played sparingly behind
then-starter Chester Adams and learned
enough to take his place (as of now).
Guys like Vince Vance, Josh Davis
and many other new recruits make this
a young-but-deep line. This OL will
be especially strong between the tackles,
something that suits Moreno just fine
with his north-south style of running.
The bar was set at allowing only 15
sacks last year, a number that this
group is capable of equaling with
Stafford’s innate pocket presence.
In a league like the SEC, playing
UGA’s straight-ahead running
style is a great foundation on which
to build a creative offensive attack.
Stafford
just has to prove he can still beat
teams over the top to keep any eighth
men out of the box, and this offense
can keep scoring 40 or more points
like they did in four of the last
six games of ’07. Expect a bit
of rust until they quickly shake it
off and then hit a gear they haven’t
hit in quite some time.
|
|
RB
Knowshon Moreno
|
|
|
GEORGIA
2008 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Matthew
Stafford-Jr (6-3, 237) |
Joe
Cox-Jr (6-1, 208) |
FB |
Shaun
Chapas-So (6-2, 236) |
Brannan
Southerland-Sr (6-0, 240) (inj.) |
RB |
Knowshon
Moreno-So (5-11, 207) |
Caleb
King-Fr (5-11, 212) |
WR |
Kris
Durham-Jr (6-5, 200) |
Demiko
Goodman-Sr (6-2, 190)
Kenneth Harris-Sr (6-3,215) |
WR |
Mohamed
Massaquoi-Sr (6-2, 198) |
Tony
Wilson-So (5-11, 198)
Michael Moore-Jr (6-2, 188) |
TE |
Tripp
Chandler-Sr (6-6, 263) |
Bruce
Figgins-So (6-4, 254) |
OT |
Trinton
Sturdivant-So (6-5, 293) |
Josh
Davis-So (6-6, 293) |
OG |
Vince
Vance-Jr (6-8, 320) |
Tanner
Strickland-Fr (6-5, 328) |
C |
Chris
Davis-So (6-4, 292) |
Ben
Jones-Fr (6-3, 300) |
OG |
Justin
Anderson-Fr (6-5, 330) |
Clint
Boling-So (6-5, 290) (susp.) |
OT |
Kiante
Tripp-So (6-6, 270) |
Cordy
Glenn-Fr (6-6, 315) |
K |
Blair
Walsh-Fr (5-10, 163) |
Drew
Butler-Fr (6-2, 205) |
|
|
2008
DEFENSE |
Georgia
quietly finished ’07 as the
No.14 total defense, and with 11 guys
back who have worthwhile starting
experience, you’d think they
could only get better. Size and speed
abound at every position.
DEFENSIVE
LINE
Take Roderick Battle at end, someone
who has to quickly become a leader
since this junior is the only DE incumbent.
Battle runs a 4.7 second 40, but he
has yet to truly impress with only
23 tackles after starting every game.
Battle doesn’t seem to be a
sack specialist, so someone will have
to step into those shoes if this defense
is to remain in the top 20. Howard
could truly be missed if Battle doesn’t
step up. Well, that is if four-star
incoming frosh DeAngelo Tyson (No.4
DE prospect) doesn’t find the
spotlight. The tackle rotation is
set, and Geno Atkins can help to apply
QB pressure after he earned 7.5 sacks
busting through the middle. Senior
Jeff Owens and junior Kade Weston
are sparkplugs who will clog the middle
effectively. All the tackles are rather
mobile, and the interchangeable nature
of the entire line will allow assistant
Rod Garner to mix and match his guys
at will so legs stay fresh deep into
the fourth quarter every week.
LINEBACKER
Second Team All-SEC MLB Dannell Ellerbe
is the senior leader of the entire
D. He and classmate Marcus Washington
both started there (seven starts for
Ellerbe and five for Washington),
as did Dewberry and Curran share the
spot on the weakside. Curran is the
main guy, but you can see how this
much depth makes the entire defense
better for so many reasons. Penciled
in at SLB is Akeem Dent, who was found
there as a starter off and on last
year, but Akeem Hebron and many others
will make the competition for the
strongside slot a team boon, regardless
of who wins the start. The corps is
extremely athletic and will be able
to keep up with anyone in the SEC.
DEFENSIVE
BACK
What junior Prince Miller gives up
in height (5’8) he makes up
for in coverage skills. South Carolina’s
Mr. Football and Gatorade Player of
the Year (2005), Miller is set to
have a breakout campaign after such
a strong showing on the weakside.
Asher Allen had a breakout campaign
as a sophomore last year, finishing
second in tackles and proving he can
be left alone in one-on-one coverage
against even the best WRs. Bryan Evans
is the third junior Dawg CB, one who
will be seen early and often as a
nickel but has the misfortune of being
stuck behind Miller on the depth chart
(another great problem for the coaches
to have). Reshad Jones, the No.1 safety
recruit in 2006, is poised to make
the start at SS after finishing third
on the team in tackles as an oft-used
extra DB (nickel, dime, he was everywhere,
just ask the Gators…he had seven
tackles against just them). C.J. Byrd,
2004 South Carolina Gatorade Player
of the Year, will be the senior leader
of the secondary. The DBs don’t
go quite as deep as all of the other
units on this side of the ball (save
the DEs), but it would take at least
three of the starters to go before
it would be time to panic (in light
of the national title hunt).
UGA
already knows how to bend and not
break – they allowed 79% of
foes’ red zone trips to be converted,
but only 49% of those were for six
points, a strong number for an already-gelled
squad.
|
|
LB
Dannell Ellerbe
|
|
|
GEORGIA
2008 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Roderick
Battle-Jr (6-4, 261) |
Jarius
Wynn-Sr (6-5, 273) |
DT |
Jeff
Owens-Sr (6-3, 298) |
Corvey
Irvin-Sr (6-4, 286) |
DT |
Geno
Atkins-Jr (6-1, 290) |
Kade
Weston-Jr (6-5, 316) |
DE |
Jeremy
Lomax-Sr (6-4, 247) |
Justin
Houston-Fr (6-3, 250) |
SLB |
Akeem
Dent-So (6-2, 218) |
Darius
Dewberry-Jr (6-3, 236) (susp.) |
MLB |
Dannell
Ellerbe-Sr (6-1, 232) |
Charles
White-Fr (6-1, 225)
Marcus Washington-Sr (6-0, 250)
(inj.) |
WLB |
Rennie
Curran-So (5-11, 220) |
Darryl
Gamble-So (6-2, 237) |
CB |
Prince
Miller-Jr (5-8, 190) |
Bryan
Evans-Jr (5-11, 188) |
CB |
Asher
Allen-Jr (5-10, 198) |
Ramarcus
Brown-Sr (5-11, 170) |
SS |
CJ
Byrd-Sr (6-2, 193) |
Quintin
Banks-So (6-2, 210) |
FS |
Reshad
Jones-So (6-2, 203) |
John
Knox-Fr (6-2, 215) |
P |
Brian
Mimbs-Sr (5-11, 205) |
Drew
Butler-Fr (6-2, 205) |
|
|
|
2008
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Punter
Brian Mimbs is has a strong foot, but the
senior has to hear the footsteps of legacy
Drew Butler challenging him for reps. The
son of Georgia legend Kevin Butler (No.2
all-time in UGA career scoring and field
goals made), this young man can possibly
hold down both kicking jobs. Since these
two guys are the only punters or kickers
on the roster, injuries to both would be
devastating! Asher Allen has the KR duties
in good hands, but the amazing punt returners
both have left. New faces will emerge.
|
|