A preview of the 2011 season

September 3rd can't get here fast enough. I figured that it's about time for a breakdown of the schedule awaiting the 2011 Georgia Bulldogs.

Boise State comes to Atlanta on September 3rd in what many are saying is pretty much a "home game" for the Bulldogs. However, these dawgs don't have much experience playing in a dome, much less the Georgia Dome. Aside from the game being played in Georgia and most seats occupied by Georgia fans, Boise State is still favored in Vegas. Boise lost 2 superstar WR to the NFL and they have huge holes to fill on the outside. Please keep in mind, though, that they return their Heisman finalist QB and top rated RB from last year's 1 loss team. Georgia has to replace 1st round draft pick, AJ Green, along with a few offensive lineman that have moved onto the NFL and/or have left the team for other reasons. The backfield at Georgia only returns one player in QB Aaron Murray. Murray has been voted 1st team ALL SEC this preseason and a lot will fall on his shoulders this year as he will likely be handing the ball off to a couple of freshman tailbacks all year. The play of RS Freshman Ken Malcome and Isaiah Crowell will be a huge determining factor this season and, especially, in this opening game. But that's enough about offense. Besides, defense wins championships in most occasions. Boise's D from last year was very quick and hungry. They use several undersized D Linemen and backers to pressure the QB and penetrate the backfield. Georgia, on the other hand, is looking very big up front with some great speed at all positions. Year 2 for Granrtham needs to be a huge improvement for the dawgs to be successful this season. In the end, though, I believe Georgia can escape game 1 with a 10 point victory over Boise State. Now it's back to Athens to host the SEC favorite South Carolina Gamecocks.

In recent years UGA has struggled to score on South Carolina as the Gamecocks have consistently been very strong at the year's beginnning, particularly on defense. This year should be a low scoring affair as well as the Gamecocks have scored top rated DE Jadeveon Clowney and he is expected to contribute this season. Gamecock QB Stephen Garcia has had some additional off the field trouble this past offseason but Spurrier is confident his Senior QB will have a breakout year. Honestly, Garcia should have a great season considering he returns arguably the best WR and RB in the conference. Alshon Jeffery had a tremendous year last year as well as then freshman RB Marcus Lattimore. This game in generally decided by turnovers and I have to give the edge to the Bulldogs here because the game is being played in Athens.

Look out for this year's under-the-radar SEC team if they start 2-0. Last year Auburn was not supposed to do much and they won all of their games. This could easily be the year for the dawgs because they don't face Arkansas, LSU, or Alabama from the SEC West. A 2-0 start could very well mean a BCS finale. Check back later for additional prognosis on later games.

Traditional Richt

A lot of times when we think of Mark Richt, we tend to say things about his conservative game decisions, his poor clock management, or his inability to take UGA to the next level in college football. The media seems to show off his incredible personality and character OFF the field. Here is another example that Mark Richt is a sincere, sensible human being.

Please read this article :
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/608686-mark-richt-and-georgia-football-a-great-story-about-a-great-man




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Location:Telfair Pl,Athens,United States

2011 Gridiron Dawg Preview

After posting a disappointing loss to the lowly UCF Knights of Conference USA to end the 2010 season, dawg fans witnessed a losing season for the first time in a while. Things that contributed to the poor results in 2010? Well, there are several. The previous 2 signing classes were not full classes. You are alotted 25 scholarships per year and Georgia elected to sign 20 in '09 and 19 in '10. 4 or 5 of those 39 signed are no longer with the team. AJ Green was also ineligible for the first 4 games because the NCAA elected to drag their feet on his game jersey selling situation. To add to that, Georgia's 2 best tailbacks (not saying either one are necessarily great) couldn't seem to ever get any rhythm in the backfield. This was caused by suspensions from bad off-the-field decisions and because they often got an equal number of carries in the games in which they both participated. Aside from personnel shortages, Georgia was also learning a new 3-4 defensive scheme that Todd Grantham was given little time to implement. Grantham also was dealing with 4-3 defensive personnel so many players had to learn a whole new position in less than a year. I must say, though, that our fundamentals definitely improved from those shown in the Willie Martinez era. Offensively, Georgia struggled against South Carolina, Mississippi State, and UCF. I attribute those struggles to turnovers (Ealey) and Bobo's lack of confidence with Murray early in the year. The UCF game was Murray's worst performance and I think that was most definitely caused by that glove he wore on his throwing hand.

Now, let's look at the future of 2011. The signing class Bobo and Richt got for '11 is, in my opinion, the best of the Richt area. Not only did UGA grab some guys that can immediately fill in some gaps, but it was also a top 5/6 class in the nation according to ESPN and scout.com.
RB: Georgia's delinquent backfield was a problem last year so the dawgs landed Isaiah Crowell (#1 RB recruit in the nation) out of Carver High School. One would think that this would put pressure on King and Ealey to get their acts together but with Ealey's recent indefinite suspension, it looks like Crowell is in the driver's seat to carry the rock in the Georgia Dome. Crowell sports a strange RB build, though. He has a big upper buddy but could use some beef in his legs. He is 6' 210 lbs with 4.4 speed. Caleb King remains academically ineligible until his grades post in May. Also, don't count out Ken Malcome at RB. This guy has not been talked about much but Richt was really close to lifting his redshirt last season. He is 6' 215 lbs and is a traditional style back with a blend of power and elusiveness. I would not be shocked if he turned out to be #2 on the depth chart in September.
WR: Receiver is a big question mark this year with Durham and Green leaving. I have expected a lot more production out of Marlon Brown with his size and speed but he really has not done much at UGA. Tavarres King looks to step up and fill the void this next season as he looks to be the most promising receiver returning. Georgia did pickup a couple guys who could compete this coming season. Malcolm Mitchell is 6'1" 190 with 4.4 speed and is listed on recruiting sites as a CB but I expect he will play receiver like he did in the UA All American game. Justin Scott-Wesley is another WR Georgia signed early for this '11 class and he also competed at the UA All American game. Scott-Wesley is just under 6 feet tall but weighs around 210 lbs and runs a 4.41 40 yard dash.
NG: Another huge pickup came most recently when Georgia signed John Jenkins, JUCO NG from Mississippi Gulf Coast. This pickup is huge (and not just because he weighs 340 lbs)! Georgia struggled to stop the run in '10 because they lacked an inside presence in the 3-4. Jenkins committing to UGA also allows Deangelo Tyson to switch back to DE as it is his native position.
DE/OLB: Georgia lost their best pass rusher from '10 when Houston decided to declare for the NFL draft. That's okay, though. Grantham grabbed the 2nd rated DE/OLB prospect in the country when he grabbed reverend Ray Drew. Grantham has already said he expects Drew to play next season.
MLB: Georgia did well here as well with recruiting, landing Amarlo Herrera who is a 6'2" 215 lb beast from College Park. Herrera on film is scary to watch because he plays bigger than 215 lbs and is fast and a huge hitter. Georgia also stole a Southern Cal commit on signing day, picking up Kent Turene who is 6'3" 225 lbs out of Lauderdale Lakes, Fl.
CB/S: Georgia's best corner from last year has decided to stick around as Boykin chose UGA over the NFL. Damian Swann, a 6' 175 lb CB from Atlanta, will be joining the squad as well. At safety, Corey Moore signed and he is 6'1" 185 lbs out of Griffin. Georgia also adds Chris Sanders from Tucker (6' 175). Both of these safeties were 4 star recruits as well.

A lot of dawg fans out there believe this could be Richt's last season in Athens. I believe this recruiting class may have bought Richt another 2 seasons as head coach. However, the bar is set high as far as expectations go for the '11 season. I think Georgia can certainly win the east next year and anything short of winning the east would be considered a failure. Florida has a new head coach in Will Muschamp and a new OC in Charlie Weiss. Georgia is cursed when it comes to beating the Gators but next year that game is a must-win. Georgia always struggles with South Carolina, no matter how good or bad the Gamecocks are. The South Carolina game usually is make or break for either team, but next year Georgia will know a little more about their football team after they open with Boise State in the Georgia Dome. Boise loses 2 great WRs but still has their talented signal caller in Kellen Moore. Georgia's new strength and conditioning program will be tested early in '11.

Scenarios for Richt to keep his job:
10-2 regular season or better
9 win regular season, winning the SEC East
8 win regular season with victories over Florida and GT