What We Know – Georgia Bulldogs
Dec 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray (11) call signals at the line of scrimmage against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the third quarter in the 2012 SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Over the next few weeks, we will start taking a look at the SEC teams and discuss the apparent strengths and weaknesses of them as the 2013 season nears.
The idea is to identify what we “know” – as much as we can “know” anything about a season that has yet to start. We will also examine what we think we know, what we don’t know and when we might have answers to the biggest questions.
Georgia Bulldogs
What We Know
RBs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall give Georgia one of the most stable, explosive run games in the SEC – This dynamic tailback duo combined for 2,144 rushing yards and 25 TDs last year as true freshmen, so expectations are understandably high in 2013. Gurley, specifically, broke out as a star. Not only did he lead all SEC tailbacks in rushing, he also broke Herschel Walker’s freshman TD record. It’s never bad when tailbacks are linked to Walker one year into their careers. Gurley produced like one of the top backs in the nation last year. Coach Mark Richt will ask him to do so again this season. When Gurley needs a breather, though, Marshall proved there is no huge fall in production. He actually averaged more yards per carry than Gurley and has proven to be the greater home-run threat of the two. Furthermore, the entire starting offensive line that opened all the holes for Gurley and Marshall returns intact.
QB Aaron Murray has all the tools to win the Heisman Trophy – There’s no question that if things fall right for Murray that he could hoist the sport’s grandest individual award in Radio City Music Hall. He plays in the right conference, faces enough marquee competition and his team finds itself on the short list of teams capable of winning a national championship. The numbers should take care of themselves. Last year Murray threw for 3,893 yards and 36 TDs with 10 INTs. With this being a rare year in which Georgia faithful aren’t calling for Richt’s head before the season begins, it seems no person has more riding on the opening two-game gauntlet than Murray. If he emerges unscathed, he should easily be the Heisman frontrunner based on what has happened on the field in 2013. (More on Murray in big games later.) Murray’s entire offensive line returns and we’ve already discussed the remarkable weapons he has in the run game to keep defenses honest. With an inexperienced defense, Murray will be asked to win some games – especially early. Voters already know him well enough that doing so would make his candidacy bloom.
What We Think We Know
Murray’s WRs will develop to the point that the entire offense will be scary – Most SEC fans are already familiar with WR Malcolm Mitchell, who split last season between receiver and cornerback. The attempt to use him on both sides of the ball is thankfully over meaning he has had extended time to work with Murray. Mitchell is the leading returning receiver after catching 40 passes for 572 yards and 4 TDs last year. Michael Bennett was off to a sensational start last year before he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He returns and should give Murray another trustworthy option. Chris Conley and TE Arthur Lynch each averaged more than 17 yards per reception last season as well. Murray will have weapons at the receiver position. This should be an area of strength for the Bulldogs.
The first two games will tell us everything about the 2013 season – Forget soft openings. Richt had better have his team prepared from the get-go. How big are the first two contests? ESPN has already announced College GameDay will be there for the first. It would be hard to fault Chris Fowler and the crew for heading to Athens for Week 2 as well. There is one meeting of preseason top-10 teams in Week 1. It pits Georgia at heavy ACC favorite Clemson. Both teams have national championship aspirations heading into the season. One knows those hopes could be dashed on opening night. The Tigers enter with the ACC chip on their shoulder, largely carrying a conference’s hopes to regain respectability. Beating a huge team in the SEC – as Clemson did to end the 2012 season when it took down LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl – would be a huge coup for the league. This will be an enormous road test for a Georgia team breaking in what will essentially be a new defense. Forget about healing battle wounds, too. Week 2 features South Carolina visiting the Bulldogs. Georgia should have little trouble devoting its entire attention to the visiting Gamecocks after last year’s 35-7 throttling. If the Bulldogs lose both games, you can forget about them as national contenders – and their SEC title hopes will largely be in doubt. If they win the first two, let the hype machine do its work. A Week 5 battle against LSU follows shortly thereafter and could serve as a huge launching point for Georgia’s shot at redemption in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
What We Don’t Know
How quickly can a defense featuring a number of new faces play at a championship level? – A defense that lost seven starters from last year needed no bad news considering the early schedule we just discussed. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham got it anyway when S Josh Harvey-Clemons received a one-game suspension. Harvey-Clemons is expected to be one of the better players – possibly the star – in the secondary. That Sanders Commings, Shawn Williams and Bacarri Rambo – SEC fixtures – are gone it’s safe to say Harvey-Clemsons’ absence will be felt. It’s not just the secondary that will receive a complete overhaul. The front seven replaces five starters, including SEC Defensive Player of the Year LB Jarvis Jones. LB Alec Ogletree and DT John Jenkins were also enormous pieces to the Georgia defense. Grantham thinks he has one answer in potential star LB Jordan Jenkins, who will do his best to fill the position left vacant by Jones. There is no clear answer for some linebacker spots with true freshman Reggie Carter even in the mix for significant playing time. DT Mike Thornton is the favorite to replace Jenkins – though Thornton weighs 290 pounds compared to Jenkins’ 370. True freshman S Tray Matthews is expected to start as well, showing this will be a true youth movement for the Bulldogs. When Will We Know? Within minutes of this unit trying to slow down Clemson and Chad Morris’ high-octane, up-tempo, scoreboard-lighting offense.
Can Murray produce his biggest performances in the Bulldogs’ biggest games? – There’s a knock developing on Murray, who has won several huge games in his time at Georgia. When the Bulldogs have played their biggest games, the senior quarterback has turned in some of his worst performances. Last year, for instance, Murray posted great stats throughout most of the season. His worst game of the year came in a 35-7 loss at South Carolina, but he didn’t play especially well against Florida or Alabama, either – not up to the standards he set for himself anyway. In those three games, Murray completed 41 of 88 passes (47 percent completion percentage) for 524 yards (175/game) with 2 TDs and 5 INTs. He completed 70 percent of passes against opponents other than Florida, South Carolina and Alabama, averaging 337 passing yards and 3.4 TDs per game as well. In three games, he also accounted for half his INTs. In fairness, Murray played well – 484 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs in losses to Boise State and South Carolina to start the 2011 season. Though the Florida game is always big to Georgia, it wasn’t on the radar nationally in 2011 because the Gators went just 6-6. Murray struggled in the 2011 SEC Championship Game, completing just 16 of 40 attempts for 163 yards with a TD and 2 INTs. Dating back to Murray’s freshman year seems inherently unfair, but he actually performed better in big games that season than in the next two. He did little against South Carolina – his second career start – and did little to avoid the Bulldogs falling to 1-4. However, he rebounded and played fairly well in losses to Florida and Auburn while also engineering an upset win over Georgia Tech to allow Georgia to go to a bowl game. Considering what the Bulldogs face at the start of the season and a defense in development, Murray needs to be at his best under the brightest lights. That must include the first two weeks when Georgia faces an enormous road test in Clemson and then hosts South Carolina in what could prove to be a pivotal SEC East showdown. When Will We Know? Saturday night.