35-28, 28-21. The 2018 College Football season ended in a disappointing way for the Georgia Bulldogs. After posting an 11-1 regular-season record and an SEC East division championship for the second year in a row, the Dawgs were on a roll and were looking at a shot with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Georgia ended up losing the SEC Championship game after leading Alabama for the majority of the game. After another miraculous quarterback switch, where former starting quarterback Jalen Hurts replaced the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Hurts ended up leading the Tide on two touchdowns drives to knock off Georgia. The SEC Championship game sent the Georgia season into a tailspin, as the Dawgs felt they failed and they had nothing left to fight for. Georgia wasn’t focused on ending their season on a positive note and setting the tone for next season. Texas dominated an unmotivated Georgia team in a Sugar Bowl which will go down in history as one of the worst performances from a Georgia team under Kirby Smart. Time to turn the page! Georgia will be traveling to Vanderbilt for the 2019 season opener. It has been a long-anticipated wait for both sides as both teams look forward to having a successful season. Georgia isn’t satisfied with how last season ended and will look to turn the page and get off to a fresh start and erase their minds of the past. The keys for this game are simple, find playmakers on offense, and commit to holding Vanderbilt scoreless at all cost on defense. Georgia will be heading into this game will two new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Both were promoted from in-house but will be looking to improve both sides of the ball and put together a 1-0 performance at the end of this weekend. On offense, the Dawgs will be looking to the likes of junior quarterback Jake Fromm, junior running back D’Andre Swift, and junior left tackle Andrew Thomas to set the tone offensively. Fromm will be entering his junior season after two very impressive years as Georgia’s starting quarterback and will be looking to build on that. Georgia will not have it’s top four receivers from a year ago on the field this season. The receivers will be young and inexperienced this year, as they look to fill massive gaps left behind by the players that came before them. Senior receiver Tyler Simmons is one to watch this season and especially this game as he has had the most snaps from a returning receiver this season. I expect James Coley to be conservative in the passing game against Vanderbilt as Fromm will need time to connect with his new guys out wide. I don’t expect anything more than 20 throws today from Fromm. But it is no secret that Heisman hopeful D’Andre Swift will be carrying the bone for Georgia in the backfield this game and all season. It is expected that Georgia will be dominant on the ground this Saturday as Georgia will outmatch Vanderbilt upfront, we should be able to see the likes of James Cook, Brian Herrien, and maybe even Zamir White for a few snaps if he is ready for some action. Defensively for the Dawgs, it is expected that first-year defensive coordinator Dan Lanning will be looking to find his playmakers in the front seven, as Georgia looks to create more ‘havoc’ on defense. The Georgia secondary will be leaned on heavily for the early part of the season it is believed to be the strongest part of the team on defense. I expect to see Georgia play on multiple fronts and bringing more men in the box to try and rack up some sacks this weekend. Georgia will be looking to some freshman to step up in the front seven to make an immediate impact on this defense. Former number one recruit Nolan Smith will get his shot as an edge rusher this weekend for Georgia as he looks to be a starter in year one. Tyler Clark, the senior defensive end will be someone to watch as many are expecting him to be a big part of the resurgence of the Georgia defensive line this season. If Clark can be that dominant presence upfront for Georgia then there is no doubt that Georgia will be very dangerous on defense. Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell are two players to watch in the secondary as they are expected to be at the top of the depth chart at corner this week. Stokes will be looking to be the lockdown defensive back that he showed signs of last season, as Campbell will be looking to bounce back from a roller coaster freshman season. Official Prediction! Georgia will beat Vanderbilt in an emphatic performance, which sees Georgia put up 42 points and only sees Vandy put up two field goals against an impressive Georgia defense. D’Andre Swift will light up the field for Georgia as he will rush for well over 100 yards, and I expect Brain Herrien to be right back him. Georgia will officially turn the page.
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Georgia completed its first scrimmage of fall camp and the first one since the spring game, also known as G-Day. Coach Smart took the podium after the scrimmage, just like he would do for a game. Smart went up to the podium and expressed his displeasure with the scrimmage that just took place on Saturday.
Smart said “It probably wasn’t the kind of scrimmage I was expecting to have, and it wasn’t the temperament and the enthusiasm,” Smart also expressed his displeasure with the first-teamers, “Both ones’ units were a little lethargic, not real good timing, and some busts on defense.” But it wasn’t all just a bust as Smart appeared very pleased with the play of the second-team offense, which was led by Stetson Bennett, who led the second-team offense on a 13 play drive that resulted in a touchdown against the first-team defense. Georgia has time to clean up the mistakes, as it is only the first scrimmage of the fall and they will be heading into their second week of camp, Monday. So what can we watch for in week two? Second Team Receivers get their shots with the Ones Smart seemed pleased with the play of the second team receivers who he said all ‘made plays.’ One of the most talked-about freshman receivers, George Pickens made a very great catch up against the sideline, where he caught the ball in mid-air with one hand. Dawg fans have been busy comparing Pickens to former Georgia receiver AJ Green, before and after seeing the video of his catch. Dominick Blaylock, another highly touted receiver has been making an impression on the coaches early as he has gone out to camp and has made plays both at receiver and on special teams. Blaylock was praised by some of his teammates in front of the media during the week. Kearis Jackson and Dominick Blaylock are both competing with D-Rob for that slot receiver position as of right now. Smart said that D-Rob needs to continue to improve to stave off those two young guys. If the first-teamers can’t find a solution then we could start seeing some of the young guys get their reps with the first team. More of Zamir White Zamir White had a good scrimmage for the Dawgs in his first scrimmage back from injury in which he was able to go in fully padded with contact. White was praised for how he looks physically, as he ran a very tough style of running for Georgia in the scrimmage. Coach Smart said that White did well in short-yardage situations as he was able to convert fourth, third and ones for first downs. Smart did challenge White, as he called out his ball security and pocket protection as two areas of improvement. If White improves in those two areas then he could end up challenging Herrien for that number two spot on the depth chart behind Swift. It is also possible that White will be used in short-yardage situations, as Herrien was used last season. Second String Stetson Stetson Bennett received public praise from Coach Smart after the scrimmage, as Smart told the media that Bennett led the second-team offense on a 13 play drive that ended with a touchdown. Smart said “He was really steady, really consistent, converted a third and one, converted a fourth and one, just kept going. It was a long drive. He executed well. He moved around the pocket well. He did some good things.” With Dwan Mathis still recovering from his surgery during the offseason, this is a great opportunity for Bennett to separate himself from Mathis and show that he has what it takes to take over if anything ever happens to Jake Fromm. A Better Jake Fromm In a press conference that lasted nearly 16 minutes with the media, where Coach Smart talked to the media about the scrimmage that his football team just finished. Kirby did not even mention the starting third-year quarterback. Smart talked about the expected second-string quarterback but not the starter. It may just be an overreaction from the fanbase, or it could be a challenge to Fromm to do what he can to find an identity on offense. The first-teamers on both sides were called lethargic, which isn’t something you want to hear about a football team, and especially from the expected starters. It is expected that Jake Fromm will be spending his free time in the film room as he looks to find a way to better not only himself but the whole offense, which is depending on new, inexperienced receivers to help create a new identity on offense. Top Dawg Take: Georgia is Closing the Gap with Alabama? Is Florida Closing the Gap on Georgia?8/10/2019 After the recent news of Brenton Cox transferring to the University of Florida, the Twitter world believes that Florida is closing the gap with Georgia. Florida fans are very excited about the talent and potential that Cox brings with him to Gainesville. The Gators finished third in the SEC East division after last season’s finish.
Florida for the past three years has been chasing the Dawgs on the football field and the recruiting trail. Ever since the arrival of Coach Kirby Smart, the Dawgs are 2-1 against the Gators. In those three matchups, the Dawgs have put up a combined score of 88 points to Florida’s 48 points scored. But the Gators believe the gap is closing. As we all know Georgia is not worried about any gap with any College Football team, then the one with Alabama. Back just three years ago it felt like we were three to four years behind the Tide. Then fast forward two years and it seems like we are a play away from the Tide. Alabama under Coach Nick Saban has done one thing very well since the start of their dynasty. That is recruiting, the Tide have rolled through the country looking for the best talent to add to their program. They are never satisfied with what they got. They had Jalen Hurts, who led the Tide to the National Championship game, and eventually lost to Clemson. The next year Alabama brought in the legend known as Tua Tagovailoa who ended up replacing Jalen Hurts who once again brought the Tide to the National Title game, only to be replaced at halftime after a bad first-half performance. Nick Saban is always looking to get better in every position and every part of the game. His non-stop recruiting has led to National Championships. Back in 2016, Georgia hired Kirby Smart, the former Defensive Coordinator for Nick Saban. Georgia fired the second-most winningest head coach in school history because they weren’t satisfied with 10 wins a year. Ever since then Smart has been molding the Dawgs into a National Championship contender, and in his fourth season, he is looking to mold them into a championship-winning team. After two recruiting classes in a row being top three, the Dawgs are closing that one play gap with Alabama. Florida finished last season with a 10-3 record under new Head Coach Dan Mullen. The Gators went 5-3 in conference play last season, which made them the third-best team in the SEC East. Florida lost all three games to a conference team those being, Kentucky, Georgia, and Missouri. The Gators ended their season with a win in the Peach Bowl, where they beat Michigan 41-15 in a beat down. The Gator fans ever since have proclaimed that they were “back.” They won a bowl game in which they blew out a top 25 team in the country. They went into the offseason swinging, and they weren’t shy to run their mouth. Even Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen started taking shots at Georgia during spring camp. All this newfound momentum couldn’t be used in their work on the recruiting trail, as the Gators failed to recruit a five star to enroll on campus. It has been four years since Florida has ever recruited a five star and successful got him to Florida. Florida ranked 9th nationally for the 2019 recruiting class. It was the highest they’ve been in a while. Their pride commitment was four-star defensive back Chris Steele from St. John Bosco High School. Steele ended up leaving the Gators after the spring because the Gators failed to find him a new roommate. It has been over a 1,000 days since the Gators last beat the Dawgs in a game. And even with the former five-star edge rusher enrolling at Florida, the gap still seems to be widening between the Dawgs and Gators. Georgia is continuing to recruit at a high level as they are bringing in more competition at every position every year, as they look to put the best team on the field for every game. Georgia is still looking for the team that will knock off the Tide and moves on to the National Championship game, and this time win it. Georgia has been winning key recruiting battles with the top programs in the nation ever since Smart took over. Smart is now putting those highly touted players to work in fall camp, as he is installing a championship mentality, of going 1-0 every week. Georgia has been a combined 10 points away from beating Alabama in the past two games. Georgia was two drives on offense and two stops on defense from beating the Tide. The standard for excellence at Georgia is no longer just beating our rivals, it is now competing for, and winning a National Championship. Georgia has shifted from the old mentality of beating rivals. Georgia has shifted to a championship mentality, something Florida has not. Which is why the gap has remained and is why we will see the Gators on Twitter talking trash, but we will not see their talk on the field because they haven’t closed the gap. The Dawgs are off on Friday as they prepare for their first full scrimmage of the fall this coming Saturday. Georgia has been back on the practice field for a week now, as they have been working hard to get Fall Camp started the right way.
Even though we have only seen a limited amount of time of practice time and only 2 days of full pads. Here are is my report on the first week of Fall Camp. Newcomers have impressed With Georgia coming off a very successful offseason, which was filled with big wins for the Dawgs on the recruiting trail. It was time for those highly touted recruits to put in the work and show the staff what they're made of and earn a spot on the field. It has been those newcomers for Georgia that have been very impressed so far in fall camp. Both graduate transfers, Eli Wolf and Lawrence Cager both came in this summer and have impressed immediately with there hard work and dedication they've shown on and off the field. The transfers are not the only ones receiving praise as some freshman are too. The number one rated prospect in the 2019 class has been racking up praise from his coaches, Nolan Smith came in the spring has shown a dedication to his work ethic. Smith has been impressing outside linebacker coach Dan Lanning. Freshman inside linebacker, Nakobe Dean also came in early for the spring and been getting praise for his intelligence and his high football IQ. Not only on the field but off the field he is a very smart kid, and he is drawing attention for it. Depth at Defensive Line One of the biggest standouts so far this week has been freshman defensive tackle, Travon Walker. Walker a five-star out of Thomaston, Georgia, has been receiving praise for his high effort levels and his great attitude. It is expected that he will be in the mix for a first-team spot for the scrimmage. Jordan Davis, the freshman standout as well has been getting praise for his continued work ethic as he is looking to get better from a year ago. Davis stood out as a freshman, as he was a big part of stopping the run for Georgia on defense. Davis earned the starting nose guard spot in the middle of the season and made a big difference at the line. Julian Rochester the senior is also starting to work his way back onto the field after having knee surgery in the offseason. Rochester is another guy that can play up front for the Dawgs, especially at that nose guard spot that Davis ran away with. Having Rochester back healthy would provide some much-needed depth at nose guard. Receiving Standouts One of the big questions going into fall camp was, who will be able to step up and play for the Dawgs at receiver? Well, that question has started to find an answer as the attention at that position is starting to show. Most notably the freshman has been drawing high praise from not only the media but their teammates. Senior safety Richard LeCounte compared freshman George Pickens to Georgia great AJ Green. It is also been noted that Dominick Blaylock another five-star prospect at the position, has shown his ability to catch and then turn upfield and try to make a big play. Both freshmen will be looking for early playing time at Georgia after the mass exodus at the position over the offseason. Great Depth on the Offensive Line It is no secret that Georgia is going into the 2019 season with what most people would say is the best offensive line in the country. Last season Georgia was plagued by multiple injuries upfront to some of their linemen. These injuries forced Georgia to go to their bench, which proved that Georgia had some very valuable depth on the line. With four of the five starting spots among the line already penciled in by Georgia fans. There is a very competitive and interesting battle at the right guard position. Last season Ben Cleveland went down with a broken leg which forces him to miss a few games. Georgia ended up replacing Cleveland with Cade Mays and Trey Hill, as each split time at the position. Now that Cleveland is back fully healthy for his senior year, and Trey Hill has made the transition to center. Cleveland is in a battle with Cade Mays, which is very close at this point in camp. There has been no drop off in the play of the line when either of them is in, but it does seem like Cleveland does have the edge at this point because of his experience and very notable work he has put in over the offseason. Last week it was announced that former five-star edge rusher from the 2018 class, Brenton Cox was dismissed from the Georgia program after a mutual agreement with Coach Kirby Smart.
Cox, the former Ohio State commit reopened his commitment and ended up signing with Georgia were he appeared in 13 games for the Dawgs where he totaled 20 tackles, two for a loss, and a sack. Cox started his first game as a Dawg in the Sugar Bowl. Brenton was one of six players arrested over offseason for Georgia over a misdemeanor charge. It was reported by a maintenance worker that cannabis was found in Brenton Cox's dorm, who roomed with sophomore Robert Beal. Both men were charged with possession of marijuana, and later on, both have been dismissed. Brenton Cox entered the transfer portal last week and after a visit to the University of Florida, Cox has enrolled at the university and has already practiced with Florida. But he will need a waiver from the NCAA for immediate eligibility if he wants to play this season. If not granted the waiver then he would have to sit out and likely redshirt. It is unlikely he will be granted immediate eligibility because of the offseason charges that were brought against him. One of the most intriguing aspects of this year’s Georgia team that isn’t being talked about enough is the new energy and talent that has been injected into the Georgia defense. Former Defensive Coordinator, Mel Tucker left the University of Georgia after the SEC Championship game a year ago, to become the newest Head Coach of Colorado.
Coach Kirby Smart made it known that he would be handing the keys to his talented linebacker coaches to handle the game preparation for the upcoming Sugar Bowl. It was also announced that Coach Smart would be returning to his position coaching spot that he held for nine years at the University of Alabama. It was an audition for Outside Linebacker Coach Dan Lanning to put himself in the driver seat of the defense for the next few years. Lanning came to Georgia before the start of the 2018 season after former Outside Linebackers Coach Kevin Sherrer left to become the Defensive Coordinator at Tennessee. Lanning spent time with Coach Smart and Coach Tucker at Alabama, as Lanning was an analyst on that staff until 2016. He then went on to coach the linebackers at Memphis for two years. All the hype was coming out about Georgia and how it would prove the committee wrong for not putting them in the Playoffs. Then the game was played, and it was the most uninspired performance from the Dawgs under Kirby Smart. Smart went into the offseason and announced a new offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator both being in-house hires. Dan Lanning was announced as Defensive Coordinator, with Glenn Schuman taking a role as Co-Defensive Coordinator. Lanning, a first-time Defensive Coordinator is coming into the 2019 season with a lot of talent at every position. Georgia was able to play a lot of youth last season after the loss of many key starters from the SEC Championship team. The youth got a lot of snaps and game time, which could only mean good things for the future. Georgia is bringing back key leaders in Richard LeCounte, JR Reed, Tae Crowder, and Tyler Clark. All four of those guys are returning for their senior years, three of the four were starters last season for Georgia. Not only is leadership coming back but Georgia brought in more freshman to come and make an immediate impact on defense. Georgia brought in the number overall recruit from the 2019 class in Nolan Smith, an edge rusher. Along with number one rated JUCO, who also is an edge rusher, Jermaine Johnson. Georgia will be bringing in a highly rated defensive tackle in Travon Walker, who is impressing in camp so far. With the flush of talent that has come into Athens after this past offseason, Georgia has some very big holes to fill. Georgia showed a very big weakness in the run game, as the Dawgs were unable to effectively stop the run without nose guard, Jordan Davis who is returning for his sophomore season after ending his freshman year with an injury. Sam Ehlinger and Jalen Hurts both lit up the Georgia defense like a Christmas tree as both are powerful runners who can hit the holes like a fullback. The loss of dominant inside linebacker, Roquan Smith was felt by the Georgia defense last season. So what’s the solution? Well as I mentioned Georgia has a flush of talent returning and coming in as freshman and JUCO transfers. Georgia brought in talented defensive tackle Travon Walker, who is impressing the coaches so far. Walker was apart of the first team on defense for their first scrimmage of the fall. Walker is expected to help out in stopping the run as he is a bigger body for Georgia up front who has some extreme power. Georgia is also returning its third-leading tackler from a season ago in Monty Rice, who is only a junior this season. Rice has shown the ability to be the open field, do it all linebacker that Roquan was in his time at Georgia. Rice was a key component in stopping the run when he was available. Senior defensive tackle Julian Rochester is returning from knee surgery from this past offseason and has been preparing well to come back from injury. Rochester is another guy that can clog up the middle of the line and force the backs to go outside where they have trouble getting around the edge. The last thing that I want to highlight, that needs to be dealt with is defending through the air. It is no secret that Georgia is losing one of their best defensive backs of all-time in Deandre Baker. But it is also no secret that Georgia was very young and inexperienced in the secondary last season. Having Baker go on a tear for two years without giving up a touchdown was crucial for the Dawgs in the back seven. Now with Baker gone, Georgia will be looking to 2018 standout and now redshirt sophomore Eric Stokes to lead the way in the secondary as their lockdown corner. Stokes broke out in the middle of last season after the struggles of highly-rated freshman Tyson Campbell. Stokes, a lockdown man coverage corner, has the height and speed that Georgia needs in the secondary. Georgia will also be returning sophomore cornerback Tyson Campbell, a highly rated recruit out of high school who struggled in the beginning of the season for Georgia. During bowl preparation Coach Smart was able to get his hands on Campbell and put him back on track. Campbell went on to perform well in coverage in the Sugar Bowl. But one of the things that I have been beginning to notice is how the Big 12 has been able to shut down SEC Offenses. Now I don’t care about conferences at all. I only care about what Georgia is doing. It doesn’t to me whether or not we have a team from the SEC in the Playoffs. But looking back at the Sugar Bowl game, Texas and their Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando prepared very well for a dominant running offense who would slaughter teams at the line of scrimmage. It is well known that the Texas defense was nothing special, as it was struggling last season to keep teams off the board. But Todd Orlando did very well preparing a gameplan to stop the Georgia offense. One of Fromm’s best attributes is being able to read defenses and make checks and audibles at the line. Todd Orlando took that away from Fromm, by hiding his coverages in the secondary. In football terms, this is called base alignment. That is something the Texas defense was known for going into the game, as their ability to throw off quarterbacks with their disguised coverages. Fromm was unable to read the defense as well as he usually does, and the game was left in the hands of Jim Chaney. Texas hid their blitzes very well and forced mistakes at the line of scrimmage something nobody could do. Georgia needs to adopt this method of play in this defense. It is known that Georgia finally has its players in the secondary that Smart believes can run the system that he used at Alabama for nine years. If the secondary can hold up, then the Georgia staff can start employing more complex coverages and fronts into their defense. Using base alignment in the secondary would throw off many quarterbacks in their initial read, especially the average ones that Georgia will play this season. We saw against Alabama that when Georgia brought pressure, Tua was quick to make a decision and it often was a mistake. Base aligning coverages and bringing more pressure up front would create the “havoc” plays that Coach Smart wants. We don’t need to overhaul our defensive system, because why fix something that isn’t broke. Simply making changes in your concepts that you are teaching and the formations that you install will make a huge difference rather than changing the whole playbook. Georgia needs to “Do More” and that means doing more concepts that are complex and installing better gameplans. Let’s work smarter, not harder on both sides of the ball. It is no secret that Georgia has two new coordinators heading into this season. Everyone in the SEC and around the College Football landscape knows that Coach Kirby Smart is heading into his fourth season. Both of Smart's coordinators from the past three seasons left Georgia after last season as they both received new job opportunities. Mel Tucker, former defensive coordinator went on to become the Colorado Head Coach. Former Offensive Coordinator, Jim Chaney went onto the same position at Tennessee.
Smart did not take long to announce his next offensive coordinator, as it seemed like he already had the next man in a position to take the job eventually. Before the 2018 season Coach Smart announced that James Coley would be promoted to the position as co-offensive coordinator, along with coaching the quarterbacks. Coley a former two-time offensive coordinator, joined the Georgia staff with Coach Smart when he was hired. Coley's last Offensive Coordinator gig was at the University of Miami. Coley led an offensive that was known for its explosive plays through the air. Miami averaged 430.4 yards per game in 2014. Coley has also produced a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver, and two 1,000 yard rushers in his time as a coordinator. 2018 saw Fromm put numbers that a nobody expected of him, especially because he was a "game manager" as proclaimed by his critics. Fromm threw for 2,761 yards with 30 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 67.4%. His completion percentage grew from his freshman year even with more attempts in his sophomore. Fromm will take an even bigger leap in year two under Coley who loves to throw the ball and put up points. Fromm already has an understanding of the system that Coley wants to run after being in the same meeting room for a year. Fromm has been a valuable teacher for Coley, as Fromm has been leading the young guys. Coley seems to have a connection already built with the tight ends as he is very fond of the work that Charlie Woerner has put into this point. I expect that the tight ends will be very involved in this offense as Eli Wolf, the graduate transfer has been impressing coaches so far. But the biggest question going into this season is, will the receivers be able to overcome the lack of experience? With Georgia losing it's top four receivers, it knows left to the guys that have played behind them to step up and take their spots. Along with the talented freshman that have come into the program and have impressed. Coley said this in his press conference Monday, "Right now, we're getting in this training mode, we're figuring out little by little where we're at with some of the guys, how much they have to improve." He also said this when asked about the freshman receivers, “First of all, I don’t think you simplify it for them early — I think you figure out how much they can retain, what they are bringing to the table,” Along with, And then at some point, you sit back and say, ‘Okay, this guy has exceptional skill, we’re going to feature him doing this and that because this might be too much.’ But ultimately, the goal is not to be so complicated that you can’t execute." Coley has shown that he knows what takes to make a successful offense with fairly new guys playing wideout. We saw last season that up until the Florida game, Fromm wasn't always on the same page with the receivers. After that LSU game, they took the bye week to prepare for Florida and get in sync on offense. Georgia will have to do the same this year but at a faster pace as Notre Dame pops up in week four. I like beginning conference play in a week because it will allow the staff to see how the conference is going to adjust to your new coordinators. Many have already written off Vandy, but I can assure you that Derek Mason and his staff will have their players ready to go and try to upset the number three team in the nation. Georgia was a 4th and 1 away from winning nine games in Coach Smart's first season as a head coach. But Vanderbilt stood up to Georgia on fourth down and denied Smart that opportunity. Georgia will be dominant in the run game with returning D'Andre Swift who is going to carry the bone in the backfield. Swift will be sharing carries with guys like senior Brian Herrien, James Cook, and Zamir White who is returning from two ACL injuries. Those guys behind Swift are hungry to get some carries and make plays. The one thing missing from this Georgia offensive is 'explosiveness.' Georgia needs to be able to have those explosive plays off the edge in the run and have them out wide through the receivers. Georgia needs to have that one play offense that could change the outcome of a game. Georgia was one play away from beating Alabama in the SEC Championship. A year earlier they were a 2nd and 26 away from winning the National Championship. Georgia needs that one strike ability that all of the elite teams in College Football have. Alabama and Clemson can both hurt you on one play, with consistency. Georgia has not had that ability consistently, they like those long, drawn outdrives that waste clock. The paradigm has shifted in College Football, it is a place filled with pass-happy, fast tempo offenses. Clemson's offense has that ability to go fast on offense when they need to. Along with Alabama at times in close games. Georgia was very successful in no-huddle situations, as it gave the defense less time to shift their coverages and make adjustments. Jake Fromm thrives in late-game situations, and if Georgia adds in a no tempo section into their playbook for maybe only the first half it could change the outcome against Alabama. The fast tempo seems to tire out SEC defenses like no other offense in College football does. Going fast against Alabama for a half will tire out that defensive front, and would open opportunities in the run game later in the game along with weakening the secondary. Coley has used some fast tempo in his prior stints as a coordinator, which makes it very promising that he could use it at Georgia. Coley understands the philosophy, and the scheme that Smart wants to run. Coley knows how to lead an explosive, high scoring, electrifying offense like no other in College Football. Georgia reported to practice once again Monday, as the Dawgs are continuing Fall Camp. Georgia is just days away from being able to kick off the season on the road against Vanderbilt. The players, coaches, and fans are all chomping at the bit to get see the team back on the field to erase the disappointments from last season, that ended with two losses in the two biggest games of the season.
While the team showed up for practice once again, there was one player who was noticeably absent from camp today. Former five-star edge rusher out of the 2018 class, Brenton Cox was absent from practice. Cox was reportedly dismissed from the program by Head Coach Kirby Smart over the weekend. Cox was ranked the 23rd overall player in the class coming out of high school. He showed some tremendous potential to be a big-time player for the Dawgs off the edge. But off the field issues held Brenton back from being able to become the player that everyone wants to see him become. Cox appeared in 13 of the 14 games that Georgia played last season, as a freshman, he had 20 tackles, 2 TFLs, a sack, and a pass breakup. Cox got his first opportunity as a starter at Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, replacing the injured D'Andre Walker. Cox had 6 total tackles against Texas, in the loss in the Sugar Bowl. Brenton Cox's time at Georgia is over as he has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal and would become the third five-star to leave Georgia this offseason. Cox would be following the decision of former five-stars Justin Fields, and Luke Ford. This loss is a blow to the linebacking room as they have lost major playmakers from the past two seasons at linebacker. Georgia will now be expected to find the replacement for D'Andre Walker, with the news of the expected replacement Brenton Cox. We're 29 days until the start of the season for Georgia football. After ending the 2018-2019 season on a two-game losing streak, losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship game and losing to Texas in the nightmare of a Sugar Bowl.
Coach Kirby Smart is instilling a championship attitude in this football team to start Fall Camp. Smart set out a championship or bust attitude at SEC Media Day. Smart and his selected players have made it very clear that they want to go "1-0" each week. They have set the tone for the rest of the team, they do not want to look ahead of the game in front of them. It is a "one game at a time" mentality as Smart said at Media Day. The goalposts have changed for the Dawgs going into Smart's fourth season in Athens. Smart has made it very clear that just going 12-0 is not enough. At the University of Georgia, you have to be competing for a National Championship, year in, year out. Georgia has to "Do More" each week in practice, and games as they cannot do anything short of the goal of winning a "natty" The staff has a lot of holes to fill in this Georgia team that was left behind by the team from last season. Georgia has lost their top 4 receiving targets from a year ago. Not only that but they have lost one of their running backs and they will have to replace their starting center from a year ago. On defense, Georgia lost its number one, lockdown cornerback: Deandre Baker. Baker didn't give up a single touchdown in his last two seasons in between the hedges. Baker went on to become the 2018 Thorpe award winner, the first in Georgia's history. Competition begins in fall camp and a season like this competition will be key for Georgia all season long. Georgia has a lot of playmakers they need to find on offense, especially at receiver. They need to find some playmakers on defense. Georgia was very poor in stopping the run last year. Finding more run stoppers on defense will be key for this defense. Jake Fromm is going into his junior season in Athens and is becoming more and more of the leader you expect to find on a championship team. Fromm will be leading the way for Georgia offensively as they have a newly promoted offensive coordinator, who is dealing with some holes at receiver. Finding reliable targets, who can make plays will not only be up to the staff but it is up to Jake Fromm. Fromm is the quarterback and leader of this team, essentially he needs to be the mini-me of the coach. Fromm will be paired up in the backfield with junior back D'Andre Swift. Swift is fresh off a 1,000 yards rushing season, where he was apart of a duo in the backfield with turned-pro Elijah Holyfield. Swift has shown his ability to be a pass-catcher out of the backfield and is the best check down option on the roster. Can Swift carry the load for the Dawgs on the ground? Eric Stokes will be looking to lead the secondary this season as he is replacing Thorpe Award winner Deandre Baker who has set the standards high at corner. Georgia is still be looking for that number 2 on the depth chart that will be lining up opposite of Stokes. Tyson Campbell the sophomore got that nod in the Sugar Bowl after Baker held out. Campbell is the expected starter at that spot, but he will have to show improvement in man coverage as he struggled very early on last season. Another choice for that number two spot at corner is DJ Daniels. The JUCO transfer is coming into Athens as a junior and could come in and get some very early playing time. Georgia hasn't been known for recruiting the junior college ranks, especially in the secondary. So the staff must see something in Daniels, who has shown the potential to win that spot. Lastly, the Dawgs will need to revive the front seven and get it back into their 2017 form. The front seven last season was very young and inexperienced after losing their starters from 2017. Georgia is coming back with more talent and experience in the front seven. Linebacker is locked and loaded with talent. The edge rushers for Georgia will be featuring the number one recruit from the 2019 class: Nolan Smith. Along with JUCO transfer Jermaine Johnson. The front seven has been tasked with making more "havoc" plays by their head coach. Georgia ranked near the bottom in the SEC in sacks, after DeAndre Walker carried the Dawgs in that department. Replacing Walker with a committee of pass rushers will be key for Georgia. August 1st marks the day that the first Top 25 Coaches poll is released for the preseason. It is the poll that all coaches come together and cast their vote on the Top 25 for the preseason. The top four includes in this order Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma.
Georgia comes in at number three in the poll, which was expected by all of dawgnation, they trail Clemson and Alabama in the polls. Georgia is returning a lot of talent this year on the roster, but are also having to replace talent that left for the Draft. Georgia lost their top 5 receiving targets over the offseason. They also lost maybe the best cornerback in school history, and Thorpe award winner: Deandre Baker. Last season was a disappointing one for the Dawgs as they failed to make it back to the College Football Playoffs and challenge for the National Championship. Georgia came into last season ranked in the top three in the country going into the season. The dawgs were riding off of a National Championship game, which ended in heartbreak. The preseason top four was different from the one that really mattered in the end. Notre Dame came out of nowhere with an undefeated regular season and went on to make the playoffs. Georgia ended their regular season with a loss to LSU in a disappointing game. Georgia went on to the SEC Championship game and lost another heartbreaker to Alabama. Then the Sugar Bowl came along and spoiled the season. Many fans around the world would agree that they would be just fine with being unranked going into the season, because it would give the team a reason to play with a chip on their shoulder. There is nothing more important in College Football today then winning the National Championship in January. The hype around Georgia for the past decade has always been high, and has had many expectations stacked on top of them. It is not an accomplished to be ranked in the Top 25 and Top 4, until the end. Back in 2016 in the preseason polls, LSU ranked number five in the polls. Les Miles didn't last five games at LSU that season before he was let go. Notre Dame came in ranked number 10, Brian Kelly went on to have one of the worst seasons of his career at Notre Dame. The ranking does not matter, it is just number determined by a select few of voters. Mostly the voters are very biased towards one group or one team. I urge everyone to not get excited about the polls, and just forget about them because they don't matter until the end. Georgia needs to go out on the practice field and work, then transfer that work to every stadium they play in. Georgia needs to win without a "hiccup" game. The time is now for Georgia to win a National Championship, and beat Alabama in the process. It is time to "Attack the Day!" |
Harrison Reno
Is the founder and author of Top Dawg Blogging. Harrison has been blogging for the past 4 years Archives
April 2020
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