* From the September 2013 edition of About Covington to Madison magazine. Click here to see the column as it appears in the magazine.
It's that time of the year again.
College Football is just around the corner and that makes me a very
happy man. For many of us, this is the best time of the year. Autumn
is always so nice – the temperature starts dropping, the leaves
start turning, and the Georgia Bulldogs hit the field. And for my
readers who might pull for that North Avenue school or somebody else,
what can I say – I'm a Dawg. You might just have to skip this one.
Five yards. Five lousy yards are what
separated our beloved Dawgs from a shot at our first national
championship since 1980. A fingertip on the ball, and an instinctual
catch by one of our best players just short of the goal line sealed
our fate that December night in Atlanta. Now, almost nine months
later and with a new season about to begin, and the expectations
couldn't be higher. Even with some key losses on the defensive side
of the ball, UGA is currently ranked #5 in both the AP and USA Today
pre-season polls. There will be lots of pressure, not to mention a
grueling September schedule. With that said, these Dawgs - our Dawgs
- have a real and legitimate opportunity to do something very special
this year. Let's break it down:
Offense: Enough can not
be said about how good and explosive of an offense we might have this
year. Many experts agree that UGA may very well have the best
combination in the country of the offensive skill positions:
quarterback, running back and receiver. Add to that a deep and
experienced O-line and two of the best tight ends in the conference,
and this 2013 edition seems poised to knock off the 2012 UGA offense
as the school's most prolific in history. QB Aaron Murray is on
everybody's Heisman short list, and he will almost surely leave UGA
as its greatest all-time passer. The running back tandem of Todd
Gurley and Keith Marshall is second to none and we've got a couple of
killer fullbacks as well. Add to that a receiving corps that is just
absolutely stacked. Malcolm Mitchell and Chris Conley, two of last
year's leading receivers, will benefit from the return of Mr. Hands,
Michael Bennett. Look for Rantavious Wooten to really break out and
expect to see our tight ends get in the mix as well. There is not a
school anywhere in America that has two tight ends as good as Artie
Lynch and Jay Rome in my opinion. And while many in the Dawg Nation
have had their gripes about offensive coordinator and play-caller
Mike Bobo, it really seems to me that he has turned the corner the
last two seasons. His past borderline obsession with equally mixing
run and pass and a tendency for scripted play-calling has dissipated.
To me, he now calls as good a game as anybody in college football.
Defense and Special Teams:
There has been much consternation and hand wringing in the Bulldog
Nation about our defense. So we lost 8 starters to graduation and the
NFL draft. So what? When you recruit like UGA does, you simply
reload. The way I see it, from top to bottom, the 2013 defense will
be much better than the 2012 edition. Really, go back and look at the
stats – last year's defense wasn't all that. Not even close to the
2011 D. Yes, we had some unbelievable talent, but we lacked
depth...and maybe even some cohesiveness as well. I expect to see our
guys really get after it this year and to very much play as a unit.
Jordan Jenkins, the phenom sophomore LB, will set the tone. Defensive
end Garrison Smith will be the unit's leader and will be second only
to Jenkins in terms of big play ability. I'm really not concerned
about our front 7. I'm optimistic about the line and our linebackers.
The secondary does have some question marks. No doubt about it. But
in terms of pure talent, the two-deep for all four positions are as
good as any program in America. But, with the exception of CB Damion
Swann, they're all pretty young and untested. I think by the month of
October, we will have one of the premier defenses in the SEC. It
would be nice if we had an easy run in September, but we don't. More
on that later. Also, look for the Georgia D to play out of the 4-2-5
alignment against pass-heavy teams in addition to its usual 3-4-4
formation.
In addition to defense anxiety, there
are many who are nervous about our special teams' play. Vince Dooley
once said that the keys to winning in the SEC were being able to run
the ball, strong defense, and a solid kicking game. By kicking game,
he was referring to special teams, and I think the key word there is
“solid.” We will have solid, not great, special teams play. Colin
Barber returns as our punter and he will do a fine job. We're not
sure who our kicker is going to be the first game of the season, but
there are reports that walk-on Adam Erickson is more than capable if
Marshall Morgan can't play. Kick-off coverage has greatly improved
since Coach Richt has realized that you've got to have your best
talent on the field in that situation. I truly think we're fine in
this phase of the game.
Overview: Obviously
September is just a crazy grind. Three top-12 teams in our first four
games. It's going to be tough. The big question is this: will the
offense be good enough to carry the load until the defense gets
their
legs under them? I think the short answer on that is yes. It all
starts August 31st in Clemson. That's going to be one heck
of a ball game. And by the first of October, we'll know if we're
legit or not. I feel pretty darn good about it. Don't overlook LSU –
they are as good as anyone in the country. And I have this sneaking
suspicion that Tennessee is going to play us tough as nails up in
Knoxville that sixth week of the season. And naturally Jacksonville
will be huge. A win against the Gators will give UGA a three game
winning streak and four of the last seven. My prediction for
the 2013 Dawgs: UGA will trip up against LSU after
impressing everybody with strong wins against Clemson and South
Carolina. A smack down of Florida in Jacksonville and later, a great
win against Alabama in the SEC championship game, help the Dawgs
leapfrog an undefeated Louisville team to play in Pasadena for the
national championship against Urban Meyer and the Ohio State
Buckeyes.
GO DAWGS!
G.A.T.A!