 "Photo: Daniel Shirey/Red and Black")
Take away the top pick in the NFL draft and the most explosive player in college football from any team, and they cannot compete the next season, right?
Wrong.
The Georgia Bulldogs may have lost quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno to the NFL, but they still have a strong core returning to Athens for 2009 to try and keep up with Florida, Alabama and LSU in the South Eastern Conference.
Mark Richt returns for another year as head coach for the Bulldogs, but will be forced to change his strategy with the loss of his two biggest offensive weapons from 2008.
Replacing Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, will be senior Joe Cox, who has only played in 13 games as the backup for Stafford during the previous three years.
Cox does have arguably the best receiver in the SEC and the 2009 SEC freshman of the year coming back in A.J. Green, but after him, his options are limited.
Opposing defenses will focus primarily on maintaining Green since there are few other established weapons on the offensive side of the ball.
The Bulldogs’ running game is a question mark — not whether or not it will be existent, but who will get the carries.
Last season, Caleb King got the most touches for a player who was not named Moreno, but the deep squad that Georgia has almost assures that there will be others lined up in the backfield.
Georgia should not be too concerned about its running game, because whoever is running the ball will have plenty of holes behind an established veteran offensive line, led by Trinton Sturdivant and Clint Boling.
On defense, the Bulldogs are led by 2008 Butkus award finalist Rennie Curran. The junior started every game last season and led the team in tackles.
Also returning is safety Reshad Jones, who had five interceptions last year.
Nothing is going to be easy this year; it never is in the SEC. But in addition to its conference schedule, Georgia will play some tough non-conference games including its opening game in Stillwater against Oklahoma State.
It will also welcome Arizona State to Athens and make the short trip to Atlanta to face instate rival Georgia Tech in the final game of the regular season.
The Bulldogs will have their hands full this season, and they are not expected to finish in the top three of their own conference. But no matter what, Sanford Stadium will be packed for every game and Uga, the beloved bulldog, will be on the sideline barking his team on to victory.
Team name: Georgia Bulldogs
Head coach: Mark Richt
Conference: SEC
2008 record: 10-3
Players to watch:
- Joe Cox – Senior – QB
2008: 151 yards, 2 TDs, 201 rating, 3 games
Cox will be the key to the Bulldogs success as they need him to take advantage of the time that his line will give him and find the his receivers downfield. He is filling big shoes after Matthew Stafford’s departure and must step up immediately and be effective or else he will hear it from the Georgia faithful.
- A.J. Green – Sophomore – WR
2008: 56 rec, 963 yards, 8 TDs
Mohamed Massaquoi is gone, leaving Green to be the top target for the Georgia offense. The best defensive backs in the country will be covering Green, the 2009 SEC Freshman of the Year, and he will still be expected to produce no matter how many defenders he has on him
Game to watch: Sept. 5 at Oklahoma State
In the first week of the season the world, will get to see one of the best from the Big 12 go up against one of the top teams in the SEC. The Bulldogs will try to quiet the Cowboys who have extremely high expectations for 2009. But don’t forget about the annual “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” against Florida in Jacksonville on Halloween.
The Word on Georgia: The Bulldogs were the preseason pick to win the national championship in 2008 but without their two stars on offense in Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, it is not clear where Georgia will be come bowl season. There are no easy games on the Bulldogs’ schedule which may not even guarantee a postseason game.
Be the first to comment on this article!