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Georgia three keys

Georgia coach Mark Richt has posted nine seasons of at least 10 wins, including last year's 10-3 record. Georgia coach Mark Richt has posted nine seasons of at least 10 wins, including last year's 10-3 record.

By David Paschall August 30, 2015 3 min read

GEORGIA THREE KEYS

1. EXCELLING AT QUARTERBACK

Georgia’s success at quarterback under Mark Richt has gone a long way toward Richt’s 136-48 record with the Bulldogs, but there has never been more uncertainty surrounding the position. Not only did this month begin with redshirt junior Faton Bauta, redshirt sophomore Brice Ramsey and Virginia transfer Greyson Lambert rotating among the first, second and third teams, but they are doing so under new position coach and coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who has succeeded Mike Bobo. Bulldogs fans didn’t agree with all of Bobo’s play calls, especially last year at South Carolina, but the new head coach at Colorado State was instrumental in establishing Georgia’s quarterback assembly line. David Greene, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray each produced multiple 10-win seasons before getting drafted, and Hutson Mason threw 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions last season despite limitations in arm strength. If Mason’s successor can be equally effective, the Bulldogs could be in for a really big year.

2. STOPPING THE RUN

The Bulldogs made a lot of improvements last year in Jeremy Pruitt’s first season as defensive coordinator, but stopping the run wasn’t one of them. Georgia went from allowing 148 rushing yards a game in Todd Grantham’s final season in 2013 to yielding 167 last year, with Florida pounding out a stunning 418 yards and Georgia Tech netting 399. The Bulldogs were sensational in the 37-14 win over Louisville in the Belk Bowl, holding the Cardinals to 62 yards on the ground, and stopping the run has been a focus of the offseason for players such as outside linebacker and pass-rushing menace Lorenzo Carter. Georgia returns Sterling Bailey, John Atkins, James DeLoach and Josh Dawson on the defensive front, and the signing of defensive tackle Trenton Thompson, the nation’s top-rated prospect, could assist the run-defense efforts as well. If the Bulldogs can improve there the way they improved in every other defensive aspect last season – they were a plus-16 in turnover ratio – their unit will rank among the Southeastern Conference’s best.

David Paschall

David Paschall has covered sports at the Chattanooga Times Free Press since 1999 and wrote for the Chattanooga Free Press in the nine years before that. David has mostly covered college athletics, with a focus on the University of Georgia from 2000 to 2019 and the University of Tennessee since 2020. He grew up in Chattanooga and is a graduate of the Baylor School and Auburn University. David has received multiple writing awards and has served as a Heisman Trophy voter since 2003. He has also worked in radio in Chattanooga and has been on the SEC Network's "Classic Rewind" series since 2014. David and his wife, Kelly, have three children — Conner, Emily and Spencer.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.