Georgia Bulldogs in 2011 - Post #6

In the previous posts, I've taken micro-level looks at Georgia, so for this post I'm going to switch it up and take a more macro-level view: the 2011 schedule.
I'll go through each game and give a few knee-jerk thoughts regarding matchups, history, placement, etc. Should be fun.
At first glance, most notable is the fact that 2011 will have essentially 7 home games (if you count the season opener in the Georgia Dome). Additionally, all away games will be against teams that had a combined record of 18-32 in 2010.

September 3 - Boise State - Georgia Dome (Atlanta)

Wow, talk about a gamble. The pre-season buzz will be a welcome change from the shock and disgust of last year, but I'm sure there are many Dawgs fans that would have much rather stuck with and opening battle against Clemson.
There's a lot to say about this game, and I'm sure I'll look at it closer in August, but just a few thoughts for now.

KNEE-JERK: This will be a big spot for a Dawgs team that will probably feature some younger players at key positions. For most of those players, this will be the biggest game of their career. Add to that the fact many Richt teams have been slow starters. I'm worried we come out overwhelmed.

MATCHUPS: Boise is known for their trick plays, but they've been successful because they dominate the line of scrimmage. Boise will have strong lines on both sides of the ball. Georgia's O-line is in chaos due to Sturdivant suffering his third, season-ending knee injury. However, Georgia's D-line could be a force to be reckoned with. Will we gameplan accordingly?


September 10 - SOUTH CAROLINA

KNEE-JERK: South Carolina will probably be the best team Georgia plays all year, at least in Sanford Stadium. We'll have to load up against Lattimore, and hope they don't beat us through the air. This game could be a primer for the rest of the season as South Carolina will try to expose our weaknesses as all well-coached teams do.

HISTORY: The Ole Ball Coach has always had a special place in his heart for Georgia, that spot just happens to be filled with hatred and contempt. He's also managed to out-coach us the past two years, and probably should have won the last time he visited Athens. Georgia has rarely had a great season when it didn't beat the Gamecocks.

September 17 - COASTAL CAROLINA

KNEE-JERK: An easy win, but what will it mean? 3-0? 2-1? 1-2?

September 24 - Ole Miss

KNEE-JERK: Probably another easy win, and if so it will be an important one. The first road game for any team is always dangerous, and the chance to build confidence with a solid road win in the SEC early in the season will be much welcomed. Remember, Georgia lost on the road to South Carolina and Mississippi State early in the 2010 season. There was certainly more than one reason, but I think those early loses really crushed our confidence and lead to a lack of toughness that showed up against Colorado and other games.

October 1 - MISSISSIPPI STATE

KNEE-JERK: Can you say redemption game? I forgot how long it was since Georgia had lost to Mississippi State, but it was quite a while. How we play will really show the personality of the team, no matter what record we carry into this 5th game.

MATCHUP: Mullen certainly had Georgia's number during his time as Florida's OC, and beating us last year only boosted that trend. He's a solid coach, but his Bulldogs will be without wonder kid-coach Manny Diaz this time, and they won last year largely in part to their defensive performance instead of their offense.

October 8 - Tennessee

KNEE-JERK: Georgia handled Tennessee last year, and it's hard to see this game playing out any differently. Then again, we faced a largely non-Tyler Bray Tennessee, and they're a different team with him. Aside from being a game against a long-time rival, this game will have added importance even if Tennessee has another down year because I believe the East will again be won by a team with a minimum of 2 losses.
Wins in Knoxville never come easy, and the last time the Dawgs visited, well, I've tried to forget that particular afternoon.

October 15 - Vanderbilt

KNEE-JERK: Well, thank goodness for Vanderbilt football, right? But what will this game mean for the 2011 season? It will be another SEC win, and that's always a welcome sight.

October 22 - BYE

October 29 - Florida - Jacksonville, FL

KNEE-JERK: I don't care if Georgia goes into this game 3-3, we need a win against Florida like a fish needs the water. The Urban Meyer Era has come to an end, and thank God for that. Rare is the year when Georgia loses to Florida but still makes it to the SEC championship game. At this point, Georgia needs to win this game for enough reasons that would fill a phone book.

MATCHUP: Athletically, the teams will be pretty evenly matched. A slight edge is given to Florida, unless some of Georgia's 2011 class have made it onto the field by this time. It's rumored that Florida's D-line is much better than it's O-line. If that's the case, then we'll have something in common with those belly-draggers.

November 5 - NEW MEXICO STATE

KNEE-JERK: A win, of course. But what will will the implications be as we head into this game and then leave it behind? Will we be riding a 3 or 4 win-streak, or will limp in after another Jacksonville butt-whooping, making this win a small salve for our damaged ego?

November 12 - AUBURN

HISTORY: The Oldest Rivalry in the South. It doesn't get much better. I know many Georgia fans believe this is a sure-fire win, revenging a nasty loss on The Plains in 2010. Despite the fact Auburn only returns 6 starters from it's title team, I have a hard time believing this will be a no-brainer. Auburn has recruited well, and unlike many of my Dawg compatriots, I think Chizik is an excellent coach with both an eye for talent (players and coaches - see Malzahn, Gus) and an ability to motivate and get every ounce of ability out of his team (DC for two undefeated seasons, HC for one, 2 NC's).

MATCHUP: I actually think we'll matchup fairly well against Auburn. Our defensive weakness will be the secondary, and they won't have the QB or the WR's to exploit that. I do think the Auburn D will be improved this season, but in the end I think the difference will be that our offense is capable of scoring more points than theirs. Of course, this game has been full of freaky occurrences and has often seen the lesser team play its best game of the season, leaving town with a surprising win.

November 19 - KENTUCKY

HISTORY: Certainly not a notable history in terms of rivalry or epic games, but for whatever reason, Kentucky has become that SEC team that always finds a way to scare you. I start to point to the fact this is a home game as solace, but then I remember the game two years ago, and how much it hurt to watch Kentucky players picking leaves off the hedges in their victory celebration.

KNEE-JERK: This late in the season, it's really too hard to prognosticate that much. Georgia is the more talented team in nearly every aspect, but what if these two teams meet with 4 of 5 losses? Teams change over the course of a season.

November 26 - Georgia Tech

KNEE-JERK: Should be a win, and the sweet taste of beating those Techies never wanes.

MATCHUP: Paul Johnson's 3-year stint at Tech brought intrigue to this rivalry, to say the least. In '08, Tech beat us in Stanford Stadium, and they picked the hedges and put the twigs in their teeth like they'd just won a birth into the Rose Bowl. I had left Thanksgiving early to go watch the game, and sat through 4 hours of cold November rain to watch a second half collapse, in what was Stafford's and Moreno's last game in Stanford stadium. I still don't believe it happened, but my Tech buddy Jake reminds me.
In '09, we surprisingly took Tech behind the woodshed. Alas, the game proved to be an anomaly.
In '10, we won a far too close game, largely because Johnson out-coached Richt for the second time in three years.
Despite the apparent discrepancy in talent, I suspect this game will be a close one.

LOOSE PREDICTION FOR THE SEASON

Well, in my mind, there are two different scenarios.
The first - we go for broke, CMR plays a bunch of talented freshman at key positions, Bobo suffers a head injury and decides to get the ball to our playmakers, and the defense looks like those defenses of the early aughts.

The second - we solidify our position as a program that SHOULD win 10 games every other year, but instead finds a way to underperform and underwhelm. CMR remains "calm" despite losing 3 of the first 5, Bobo continues to be the worst play caller in his tax bracket, and the secondary lets people run wide open like a pop warner team wondering what snacks will be served at half time.

The first - we go 10-2 (losses to South Carolina and either Boise or Florida). Even with the loss to Carolina, we win the East because Carolina relies heavily on Lattimore due to QB flux, and he gets dinged up like he did last year. Florida won't lose less than 3 games because their schedule is tough and a new HC rarely loses less than 3 games regardless of what he inherits.
We meet Alabama in the SEC Championship and, well, at least we won the East.

The second - we go 7-5, with losses to Boise St., Florida, Mississippi St., and Auburn that further solidify our darkest fears -- CMR and company are perennial underachievers who are out-coached and beaten by inferior talent more often than a fat man craves doughnuts. The offensive line is a mess, Orson Charles goes weeks without catching more than 3 balls, and it becomes obvious that the program has hit it's plateau, and is on steadily on the way down.

The Prediction? Of course, somewhere in between. We go 9-3, with one bad loss (probably South Carolina), two close losses (probably Boise and Florida) and two impressive wins (Mississippi St. and Georgia Tech) that send us into bowl season with some optimism. CMR will return for the 2012 season, and then we do this whole thing all over again.