Georgia Football 2011: One Reason Why the Bulldogs Can Beat Every Opponent
The question on the mind of every Georgia football supporter this season is whether or not the Bulldogs can rebound from last season's disappointing 6-7 record and claw their way back to the top of the SEC East.
If you ask junior cornerback Brandon Boykin, he'll tell you, “Absolutely. I really believe that. I think everybody else believes that.”
But let's not stop there. As long as we're being optimistic about this squad, which will be led by up-and-coming quarterback Aaron Murray in 2011, let's be ridiculously optimistic.
Even though the SEC East is tough, could the Bulldogs manage to get through their regular season schedule with an unblemished 12-0 record?
Well, as the saying goes, anything can happen. I may be an absolute homer when I say that the answer to the previous question is yes, but I'm fine with that. That's what being a fan is about. And notice that I said they "could" go undefeated in the regular season, not that they "would."
Once more, anything can happen.
Let's take a look at each game on the schedule and come up with one solid reason why the Bulldogs can win it.
September 3: Georgia vs. Boise State (Atlanta, GA)
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Georgia may have beaten Boise State with ease back in 2005 when the two teams squared off Between the Hedges, but since then, the Broncos have become a much better team that has gotten used to stampeding past almost every team in their way.
Now the blue-clad perennial Cinderella will journey to the Georgia Dome to take on the Bulldogs once more.
Kellen Moore is undoubtedly one of the elite quarterbacks in the nation, but he's going to have to get used to playing without trusted wide receivers Austin Pettis and Titus Young. As good as the lefty quarterback is, there has to be some sort of adjustment period as he figures out who he can trust now that his two favorite targets are gone.
As good as Boise State is, an off game from Moore tips this one in Georgia's favor.
September 10: Georgia vs. South Carolina
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There is no doubt that South Carolina is a great football team. After all, the Gamecocks did win the SEC East last season in surprising fashion.
But then came the Chick-fil-A Bowl, a game in which South Carolina looked quite vulnerable on both defense and on offense. To be fair, stud running back Marcus Lattimore left the game just about three minutes in after taking a hard blow to the face from Florida State defensive back Greg Reid.
That one play gave me reasons to feel good about this game that had previously been dormant. After Lattimore ran for 182 yards against Georgia last year, he immediately became one of those players that haunted my dreams. Now, I think he has to be considered a candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
However, if you can shut down Lattimore, Stephen Garcia is not always capable of winning games by himself, even though he can loft the ball up to Alshon Jeffery on every play with fairly good results.
Garcia is capable of losing games by himself though.
September 17: Georgia vs. Coastal Carolina
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The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers don't even belong as the same field as the Georgia Bulldogs. That fact is especially true when the field is the one at the center of Sanford Stadium.
Last season, the Chanticleers finished their season with a 6-6 record. The campaign included a 31-0 loss to West Virginia, a 41-19 loss to Richmond and a handful of other losses to FCS teams.
Now they're being asked to replace the voids left by quarterback Zach MacDowall and running back Eric O'Neal, both of whom will have graduated by the time this game rolls around.
Mark this one down as a win.
September 24: Georgia at Ole Miss
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Georgia's first road game of the season, not including the season opener at the Georgia Dome, will be played against an Ole Miss team that may end up being an SEC doormat this season.
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will no longer be with the team, so Todd Grantham's defense, now in its second year, will prove to be very effective at slowing down the Rebels and projected starting quarterback Nathan Stanley.
With only five starters returning on defense, the Rebels won't be able to prevent Isaiah Crowell from having his breakout game.
Ole Miss went just 4-8 last season with a double-overtime loss to Jacksonville State in the season opener serving as the lowlight. This season, the Georgia game will not end up helping them improve that win total.
October 1: Georgia vs. Mississippi State
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Well, I can guarantee that the Bulldogs will win this game.
Now you may ask which Bulldogs, and that is a much tougher question.
Chris Relf is the undisputed key to success for Mississippi State. The quarterback is capable of making great plays with both his legs and his arm. Slowing down Relf in either aspect of the game makes stopping running back Vick Ballard a little bit easier than normal.
This game will hinge though on what the Georgia offensive squad can do. Mississippi State's secondary should be feared, but the Georgia running game is going to prove to strong for the front line of the enemy Bulldogs to stop.
Oh, and limiting the fumbles would be nice too.
October 8: Georgia at Tennessee
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While I feel like I'm a much bigger advocate of Tyler Bray's potential than most people (even some Tennessee fans), the skinny quarterback still isn't quite ready to get by the Georgia defense.
Now that defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has the players believing in his system, the defense is going to be vastly improved. Implementing a new strategy on the defensive side of the ball always takes some time to be successful, but all indications out of the spring practices show that the defense is motivated, faster and much better.
Bray may be getting better, but he won't be able to match Aaron Murray in what I expect to be a close game.
October 15: Georgia at Vanderbilt
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The Georgia Bulldogs' seventh game of the season will be played against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Oh wait, you're still looking for another reason that the Bulldogs are going to win this game?
Read the first sentence again and see if you can figure out the reason. Seriously though, Georgia is going to win simply because it's Vanderbilt that the Bulldogs are matched up against.
The Bulldogs won 43-0 in the 2010 matchup and the 2011 version should be no different. Georgia is superior in every facet of the game.
October 29: Georgia vs. Florida (Jacksonville, FL)
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Just like last year's 34-31 overtime contest, this year's edition of the Georgia-Florida rivalry game is going to be an intense battle. Except this season, both teams are going to be at least a little bit better.
Florida's quarterback situation is very messy right now and may still be a bit unsettled even this late into the season. Georgia's, on the other hand, is set in stone, barring an unforeseen injury to potential Heisman candidate Aaron Murray.
If Jeff Demps is neutralized, this game will come down to which quarterback is able to make more big plays down the stretch. Murray is, and will be, my pick against almost any quarterback in the country, but especially against any and all SEC signal callers in 2011.
There's also the advantage of coming off what is almost a double-bye. Georgia's last game will have been against Vanderbilt followed by a week devoid of a game. If Mark Richt plays his cards correctly, the Bulldogs will be very prepared for this game.
November 5: Georgia vs. New Mexico State
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Instead of giving you just one reason here, I'll give you 12.
San Diego State 41, New Mexico State 21
UTEP 42, New Mexico State 10
Kansas 42, New Mexico State 16
Boise State 59, New Mexico State 0
New Mexico State 16, New Mexico 14
Fresno State 33, New Mexico State 10
Idaho 37, New Mexico State 14
New Mexico State 29, San Jose State 27
Utah State 27, New Mexico State 22
Louisiana Tech 41, New Mexico State 20
Nevada 52, New Mexico State 6
Hawai'i 59, New Mexico State 24
Yes, you read those correctly. The Aggies played an incredibly easy schedule and won two games against two of the worst teams in college football by a combined four points.
Chalk this one up as a win.
November 12: Georgia vs. Auburn
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Cam Newton and Nick Fairley will be gone and playing in the NFL at this point. Well, at least they would have been playing in the NFL if the NFL, you know, still existed.
The Tigers still have loads of talent on their team. Perhaps no talent is greater than the one possessed by running back Michael Dyer.
But the reason that Georgia can and will win this game is that it's going to be played in Athens. I highly doubt that there is a single Georgia fan out there that is not at least a little bit upset at the perceived dirty play of Fairley and the Tigers at the end of last year's contest.
There is no doubt that this game will be incredibly intense and physically brutal. The players don't really like each other and the fans are going to come out in droves to hail down abuse on the Auburn team. Athens is going to be rocking on Saturday, November 12, and it's going to prove to be the decisive edge that the Bulldogs need.
November 19: Georgia vs. Kentucky
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Georgia should be able to win this game because Kentucky won't be able to replace the losses of its three best offensive players.
Mike Hartline contributed to the Wildcats cause with 3,178 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns and another rushing score.
Derrick Locke ran for 887 yards and 10 touchdowns while catching passes for another 318 yards.
Randall Cobb had 1,017 receiving yards and hauled in seven touchdown passes last season. He also returned a punt for a touchdown and had an additional 424 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Mike Hartline is gone. Derrick Locke is gone. Randall Cobb is gone.
Georgia won 44-31 in 2010 and should be able to achieve similar results on offense. The problem for Kentucky is that they have no shot at matching their 31 points.
November 26: Georgia at Georgia Tech
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Since this is a rivalry game, it's always close, even when one team seems to be far superior to the other.
That would be the case this year as the Bulldogs are expected to at least compete for the SEC East crown (or go undefeated by some people, not that I know who those people are or anything...) and the Yellow Jackets simply aren't that great.
Georgia should be able to use a two-dimensional offensive strategy to confuse the physically-outmatched Georgia Tech defense. On the other hand, Georgia Tech can only run the ball.
The Yellow Jackets may be able to put together a proficient ground attack, but once Aaron Murray lights up the secondary early in the game, Georgia Tech won't be able to play from behind.
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