Georgia Football End of Season Report Card

It's three days since the Bulldogs suffered a bad loss to the Michigan State Spartans in the Outback Bowl and for most fans it still stings.

After losing the first two games of the season, the Bulldogs won their next 10 games, but went on to lose the final two games of the year which were the biggest games on their schedule.

So with 10-4 record, the Bulldogs had a good season, but they know they were only a few plays away from a great season.

Here are some end of season grades to hand out for the Bulldogs.

Quarterback

There were times where Aaron Murray had his moments where he looked lost, but for the majority of the season, he was as good of a quarterback as any in the country.

Despite throwing 14 interceptions, Murray did throw for 35 touchdowns which led the SEC and it's also a school record.

His deep ball got better as the season progressed as well as his accuracy. Had it not been for Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson, Murray would have been First-Team All-SEC.

Murray should (and probably will) be in the discussion for the 2012 Heisman race.

GRADE: A-

Running Backs

At one time, Georgia was known as Running Back U. Now, it should be called Running Back Community College because it has been inconsistent the last few years.

Isaiah Crowell was the team's leading rusher and did win SEC Freshman of the Year, but could not stay on the field due to health issues and off-field problems.

Richard Samuel had a breakout game against Florida, but was injured in that same game and did not come back until the Outback Bowl.

Carlton Thomas was solid and Ken Malcome improved towards the end of the season.

With top prospect Keith Marshall verbally committing to the Dawgs, it will be really interesting to see who will be the No. 1 back in 2012.

GRADE: C+

Wide Recievers/ Tight Ends

This group was the best position on the offensive side of the football, which is amazing if you think about it because the Bulldogs lost one of their all-time great receivers in A.J. Green.

Tavarres King was solid all season long, but really came on against Michigan State. His 205-yard performance against the Spartans was the most for any Bulldog in a single game.

Malcolm Mitchell was outstanding all year and while he did not lead the team in yards and receptions, he could be one of the all-time greats when his career is over.

The Bulldogs also got great production out of Michael Bennett and Chris Conley, and like Mitchell, they are both freshmen.

Orson Charles had another great season with 45 catches, 574 yards and five touchdowns. It's safe to say he will probably make the jump to the pros.

GRADE: A

Offensive Line

Ben Jones and Cordy Glenn were as good of linemen as you could ask for. That's not surprising because they were the two best linemen the Bulldogs had on the roster.

As far as the rest of the line goes, they were solid, but they could have played more consistently, especially with the line being the biggest in all of college football as well as the NFL.

With the Bulldogs losing Glenn, Jones and Justin Anderson, it will be a different look on the offensive line for 2012.

They are hoping that top-recruit John Theus is the missing piece that gets them over the top.

GRADE: B-

Defensive Line

The reason that the defense was strong this season was the play of the defensive line.

Defensive end Abry Jones was the most productive lineman with 48 tackles and four sacks.

John Jenkins was the big nose tackle Georgia has been looking for, and really was a force down the stretch.

DeAngelo Tyson was a leader for that line and he will be missed next year.

The Bulldogs also got great production from Kwame Geathers and Garrison Smith.

With only Tyson expected to leave, this position will be one of the best in the country next season.

GRADE: A

Linebackers

Before the season, I said the linebackers have a chance to be the best in the conference.

I was wrong because they were one of the best units in the country.

It starts with Jarvis Jones who led the SEC with 13.5 sacks and was an All-American selection.

Michael Gilliard had to play more than expected because Christian Robinson suffered an injury early in the year. He responded with 65 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble.

Alec Ogletree missed six games due to an injury, but still had 52 tackles and three sacks.

The Bulldogs also got great production from Cornelius Washington and Amarlo Herrera. And the good thing about this group is that everyone, except maybe Washington, should be back next year.

GRADE: A+

Secondary

This was another strong position because there was a lot of experience among Brandon Boykin, Branden Smith and Bacarri Rambo.

Boykin had another strong year as did Smith. But Rambo was probably one of the best safeties in the country as he led the SEC in interceptions and passes defended.

Shawn Williams was a force at strong safety. He led the team with 72 tackles and was second on the team with four interceptions. Not too many receivers wanted to catch the ball in his area because they knew they were in for a beating.

Sanders Commings also had a solid season. He struggled during the early part of the season, but got more comfortable once the season progressed.

GRADE: A-

Special Teams

This was the team's most glaring weakness and it was the reason that they lost two of their games this season.

Blair Walsh struggled with 14 missed field goals, the kickoff and punt coverage teams had issues and Drew Butler had a good year, but it wasn't like the year he had in 2009 or 2010.

The reason for the team's struggles is they did not have a special teams coach who would guide the players as to what they need to do during field goals, kickoffs and punts.

That is something Mark Richt will have to address because in order to win the SEC, they have to be consistent in special teams.

GRADE: D

Coaching

Mark Richt did a good job keeping the Bulldogs together after a 0-2 start.

That 10-game win streak probably saved his job because there were talks (and there still are talks) about his job security.

He is currently in talks for a contract extension, but if the Bulldogs take another step back, the hot seat talks will be up and running once again.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo did some good things with the offense. But I would like to see him give Murray more freedom to run the offense next season.

Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham had an excellent year getting his players in the right position to make plays, but he has to keep his cool and make sure he does not become part of the story of the game. Go back to the Vanderbilt game if you don't know what I'm talking about.

GRADE: B

Overall

The Bulldogs had their first 10-win season since 2008 and their first trip to the SEC title game since 2005. They had an All-American linebacker and offensive lineman, and they also had a top-10 defensive unit.

In some way, they looked like the Bulldogs of the early 2000s when David Greene and David Pollack were the big men on campus.

Are they at that level yet? No, but this was a young team and they will be a better team next season because of the experience they gained.

It was a good season, but the players, coaches, faculty, alumni, students and fans know that they are not where they want to be and that is back to winning SEC titles as well as winning a national title.

Trust me when I say they are not far from those goals.

GRADE: B+