Georgia Football: 5 Goals for Brian Schottenheimer's Offense in 2015

The arrival of longtime NFL offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has piqued the interest not only of Georgia Bulldog fans, but of fans around the country.  

On one hand, the Dawgs return many components of what was a record-setting offense in 2014.  Most notably, freshman sensation Nick Chubb is back, and he'll be running behind four returning starters along the offensive line.

On the other hand, Schottenheimer is a big name who coached with debatable results at the professional level.  His ability to navigate the college game is somewhere between unproven and unknown.

With these factors in mind, what can be expected out of Schottenheimer in his first season?  Here are five goals for Georgia's offense in 2015.

A Fast Start

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Can Schottenheimer recruit?

Oddly enough, Schottenheimer's first season is already well underway thanks to recruiting.  Though he's never had to formally recruit at the collegiate level, there's a lot of value in his name and even more value in his experience as an NFL coach.

Don't be surprised to see one of the freshest faces in Athens having one of the biggest impacts as national signing day approaches.  Last year, Jeremy Pruitt was hired in early January and immediately made a scene in securing a slew of talented defensive players.  Schottenheimer could be equally effective in 2015.

According to Rusty Mansell of 247Sports (subscription required), Schottenheimer has visits with 5-star athlete Terry Godwin and 4-star receivers Van Jefferson and Michael Chigbu.  While he's busy keeping commitments in the fold, he'll likely attract a few more.

The Best Man for the Job

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Will Ramsey be the man in 2015?

The quarterback position will be a concern for Georgia heading into the 2015 season, but there's a vocal minority that remains unconvinced that Hutson Mason was the man for the job last season.

Under Schottenheimer, the best quarterback will be the starter, and the results of open competition will be undisputed.  To be sure, the battle for playing time may be fierce between Brice Ramsey, Faton Bauta and Jacob Park.  But Schottenheimer, who has been developing NFL quarterbacks for nearly 15 years, will isolate the player who gives Georgia the best shot at winning.

From a fan sentiment perspective, that should be reassuring.

Nick Chubb's Production

Nell Redmond/Associated Press

Chubb was a beast as a freshman.

Brian Schottenheimer favors a balanced offensive attack.  According to Sam Cooper of Yahoo Sports, this affinity for a pro-style attack was a crucial component of head coach Mark Richt's pursuit of Schottenheimer. "He'll be excellent in developing our players in both the running and passing games which will benefit them while they are at Georgia and for their future," Richt commented.

With that in mind, don't expect Schottenheimer to abandon the ground game.  And with Nick Chubb in the backfield, expect big things.

As a true freshman, Chubb ran for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns.  One would be hard-pressed to pick those numbers apart, but if there was a weakness, it was derived directly by a lack of touches early in the season.  Through Georgia's first five games in 2014, Chubb carried the ball just 31 times.  For context, he carried the ball 38 times in his first career start.

Chubb ended the season with eight consecutive 100-yard games and over that time period amassed a staggering 1,323 rushing yards.  Chubb's production won't decrease on a per-carry or per-game basis under Schottenheimer, and he'll get the ball early and often.  The 1,800-yard plateau should be the goal for this outstanding running back.

Red-Zone Efficiency

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

More touchdown celebrations would be nice for the Dawgs.

If NFL statistics are to be believed, Schottenheimer is something of a miracle worker in the red zone.

In 2011, his final year as the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets, his offense ranked second in the NFL in red-zone efficiency and scored touchdowns on 65.38 percent of possessions inside the 20-yard line.  After he departed, that number fell to 48.94 percent as the Jets ranked 25th in the league in 2012.

Conversely, the St. Louis Rams experienced tremendous growth under Schottenheimer in red-zone efficiency, as they rose from 31st in the league in 2011 to 19th in his 2012 debut.

As prolific as Georgia's offense was in 2014, it ranked 49th in the country in total red-zone efficiency, per NCAA.com, and failed to score on 10 red-zone possessions.

Keep the Identity

John Bazemore/Associated Press

There's a lot to like about Georgia's offense in general.

• The run/pass balance makes for entertaining play-calling.
• A host of strong quarterbacks have been developed during Richt's tenure.
• Talented running backs play early and often.
• Wide receivers are relied upon in bunches, with little to no talent drop-off year over year.

In many ways, those components comprise the identity of Georgia's offense more so than statistical prowess or the strength of a coordinator (like the now-departed Mike Bobo).  Under Schottenheimer, those things should not change.  A successful year for the new coordinator is one that looks a lot like previous years.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all stats courtesy of sports-reference.com.