Georgia Bulldogs vs. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Complete Game Preview
The Georgia Bulldogs will kick off the 2015 season on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe at Sanford Stadium. This will be the third time these two teams have faced each other, with the first meeting being in 1994.
This is an exciting time for the Bulldogs because it is the beginning of what could be a very special season if things bounce their way.
“We're all excited for the season at this point,'' head coach Mark Richt said to Georgiadogs.com. ''We don't want to temper the guys' enthusiasm much.”
This is also good time to see when the team is in terms of chemistry and execution. And with Richt announcing Greyson Lambert as the starting quarterback, the competition is now over and the Lambert era begins.
It was a long offseason and even a longer camp for the Bulldogs. But now it’s time for them to take the field and prove that they deserve to be a top 10 team.
Date: Saturday, September 5
Time: Noon ET
Place: Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network, Sirus/XM 113/191
Odds: Georgia by 35 points according to Oddsshark.com
Georgia Keys to Victory
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Pound and Ground
The Bulldogs will feature a new offensive coordinator in Brian Schottenheimer. But that doesn’t necessarily means the offense will be different from when Mike Bobo was the offensive coordinator.
Nick Chubb had a breakout season in 2014, and there is no reason the Bulldogs should stay away from a potential Heisman candidate.
However, the Bulldogs also have Sony Michel who is a dangerous back when healthy. He rushed for 410 yards on 64 carries and scored five times.
The Bulldogs offense starts with the run game, and they will need to grind it out against the Warhawks in order to wear them down as the game rolls on.
Air Lambert
With this being Greyson Lambert’s debut, this is a good opportunity to show what type of arm he has. Lambert did not have great numbers as a starter for Virginia last year (10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions), but he’s working with a veteran offensive line, a better running game and a talented set of receivers.
With the Bulldogs playing against a non-Power 5 conference team, they will likely take some chances when it comes to the passing game. If Lambert can make some big throws and be accurate, the fans will get behind him when the Bulldogs get into the thick of their schedule.
Take Care of Business
As it was mentioned earlier, the Bulldogs are a five-touchdown favorite against ULM. So they will need to start fast and finish faster in order to win with ease.
Louisiana-Monroe only won four games last year, but they are no strangers to playing in SEC stadiums. In fact, they played at LSU, Kentucky and Texas A&M last year, and they came close to beating the Aggies, losing by only five points.
The Bulldogs are more talented and have more depth than the Warhawks. If this game is close in the third quarter, Bulldog fans should be a little worried moving forward.
Louisiana-Monroe Keys to Victory
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Get After the Quarterback
The biggest thing ULM needs to do is get after Lambert. The Warhawks recorded 36 sacks last season, which is the most since joining the Sun Belt Conference. It’s also the first time since 1998 they have recorded 30 or more sacks in a season.
It won’t be an easy task for the ULM front seven to get past a Bulldogs offensive line that returns four starters. But if they want to have a fighting chance in this game, they will need to apply pressure on Lambert and force him to make mistakes.
Protect Garrett Smith
Like the Bulldogs, the Warhawks are breaking in a new quarterback—redshirt freshman Garrett Smith.
According to A.J. Devine of UnderdogDynasty.com, Smith was able to beat out last year’s backup Brayle Brown in both of the team’s scrimmages. Head coach Todd Berry said that Smith has the ability to make plays with his arm and legs, and it was on full display in the team’s final scrimmage.
So the Warhawks need to make Smith as comfortable as possible, because his first game will be intimidating with over 90,000 fans trying to get in his head. Smith will need to get some quick passes completed early, and hopefully he can build on that.
Just Play Football
Speaking of intimidation, that’s the one thing ULM can’t let happen to them on Saturday. They have played in games like this before, and they have played well against teams in the Power 5 conferences.
Last year the Warhawks defeated Wake Forest in the season opener, so they have to remember they can’t worry about the team across from them. They have to worry about what they do on offense, defense and special teams. If they can do that, they will have a fighting chance.
Georgia Players to Watch
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Greyson Lambert
With Richt announcing that Lambert is going to be the starter this season, all eyes will be on him this Saturday.
Lambert won the job on short notice, as he started practicing with the Bulldogs on Aug. 4. According to David Ching of ESPN.com, Richt liked what he saw in Lambert, which is why he won the job. However, it doesn’t mean Richt can’t make a change.
Brice Ramsey
That is why Bulldog fans should pay close attention to Brice Ramsey on Saturday. Ching said that many people around the program believed Ramsey would win the starting job because he has the arm strength and talent to take Georgia to the next level.
Odds are Ramsey will see action if the game turns into a blowout, so he will have a chance to prove that he will be ready if he’s needed to come in anytime during the season.
Rico McGraw
There are a number of true freshmen that are on the two-deep depth chart, but there’s only one that is listed as a starter.
Rico McGraw will likely share time with Malkom Parrish at cornerback and he will also play the start position. Seth Emerson of Dawgnation.com pointed out that Richt liked McGraw’s size, speed and athleticism, but Richt also liked his level of maturity.
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Louisiana-Monroe Players to Watch
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Garrett Smith
The new starting quarterback for the Warhawks will get a wake-up call with his first opponent. Smith is a dual-threat quarterback who tallied 33 total touchdowns his senior year at Smithson Valley High School in Texas. He was on the scout team last year and was named Scout Team Player of the Week.
However, he’s now got the call and will make his debut on Saturday. He will need to drown out all the distractions in order to have a successful debut.
Rashon Ceaser
Smith will have a talented set of receivers to work with this season, led by Rashon Ceaser.
The First-Team All-Sun Belt player played in 12 games and made 10 starts last year. He finished the season with 77 receptions for 872 yards and three touchdowns. He is also a dangerous punt returner, recording 114 punt return yards last season.
Ceaser and Ajalen Holley, Jr. (863 yards last season) make up one of the best receiver tandems in the region. The Bulldogs secondary will have their hands full.
Michael Johnson
The Warhakws led the conference in sacks last season, and Michael Johnson was a big reason why.
The senior linebacker led the Warhawks with eight sacks and also finished with 83 tackles. He earned All-Sun Belt honors last season after finishing third in the conference in sacks and second in tackles for loss.
Johnson should be able to put up better numbers because he will come into the season as the full-time starter. He started in seven of the 12 games last season.
What They're Saying
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Coach Berry knows that his team is going into a very difficult place to play, and he is hoping his older players like Johnson and Ceaser can be leaders and help the younger players get accustomed to the atmosphere. Here’s what he had to say at his teleconference (via the Red and Black):
"Obviously with our first opponent, against Georgia, it’s going to be a hostile environment. We are going to have marginal success in these games, but that’s where our older players will step in. They have those experiences that some of our younger players haven’t had before. Still kind of anxious to see how they handle the crowd and the venue and everything. We’ve tried to put them in those situations but you can never really know until game day how they are going to respond.
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Richt knows that ULM is a team that has played its share of SEC opponents in the past and Berry will have his team more than prepared on Saturday. Here’s what Richt had to say about the Warkhawks in his press conference (via Georgiadogs.com):
"They are a team that has played a lot of Southeastern Conference teams. I think they are maybe the only team in America that has four or five home games and eight away games. They go on the road. They are not worried about going into anybody's house. They have been to a bunch of SEC venues and they have done very well. As a matter of fact, every year for the last three years they have knocked off a Power 5 team that they have had on their schedule the last three years in a row, so I am sure they will not be intimidated by walking into our place. Our goal is to focus on everything we have been working on. Just taking caring of business in every facet of the game, and we are looking forward to getting out there and playing some.
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Prediction
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The Bulldogs are looking to have a fast start with Lambert at quarterback. If he can be efficient and limit the mistakes, he can have a very strong opener and a solid season. Whether that will be enough remains to be seen. However, the Bulldogs have enough talent across the board to make a run at the SEC title.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs will have an opportunity to see where they are as a team against the Warhawks. Despite a new quarterback at the helm, ULM will be a much improved team from last year because they have 15 starters returning. But the Bulldogs are too talented and too deep for the Warhawks, and this game will likely be over at the start of the third quarter.
Georgia 45, Louisiana-Monroe 17
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