The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UGA’s bid to win it all starts Saturday
ATHENS — When you’ve played for two SEC championships, a national championship and appeared in a New Year’s Six bowl the past two seasons and your mantra for this one is “Do More,” there’s only one possible goal in mind.
Winning it all.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are careful not to verbalize that. They’ll hit you with clichés such as “winning the next game” and “trying to be the best we can be.” But, in the end, hoisting the CFP Trophy is the only scratch that will satisfy their itch.
The mission to do that begins Saturday at Vanderbilt. There, the No. 3 Bulldogs will open the season with an SEC road game for the first time in a quarter century. It bears noting Georgia’s last national championship in 1980 also began with an SEC road game in the state of Tennessee.
Here are five things to watch for in the game:
Target practice for Fromm
Having a third-year starter at quarterback doesn’t do a team any good if he doesn’t have reliable targets to throw to. The Bulldogs believe they do.
The fact is, they lost 92% of their receiving yards and 72% of their receiving touchdowns off last season’s team in the form of Riley Ridley, Mecole Hardman, J.J. Holloman, Terry Godwin and Isaac Nauta. The only returning starter is senior Tyler Simmons, who had all of nine catches last season.
Not only is the speedy Simmons eager to show he’s worthy of being a primary target, but receiver recruiting has been a priority the past couple of years for Georgia. That has brought them three 5-star prospects in Dominick Blaylock, George Pickens and Demetris Robertson. The Bulldogs also added 6-foot-5 graduate transfer Lawrence Cager from Miami to a group that includes two other 6-5 players in Matt Landers and Tommy Bush.
Getting coordinated
Smart has spent a lot of time downplaying the fact that his team will be operating under the guidance of two new coordinators. But neither offensive coordinator James Coley nor defensive coordinator Dan Lanning are nearly as experienced as their predecessors, Jim Chaney and Mel Tucker.
The 33-year-old Lanning not only has never been a coordinator before, but he’s been a full-time college assistant a total of five seasons. Georgia believes that lack of experience is negated by the presence of Smart, a career defensive coordinator who continues to take a hands-on approach to the defense.
Coley, 46, has coordinated offenses before at Miami and Florida State, and last year in a supporting role to Chaney. In each case, the Bulldogs are expected to look different, faster-moving and more pass-happy on offense, and matchup oriented with liberal substitutions on defense.
Havoc to be wreaked
Georgia has made clear its goal to have at least 20 percent of the opposing offense’s plays result in what is categorized as “havoc,” defined as a tackle for loss, sack, pressure-induced incompletion, batted ball, an interception or a fumble.
How the Bulldogs go about achieving that lofty goal is the unknown. Does it mean they’ll be trying to execute all kinds of exotic pressures or does it come from simply dominating the opponent and knocking the ball loose? Whatever the case, it would behoove the Bulldogs to achieve their goal against Vanderbilt.
The Commodores feature three of the SEC’s best skill players at their respective positions in running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, tight end Jared Pinkney and receiver Kalija Lipscomb. The fact that Vandy will be playing a new quarterback and a couple of first-year starters on the offensive line might benefit the Bulldogs.
Music City madness
This might be the perfect opener for the Bulldogs. Not only are they facing a conference foe, but they’re doing it against one that should not be able to match their depth of overall talent. That’s why Georgia has been installed as a three-touchdown favorite. But it’s not only a conference game but a division game, and that should remedy any tendency to otherwise to take the Commodores lightly.
Georgia is 12-0 against SEC East the past two seasons, with an average margin of victory of 25.3 points per contest. So there’s that.
Also helping the Bulldogs’ cause is the festive atmosphere that awaits them. Tens of thousands of Georgia fans are descending on Nashville, SEC Nation will conduct its first live broadcast of the year outside the Ingram Commons on Vanderbilt’s campus and the town will be teeming with people and activity as Tennessee State’s John Merritt Classic and the On The Green outdoor concert series also will be going on downtown.
It may be the season opener, but a bowl atmosphere awaits.
Getting on the bus
The down side of it being an SEC game is that means the league’s roster limitations will be in force. Only 70 players are permitted to dress out for an SEC contest, and the Bulldogs have a lot more than that they would like to get a look at.
As much as half of Georgia’s 26-player recruiting class, which was ranked No. 2 nationally, might have to stay in Athens. The good news on that front is the Bulldogs should be able to get a look at the rest of them the following two weeks when Murray State and Arkansas State come to Athens.
In the meantime, there will be tough decisions to make on some highly touted players who either have been dogged by injuries or might play a position where plenty of experienced players are already in place. Freshmen such as linebacker Nakobe Dean and running back Kenny McIntosh might not have a role in this game.