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SEC Preview: Georgia Bulldogs
By Chris Pendley | July 8, 2008
It’s a big step from decent SEC team to national title contender, but Georgia managed to make that transition in about …oh, 60 minutes against Florida last year. After that, the Bulldogs dismantled everyone in sight and would’ve played in the SEC Championship Game had they thought to turn it on a couple of weeks prior. Most of the team returns intact and this year the Bulldogs are actually title contenders from the outset of the season.
Mark Richt (left, Icon SMI) enters his 8th year at Georgia and it’s safe to say that nobody really doubts his coaching ability at this point. Willie Martinez returns as the DC and this will be Mike Bobo’s 2nd year calling the plays as the OC . Richt still controls a lot of offensive development, so there won’t be a huge difference between the offense last year and the offense this year.
Is this the year Matthew Stafford finally figures it out? He made large strides his sophomore season (going from a 7-13 ratio to a 19-10, among other gains) and it’s a safe bet to expect some improvement this year, too. However, Stafford is limited somewhat by his receivers’ capabilities, so he’s a speculative pick for now… although he’s a safer speculation than others.
Caleb King and Richard Samuel figure to split carries …. well, whatever carries Knowshon Moreno leaves them. Moreno figures to be the feature back, which should be expected from a Freshman All-American. Last year Moreno ran for 1,350 yards with 14 TDs and he could easily top both those numbers (barring injury, it’s a pretty safe bet – he didn’t even start three games last year.) The only one that can slow him down is his own coach. Richt likes to use a modified two-back system where the backup does get significant action. Expect either King or Samuel to be worth owning, depending on league format and if one of them steps up. This probably isn’t going to matter, but it’s worth mentioning that one of the Georgia RBs has been significantly injured for each of the last two years (Thomas Brown two years ago, Kregg Lumpkin last year). Bad things happen in three’s so pay attention to see if this trend holds.
Mohamed Massaqoui , please report to your talent. The highly-touted yet chronically underperforming wideout should be the key to the Bulldog receiving corps, which functionally translates to “Kid, stop dropping passes!". There’s no reason that Massaqoui isn’t draftable in all formats except for him getting in his own way. Of course, that’s a potent enough force to knock him down a couple of notches in the rankings. If he puts it together, watch out… but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Aside from Massaqoui , there isn’t a real star in the WR corps, although Kris Durham and Demiko Goodman are the 2/3 guys on the team. Neither guy is worth drafting outright. However, one of them could put up decent numbers if Massaquoi struggles or the Bulldogs go pass-happy. Also keep an eye on TE Tripp Chandler as he should put up passable numbers. Although 350 yards and 2-3 TDs is probably his peak.
2007 sack leader Marcus Howard and 2007 interception leader Kelim Johnson are both gone from the Bulldog defense, but there’s plenty of playmaking ability on this side of the ball. Expect a fair amount of sacks to go with scattered INTs , but the main bonus of this D is in leagues that give points for points allowed. This should be a solid defense in most formats, although the special teams side loses the playmaking abilities of Mikey Henderson.
Blair Walsh could be the new K now that Brandon Coutu wore out his 27 years of eligibility. He might be worth owning if it looks like the Bulldog offense has issues early on, otherwise there are safer bets out there than a freshman K on a national title contender.
Summary
Moreno’s a guaranteed draft pick in all leagues, but other than that the picture gets a little blurrier. There’s plenty of star potential on the offense, but nobody else that’s a must-own. Chandler and the D/ST are likely only serviceable. Ultimately, the fantasy viability of the Bulldogs will depend on how the passing game matures, so stay tuned. There’s no shortage in potential for growth there. However, since the talent has yet to match the performance level, going out and getting Stafford or Massaquoi is betting on performance that hasn’t actually been achieved yet. There’s plenty of other logical options out there than betting on these two.
Topics: Chris Pendley, College Football, SEC |
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