The big concern in 2010 is redshirt freshman QB Aaron Murray. Any time you are starting a redshirt freshman, you worry. Will he be enough to help Georgia win more games?

What if I offered you this line: 53% completions on 260 attempts, 1750 yards, seven TDs, and 13 INTs? How does that sound? It’s not great, but that was basically what Matthew Stafford did as a true freshman in 2006. That is the only season in the last 10 where a Richt-coached quarterback finished outside the top half of the nation in passing efficiency. And you know what? Georgia won nine games that season and dropped three other winnable contests.

Murray, being a redshirt and not a true freshman, should do better than that this season.

Unfortunately, I could never come close to matching the eloquence Kyle displayed with his big lawyerin’ words and Faulknerian Nabokovian/Brownian writing style. Fortunately, however, I’m comfortable in my south-Georgian plainspokenness, and don’t mind trying to sound cool by embiggening my vocabulary, making up new and cromulent words at will.  And posting lots of pictures.  And writing in sentence fragments.  (Take that, all of my high school English teachers.) Therefore, I give you my VineyardDawgography: BBBBAWIDIBBD (Bulldog Born, Bulldog Bred, And When I Die I’ll Be Bulldog Dead).

This is what VineyardDawg would look like if he were a muppet.  And if he were born in the ‘hood. But I digress.

The Beginning

The year was 1981. I don’t remember the exact game that was my first, but I have deduced from various pictures and comments made by my parents that it must have happened during the 1981 season. (God bless my parents, but my attention to historical detail probably doesn’t come from them.  I was too young to remember the exact date of my first game, and when I called them to ask, the answer I got was along the lines of, “Oh, I don’t know… it was sometime around ’79, ’80, or ’81… or maybe ’82.”)

My parents had already been getting their 4 season tickets as alumni for a couple of years and going with friends, but one day, they finally decided that I was old enough to experience gameday in Athens.  They let me know that I would henceforth be going to home games with them on Saturdays, and I practically went into orbit.

Shortly thereafter, we packed up the car and went to the stadium.  I was so excited, I could barely hold a thought in my head or a shaker in my hand.  My parents were taking me to my first major sporting event, and had already told me stories about Georgia’s players and successes of recent years past. We were going to watch Herschel, Belue, Hoage… and Dooley. I was dressed in a Georgia t-shirt, too-tight (and short) 1980′s shorts, and a red and black Georgia hat, and we were sitting in the stands when suddenly, the crowd erupted as the team ran onto the field.  I cheered loudly and eagerly said to my mother, “Are those the Georgia Bulldogs???”

“No, honey. Those are the Macon Peaches, and this is baseball, not football.  We’re going to the Georgia game tomorrow.”

So began my obsession with Georgia.

I’m sure you can see how, as a 4-year-old, I could have confused this with Sanford Stadium, which I had never seen before.

I don’t remember the subsequent 1981 game that was my first, but I suspect it was the season opener against the Tennessee Volunteers, since the minor-league baseball season was obviously still ongoing in Macon at the time.  What I do remember is that, after the Georgia game, we walked over to the Coliseum to wait for the players to come out (there was no Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall then, and the team was transported to the Coliseum immediately after the game to shower and get dressed). I was standing in the front row when Herschel Walker came out, and I thought it was so cool, because he actually made time to say hello to people and sign lots of autographs.  I don’t know if every autograph hound got his wish, but I know he hung around longer than he had to, and the class he demonstrated that day has stuck with me ever since.

After all, he obviously could have made a hasty escape if he’d wanted to.

I don’t personally recall ever missing a home opener since that time, though I’m not willing to authoritatively state that I will be in the stands for my 30th consecutive home opener on September 4, 2010.  (I haven’t verified my attendance conclusively through the years, and making a 30-consecutive-year claim should be able to stand up to scrutiny). Sufficed to say, however, I have attended the great majority of home games during that time, accompanied by my parents, a litany of friends through the years, and now, Mrs. VineyardDawg. The University of Georgia is in my blood… it is part of who I am, and who I always will be.

The Hated Rival

If you’ve read more than one or two of my posts, I don’t have to tell you who I think Georgia’s biggest rival is.  (Hint: It’s Florida… whom I hate.)  I could write an entire (long) post about why I hate Florida, but I will attempt to condense it down to just one section for the sake of brevity here.

Georgia has more rivals than most schools, partially due to its shared border with 5 states in the heart of the deep south, and partially due to the fact that two of our historic rivals are not in our conference. To put these rivalries in perspective, though…  It annoys me when we lose to Georgia Tech. It’s frustrating when we lose to Auburn. It’s embarrassing when we lose to Tennessee or South Carolina. When we lose to Florida, though, it’s just different.

When we face the Gators, we are engaged in a battle of good vs. evil, us vs. them, our way of life vs. theirs.  And when they come out victorious, it’s an experience that is beyond soul-crushing, beyond wailing and gnashing of teeth… I lose a little piece of myself every time the Gators defeat the Dawgs.  After the last 20 years, you’d think I’d be used to it by now, but no.  My hatred for the University of Florida burns hotter than the fire of a thousand suns, and if we were to go 20-0 against them over the next 20 years, I would still hate them as much as I do today.

I know this because, during the first 13 years of my life, the Bulldogs did dominate the Gators. And even then, every victory over Florida was celebrated as a special event in our household, and every defeat was a cause for a special brand of mourning. The 1985 triumph over the #1 Gators stands out in my mind even today as a great win, but I also remember the 1986 loss and the grief that we caught from Gator fans that were friends of our family.

And while this was an incredible experience (1985)…

I don’t even want to talk about this.

I can’t tell you for sure why I hate Florida so much more than our other rivals… I just do.  It might be because much of my family is from central and south Georgia, and I was just raised closer to the hated Saurians.  It might be because some of our family friends when I was growing up were Gator fans, although they weren’t overtly obnoxious about it.  For whatever reason, though, I could not have done as Southern Dawg did and overlooked a girl’s Gator-affiliated status, even if she was as attractive as his now-wife is. In fact, my wife and I are now friends with a family who happen to be ardent Gator fans (and, yes, living in Athens).  In order to maintain that friendship, though, we do not discuss anything Gator or Bulldog-related for a few weeks before and after the annual clash in Jacksonville.  That’s just the way it has to be.  Call me silly, call me irrational… just don’t call me a Gator-lover tolerator.

The Name

I haven’t yet had anyone question my self-imposed anonymity, but I assume this is because on the Intertubes, everyone just likes being anonymous if they can.  I did not always try to hide my identity when posting online, and ran a blog several years ago that got a moderate amount of regular traffic.  My employer is much more sensitive than I imagined, however, about having my name attached to publicly-available internet posts online, and I have gotten in trouble in the past for saying things that some people didn’t agree with.  As a result, my blog has now been gone for many years, and I try to maintain anonymity as much as possible when posting online.  I don’t maintain any illusion that it would be impossible to link my online name to my real name, but I just don’t try to encourage it. That’s pretty much all I can do.

And that’s the reason that, although I applaud Southern Dawg for his openness, I cannot be equally open about my own personal situation.

The Best of Times

I don’t think I have to cover the worst of times as a Georgia fan… we all know what (and when) they were, and it’s always more fun to talk about one’s best memories.  The following moments are what I remember as my “best times” watching the Red and Black in person.  They are not all games, necessarily… just “moments.”  I present them in chronological order:

• The end of the Georgia/Auburn game, 1986:  An unranked 6-3 Georgia team rolled onto the Plains reeling from a 31-19 loss to that school and proceeded to humble #6 Auburn 20-16.  A few Bulldog revelers ran onto the field after the game, and the Auburn ground crew responded by turning pressurized water hoses onto not only the fans on the field, but the Georgia fans in the stands, as well.  This game is now known as the “Between the Hoses” game, and while I fortunately did not get wet that night, it was my first experience at witnessing a great Bulldog upset on the road. “There ain’t nothing like being a Bulldog on a Saturday night after a Georgia victory.“
• The pregame band concert at the 2002 SEC Championship Game:  The Redcoat Band’s pregame on-field concert is a longstanding tradition, and many fans take it for granted, barely listen at all, or even arrive in the middle or after it’s over.  Before the 2002 SEC Championship Game, the Redcoat Band took the field and played its usual medley.  When they struck up the first bars of Glory Glory, a spontaneous, loud cheer erupted from the Georgia faithful.  It finally hit me that the Redcoats were playing our fight song in the SEC Championship game, and I actually got choked up and couldn’t even cheer for a minute or two.
• 8:43 mark of the 1st Quarter, 2002 SEC Championship Game:  The pregame band moment was excitement at just being in the game.  When Musa Smith rushed 17 yards for the Dawgs’ second touchdown in their first two possessions, however, I remembered an interview I’d heard during the tailgate show with an Arkansas beat reporter, where he talked about how that Razorback team was not built to come from behind.  He literally said, “If Georgia gets a couple of quick scores and goes up 14-0, the game will be over.”  It was then that I realized that we were going to win the SEC Championship for the first time in 20 years. We had reached the top of the mountain for the first time in a very, very long time, and even though the 2005 title was sweet, too… nothing short of a BCS title will match that first time; that first victory in the Dome.
• 6:00 mark of the 1st Quarter, Georgia/Florida 2007:  The world remembers the endzone dancing, but I never saw it until I watched the replay on TV.  As soon as Knowshon crossed the goal line, everyone on my side of the stadium started jumping up and down, hugging perfect strangers, and hollerin’ like… well, like we had just scored first against Florida.  I was not sure that we would win the game until we re-took the lead with 1:48 left in the second quarter and scored again on our first possession of the 3rd quarter, but that moment of ecstasy and excitement, when we’ve drawn first blood against the Gators, is one that is hard to match in any setting.

The Future

One of the goals of my life was to attend a game in every SEC stadium, and I achieved that goal in 2005 when I traveled to Starkville, MS, to fend off Hurricane Rita and watch the Dawgs dispatch the Western Division Bulldogs.  (I still have never made the trip to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, but I’ll be damned if I’m ever going to voluntarily surround myself with a stadium full of Gators unless the Dawgs are playing them. I wanted to go in 1994, but was unable to procure tickets.)

Now, my goal is to continue to travel with the Dawgs at least once a year.  I made it to Tempe and Stillwater, and am planning to travel to Boulder for the return match with the Buffaloes in October.  After that, I’ll be going to Louisville, Clemson, and Eugene, God willing.

Well, that’s about it for me… looks like podunkdawg is up next! I look forward to hearing a tale filled with brownies and references to insufferable Sooner fans.

A possible sample of the forthcoming entry from podunkdawg?

Go Dawgs!

The Football Writers Association of American is considering a rewrite of history.

Executive director Steve Richardson said the FWAA will decide before the start of the season whether to strip USC of its 2004 national championship and give it to Auburn.

“This is unprecedented, but it’s an unprecedented situation,” Richardson told the Mobile Press-Register.

Oklahoma edged Auburn in the Bowl Championship Series standings to earn a shot against USC, then was routed by the Trojans, 55-19, in the title game. Auburn completed a 13-0 season by defeating Virginia Tech, 16-13, in the Sugar Bowl and finished No. 2 to USC in the BCS standings and polls.

After the season, Auburn issued rings to players with the inscription “National Champions.” One turned up on eBay in 2008.

“Auburn was unbeaten and many people thought they should have been in the national championship game,” Richardson said. “It would be similar to what occurs in the Olympics [when a result is vacated because of a failed drug test].”

Auburn was edged out by Oklahoma in the BCS standings in part because of the Tigers’ nonconference schedule, which featured Louisiana Tech, The Citadel and Louisiana Monroe. Oklahoma’s nonconference lineup featured Oregon, Houston and Bowling Green. The Sooners were 12-0 before losing to USC.

Utah also finished 2004 undefeated, capping a 12-0 season with a 35-7 victory over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

Tommy Tuberville, Auburn’s coach in 2004, said Tuesday he believes a new champion should be named instead of the title being vacated, which is the plan of the BCS should USC lose its appeal to the NCAA.

“Why in the world would you not give it to anybody, whether it’s Oklahoma or us or Utah?” he said. “Everybody played that year. Why would you not give it to somebody? There’s other teams that did the right things. We didn’t even get a chance to play. We had a heckuva football team that year. I don’t think people really realized how good we were. If they take it away from them, give it to somebody else. There is no reason to keep a group of players who say, ‘Hey, I was a national champion.’ I’m not saying it was us. But somebody.”

He added this about USC: “They cheated. They’re out. But we’re not going to re-vote it because it happened five years ago? That’s not right …That season is over with and forgotten about, but not by a bunch of fans from three or four schools. People do care. You’re talking about kids’ lives and resumes.”

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• Tuberville wants USC’s 2004 title to be reawarded (denverpost.com)
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This summer couldn’t have put a darker cloud over the Georgia football program. While the blue-collar, excessively quiet ACC champs to the west are priming for another run, Georgia’s football program and athletics department has been under fire.

Tech fans on internet boards couldn’t be thriving more off the allegations of improper interaction with agents, the firing of athletic director Damon Evans, and the multiple arrests surrounding players.

The bad news couldn’t hurt worse, considering Georgia’s on-field performance yielded a mediocre 4-4 SEC record a year ago. Many have said head coach Mark Richt, who never seems to be directly involved with any of the nonsense, is not only too calm and collected, but possibly doesn’t reflect the attitude needed for a team to be successful.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Jeff Schultz claims that Mark Richt doesn’t scare discipline into his players. Now, Schultz’s recent article draws an extremist picture of Richt’s persona, correlating it way too much with the arrest of Damon Evans for DUI, which is absolute baloney, but there is no doubt writers are wondering why this program can’t ever seem to get on it’s feet.

I strongly believe two things will improve Georgia’s on- and off-the-field issues in the future: discipline and intensity.

I also honestly believe Mark Richt definitely lacks in these two areas. His quiet and collected ways seem to lead to a disconnect between players and coaches.

Richt has proven time and time over that his attitude will likely never change.

But there still is hope for discipline and intensity. Enter new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. At the G-Day game, where I sat at the 50-yard line around 20 rows up, I got my first taste of the new coach.

The Georgia defense had just allowed a scoring drive. Grantham blew his top on the sidelines, huddling all of the defenders together and screaming at the top of his lungs for a strong three minutes.

Everyone in the stands tuned into the sideline shout fest, completely ignoring the first team offense performing on the field. There was unanimous approval from the fans around me, saying, “This guy will make a difference.”

Grantham may not only make a difference for the defense’s performance, but his intensity might rub off a tad on coach Mark Richt. If it does, the Georgia coaches might be able to muster up enough toughness to finally start disciplining.

Maybe all of those turnovers and penalties will finally go away. I guarantee you the defensive penalties will go down, because you do not want CTG yelling in your ear.

I had to hear it from the stadium seats, and I might have needed to change my underwear after the quarter. (Ok, maybe not, but you get my point.)

As of now, it seems like it’s the same-old, same-old for Georgia football, you should be aware that a culture change is on horizon.

This will be the least star-studded cast of players Georgia has fielded in quite some time, with the lone star being one of the most humble players in the game, which is even more rare considering the position.

A.J. Green enters the year as college football’s premier wide receiver. Even Green, who has been a quiet performer who lists “grades” as one of his interests on Facebook, is facing scrutiny. NCAA investigations, which will commence on UGA campus, will apparently focus on the agent involvement A.J. Green could have had at a party in Miami.

Even though Green claims he has “never been to south Florida,” he still could very well have been involved with premature contact with NFL agents as well as agent representatives, or “runners.”

Whether Green is at fault or not, or even knew he was committing violations, the fact trouble has been “finding” the Georgia program couldn’t be more prominent.

I’m going to be honest, I never fully liked the personality of Knowshon Moreno, or even Matthew Stafford. Moreno always seemed way to heady or self-centered.

But evidence of A.J. Green, coming from coaches, players, interviews, and video couldn’t draw a brighter picture of a humble superstar, or an ideal team player.

Again, AJC’s Jeff Schultz criticizes Richt, quoting Richt saying that he could either blow his top over off-field incidents, or calmly deal with it correctly and move on.

I’m with Richt. He has the right idea. He needs to continue to calmly deal with situations, and move on. And, on-field performance in 2010 couldn’t be a better place to shut up the naysayers.

It is time for the Dawgs to be resilient. An SEC East championship would greatly improve the way people look at the football program, which has been primed for scrutiny since it fell off the map in it’s blackout game against Alabama in 2008.

This year’s team couldn’t be more ready to take back its pride. While under the radar, ranked between No. 15 and unranked by numerous publications, Georgia returns 10 starters the offense and plenty of talent on defense.

Grantham appears to be extremely excited with the personnel he has, and seems confident that the players will run his defense correctly. Mike Bobo knows what he has in the offense.

The only newcomer will be quarterback Aaron Murray, who was one of the highest recruited quarterbacks in the nation coming out of high school. Why Florida’s first year starter John Brantley has been praised so much more than Murray in publications is beyond me, but Georgia fans can assure ourselves Murray is the most talented quarterback we’ve had since Stafford.

Mentally, he might even be better. A.J. Green believes Murray is “way mature for his age” and “prepares so well.” Sounds like A.J. can’t wait to start having balls thrown his way from No. 11.

The backfield and offensive line makes for one of the best in the SEC, if not the entire nation. Combine the most experienced line in the SEC, complete with All-SEC players like Ben Jones, Clint Boling, and former All-SEC frosh Trinton Sturdivant, with a dynamic duo of tailbacks in Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, and Georgia’s running game is primed to dominate.

The Dawgs rushing attack struggled last year behind a makeshift offensive line, however the line gelled and healed and proved powerful toward the end of the year.

Mike Bobo might have learned a lesson in play calling as well, leaning away from a usually mixed game plan in favor of a pound-the-rock game plan vs. rival Georgia Tech.

Georgia’s usually inconsistent offense, often plagued by risky throws turning into turnovers, dominated Georgia Tech’s defense for more than 300 rushing yards.

Now, Tech’s defense was never the cream of the crop, but Georgia appears to be ready to rush for at least 150 yards a game next year. It could be even more than that.

Ealey and King have confidently stated that the Dawgs will produce two, not one, two 2,000 yard rushers in 2010.

With that good of a running game, all you need is an effective vertical passing attack. A.J. Green, who many believe is the second coming of Randy Moss, will be the perfect option for Georgia’s passing game.

Orson Charles also made huge plays for Georgia as a freshman last year, and should be a play maker and potential All-SEC tight end in the future. While many are unaware, Georgia’s speed at the other receiver spot is insanely good. Rantavious Wooten and Tavarres King (who could see a one to three game suspension to start) are a couple of wide outs with game breaking speed.

King, at 6 foot 1, could surprise people as a possession receiver and compliment to Green, much like Mohamed Massaquoi was in 2008. Plus, Kris Durham, who like Green has been very very impressed with Murray, will return from knee injury to compete for a starting role. Durham, at 6’5″, is a perfect target for Murray on the other side of the field.

As long as Aaron Murray stays away from the mistakes Joe Cox made last year, with a healthy line and confident backfield Georgia’s offense should be one of the best in the Southeastern Conference.

Now to the defense, which has been awful the past two seasons. Georgia’s issues with defending in the past was due to lack of up-field push. While the pass rush was weak, the secondary play relied on flawed zone schemes and players standing around, waiting for the ball to come to them.

Of course, even the least experienced quarterbacks never had trouble simply throwing away from standing defenders. The defensive backs, including all-world talent like Reshad Jones, always looked like they were trying to run in water.

Todd Grantham brings that hunker down, fast paced intensity to the defense. The new 3-4 scheme will rely on confusing pass rush schemes, as well as aggressive play from the defensive backs.

Georgia’s strength, while many “pundits” may deny it, should be the talent of their secondary.

Yes. I said it. Georgia adds one of the best JUCO prospects in safety Jakar Hamilton, as well as highly recruited freshman safety Alec Ogletree. However, former linebacker Nick Williams, fan favorite Bacarri Rambo, and tenured practice team star Quintin Banks load the safety position.

It’s very possible either Williams, or Ogletree could even make an eventual move to linebacker at some point in their careers.

Bryan Evans and Prince Miller, who started for UGA last year, never seemed to bring anything more than seniority. Miller’s size hampered his performance at Georgia, while Evans’ lack of focus always seemed to be an issue.

Enter Vance Cuff, a taller cornerback with 4.2 speed. Cuff was Georgia’s most improved spring player according to coaches, and seemingly has won the starting cornerback battle over former recruiting gem Branden Smith.

Also, Georgia returns Brandon Boykin, a physical specimen at the other corner who won over All-SEC spots at defensive back and kick returner this preseason thanks to three touchdown returns on special teams and three interceptions last season.

Boykin could very well be one of the best players on the team. Athletically he has the skills, owning the leaping ability of former great Boss Bailey. Also, two of Boykin’s interceptions from last year were brainy plays that required an aggressive attack to the football.

Boykin should thrive in Grantham’s scheme.

Georgia’s question marks might just arise in the front seven, where the Dawgs lose Geno Atkins, Jeff Owens, Kade Weston, and linebacker Rennie Curran.

Linebackers Darryl Gamble and Akeem Dent seemed primed to be the starting linebackers, however the other two spots are up for grabs. As of now it appears Marcus Dowtin and Christian Robinson will complete the four linebacker rotation, but don’t sleep on former tailback Richard Samuel. Also, Justin Houston is the obvious starter at one outside linebacker spot, which means Gamble, Dent, or Dowtin could get axed from a starting role. Not to worry though, the linebacking corpse is primed for a healthy rotation of fresh legs. Cornelius Washington is even listed as a linebacker, and coaches want him on the field making plays on third down.

The defensive line will be a mystery until we see it on the field. Abry Jones switches from tackle to end, joining DeMarcus Dobbs. The nose tackle spot will be filled by DeAngelo Tyson. While many say Georgia needs a bigger nose, Grantham insists the style Georgia will use doesn’t require a plug in the middle. Outside rush from hybrid defenders will complete the front package of the scheme.

However, if Georgia ever needs a big man to fill in, Kwame Geathers could very well be the man at 6 foot 6, 330 pounds.

Special teams are all set for the Dawgs. Drew Butler and Blair Walsh, as Rachel Yost would say, “have all-American written all over them”. Brandon Boykin is obviously the solidified game changer at the kick return spot, and Boykin, along with Branden Smith, Carlton Thomas, and even A.J. Green will make for an interesting and hopefully productive punt return game.

Plus, Green will take the “Boss” role as a potential kick blocker. Georgia’s special teams have always been known for blocking kicks and punts and causing havoc on special teams, and this year should be no different. Speedsters like Vance Cuff and Branden Smith could become sneaky punt blockers off the guns. Plus, don’t forget about Zach Renner, who has four career punt blocks.

Not many college athletes can say that.

Here is a look at Georgia’s projected lineup, as well as a list of their 10 top players coming into the year, and five darkhorse players.

Starting Depth

QB- Aaron Murray

TB- Washaun Ealey/Caleb King

FB- Shaun Chapas

WR- A.J. Green

WR- Tavarres King

TE- Orson Charles

T- Clint Boling

T- Trinton Sturdivant/Josh Davis

G- Chris Davis

G- Cordy Glenn

C- Ben Jones

DE- Abry Jones

DE- DeMarcus Dobbs

NT- DeAngelo Tyson

LB- Justin Houston

LB- Akeem Dent

LB- Darryl Gamble

LB- Marcus Dowtin/Christain Robinson

CB- Brandon Boykin

CB- Vance Cuff

S- Bacarri Rambo

S- Nick Williams/Jakar Hamilton

K- Blair Walsh

P- Drew Butler

KR- Brandon Boykin

PR- Carlton Thomas

And here is a look at the best players on the roster, according to me.

1) Wide Receiver A.J. Green- Green is by far the best receiving prospect in the nation. The only area of his game with a question mark is his ability to be a good blocker. He’s already been a pretty decent one.

2) Tackle Clint Boling- Boling, along with the return of Sturdivant, should give Georgia the best duo of tackles in the SEC.

3) Linebacker Justin Houston- Houston returns to the position he arrived at Georgia to be. Even in limited time last year he recorded 7.5 sacks. Houston should thrive in Todd Grantham’s scrambled 3-4 alignment.

4) Center Ben Jones- Ben Jones has been the only true staple of Georgia’s offensive line during the musical chairs from the past two years.

5) Cornerback Brandon Boykin- Boykin made himself known on special teams, even as a full time starter last year. He should become known around the conference as a playmaker on defense in 2010, and should improve on his three picks from last year. Shows great smarts and rarely gets lost in coverage.

6) Tailback Washaun Ealey- Ealey quickly leap frogged in the depth chart, starting all the way back at five last year and ending up dominating the Georgia Tech defense. The GHSAA legend could leave running mate Caleb King in a shadow, taking over as a playmaker in the SEC.

7) Tight End Orson Charles- Charles, a tight end-receiver hybrid, is a dangerous receiving weapon who was a great pass catcher over the middle last year. A more dynamic offense should mean more big plays from the sophomore, who played with Aaron Murray at Plant High School.

Linebacker Darryl Gamble- Gamble has two years of starting experience behind him and will have to take over making plays from the linebacker position following the loss of Rennie Curran. Gamble’s performance against LSU in 2008 proved he is effective as a run stopper and coverage guy.

9) Tailback Caleb King- King was once the big name on campus, but a couple of No. 24′s have kept him from taking over in the spotlight. King finally seemed to make strides at the end of last year as he continued to get his confidence back following leg injury.

10) Quarterback Aaron Murray- Aaron Murray doesn’t have the experience, but he apparently has the intangibles and the physical attributes to be a great quarterback in the world of college football. If Georgia fans don’t get greatness this year, they can be assured it will come in 2011 and maybe even 2012.

Five darkhorse players include,

1) Cornerback Vance Cuff- Cuff raised eyebrows in spring practice this year with his 4.2 40 yard dash. The senior corner has the size, speed, and smarts to give Georgia one of the best cornerback tandems in the conference.

2) Wide Receiver Kris Durham- Durham comes off missing the past year, and most of 2008. Georgia fans will enjoy his return, especially considering his huge 6-5 frame.

3) Cornerback Branden Smith- Smith has Champ Bailey 2.0 written all over him. He may not be incorporated as the receiver Bailey was, but his offensive ability, as well as potential for special teams might be more exciting than the prospect of him starting at corner.

4) Tackle Trinton Sturdivant- Trinton Sturdivant comes off missing two years in a row as well. The big tackle brings a big brain and a big body to an already deadly offensive line, however he will have to prove he has returned fully from two years worth of knee surgeries.

5) Receiver Marlon Brown- Many wonder if Georgia can compliment A.J. Green, even with speedsters like Wooten and King out wide, but Marlon Brown’s size, which rivals that of Green, could give him the oppurtunity to blossum into a deadly weapon on the outside.

As far as Georgia’s schedule goes, the only moderately intimidating road tests are at South Carolina and at Auburn. Georgia has had great success over both teams in the past five years, leading me to believe both games are plenty winnable. The toughest games will be home vs. Arkansas, against Florida in Jacksonville, and the final game of the year vs. Georgia Tech on Senior Day.

The one sleeper game to keep an eye on is at Kentucky. Kentucky has proven a dangerous team at home in the past, and their talent, if optimized through play, will make them a very dangerous giant killer.

Vanderbilt and Tennessee seem less intimidating than ever, even considering how Tennesee dominated us last year. The road test at Colorado, coming a week off a road game in Starkville, could be another spot where Georgia potentially trips up.

Overall, this is my gutsy and ill-informed schedule prediction, complete with game scores (even though I usually despise the aimless desperation of predicting scores in football games).

Game One: home vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (UGA wins 48-9)

This game will be a cake walk, and a great opportunity for Aaron Murray to get his feet wet. Logan Gray will likely see plenty of fourth quarter playing time in this game as well. The key in this game is that Aaron Murray puts up good numbers, that way any late show from Logan Gray doesn’t create a quarterback controversy. Nothing would unsettle our stomachs more than seeing Murray go 8-17 and then Gray coming in and going 7-9 or something. Also, it will be a chance to see Kris Durham and Trinton Sturdivant compete for a full game. I’m excited to see how those two do here.

Game Two: at South Carolina (UGA wins 31-21)

The Georgia defense gets plenty of a test in week two vs. Stephen Garcia and the Gamecocks talented receiving corpse, however Georgia’s pass rush will result in plenty of sacks and a few interceptions against SC’s less than stellar pass protection. Steve Spurrier couldn’t have sounded less enthusiastic about his team’s progression in the pass protect department during media day. Aaron Murray will ride a powerful running attack, and the battle between A.J. Green and Carolina corner Stephon Gilmore should be exciting. Georgia will get by thanks to a fourth quarter turnover and clock control. Spurrier slams the visor, and somewhere those two security guards will be sitting together at an Athens bar giving a fist pound.

Game Three: home vs. Arkansas (UGA falls 35-24)

I don’t like picking against Georgia’s 12th man at Sanford Stadium, but I will here. Georgia will have an early season stumble. Even after defeating the rival Gamecocks, Corso will say it best by going “not so fast my friends.” Arkansas’ unrivaled passing attack will get up on Georgia early, and while trying to scrap back Georgia’s offense will make a few mistakes. The game will be a shootout, but a mistake by Aaron Murray will turn into a double digit win for the Razorbacks.

Game Four: at Mississippi State (UGA wins 24-14)

This one will be a tough road game for Georgia, coming off a loss, but the Dawgs will win a slow paced running game and take care of the Bulldogs to the west. Georgia’s running back will dominate, and the defense will have their first stellar SEC performance.

Game Five: at Colorado (UGA wins 20-17)

A second straight road game will be tough for the Bulldogs, however Georgia will prevail thanks to a last second field goal by Blair Walsh. Georgia will go up big early, but Colorado will ride some home field magic back into the game and tie it up. Georgia will control the ball for the fourth quarter and put the game away.

Game Six: home vs. Tennessee (UGA wins 30-7)

Tennessee will struggle to break in a new quarterback, and they will definitely miss the hype surrounding Bryce Brown. This game will be an energized one, full of Sanford Stadium noise. DaRick Rogers will have a tough day, and fans will definitely go berserk when Bacarri Rambo gets a hit on him. Georgia’s energized defense will create plenty of plays, and the offense will have their best performance yet. This will be the second sweetest victory of the year, getting revenge on the blowout from last year.

Game Seven: home vs. Vanderbilt (UGA wins 29-3)

Georgia will easily get by Vanderbilt, who without Bobby Johnson should be the SEC’s least impressive team by far. The Commodores will be no match emotionally for the hostility of Sanford Stadium, which will be full of urgently loud fans, hoping for a one loss record heading into Jacksonville in two weeks.

Game Eight: at Kentucky (UGA wins 31-28)

Here will be another close game in Lexington, with Georgia scraping by. Aaron Murray will begin to really impress on offense. On the other hand, Georgia’s defense will get ambushed by the versatile Wildcat offense. The game will be a back and forth affair, but Georgia will pull ahead in the fourth. Kentucky will score a late touchdown to make it a 31-28 game, but they won’t get the ball back in scoring position. Georgia heads into the WLOCP with a 6-1 record and a No. 9 national ranking.

Game Nine: vs. Florida in Jacksonville (UGA wins 23-13)

John Brantley will be having a good year, and Florida’s offense will just now be heating up. The Gators will be entering this game with one lone loss, and the battle will be for supremacy in the SEC East. Florida will be picked to steam roll the Dawgs once again, but their offense will come out flat against Georgia’s new look defense. The Dawgs will make a few big plays on defense, and the Tebow-less Gators will show signs of weakness on offense for the first time in two seasons. Aaron Murray will have an early touchdown pass to A.J. Green which will have the Georgia crowd going bonkers, and a late touchdown run by Washaun Ealey will signal the start of the property destruction. Don’t break your chair, but the taste of sugar will start to sneak into your tongue.

Game Ten: home vs. Idaho State (UGA wins 56-0)

Things will be right in Athens again. Georgia will be ranked No. 5 in the polls, and they will obliterate the Bengals in front of plenty of happy fans. Despite being a historically relevant team in the FCS, Idaho State will be no match for Georgia’s dominating offense.

Game Eleven: at Auburn (UGA falls 27-14)

This will be a tough one for the Dawgs. Auburn, which is full of talent, including former Florida quarterback Cameron Newton, will finally be hitting their stride and will defeat Georgia. The Dawgs will struggle in the most hostile environment since the South Carolina game, especially Aaron Murray. Auburn will get an energized victory that will set them up for a huge game against Alabama. Both Auburn and Alabama will have one SEC loss going into their final matchup. Gene Chizik will continue to grow popular in the plains, while Georgia will stay book a trip down the road to Atlanta thanks to winning a tie breaker vs. the two loss Gators.

Game Twelve: home vs. Georgia Tech (UGA wins 34-17)

While Georgia Tech has Josh Nesbitt and coach Paul Johnson, their uncharacteristic struggling defense and lack of passing firepower without Bay-Bay Thomas will make for struggles on offense. Georgia will dominate on the offensive side of the ball, frustrating the Jackets. Georgia is sure to create plenty of turnovers as well against the turnover prone men in Gold.

Game Thirteen: SEC Championship in Atlanta vs. Alabama (Bama wins 27-17)

Alabama will enter the game 11-1, while Georgia will enter 10-2. Georgia will be ranked No. 7, while Alabama will sit pretty at No. 1 once again. The game will be close until the end, however the Crimson Tide will pull away thanks to the play of Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram. The full fledged matchup between Julio Jones and A.J. Green will draw huge attention. Bama will head to the national championship game once again, while Georgia will head to the Sugar Bowl to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Game Fourteen: Sugar Bowl in New Orleans vs. Pittsburgh (UGA wins 38-17)

Georgia will get a classic rematch against the Big East champs, and stomp all over the Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt, while impressive on paper, will fall to the overwhelming dominance of the SEC speed of play. Dion Lewis will be the only bright spot in the game for Pitt, rushing for over 100 yards, but it won’t be enough. The Panthers will learn their place in the college football world, while Georgia ends the season on a high and a No. 5 finish in the polls.

Mark Richt will be sitting comfy and return the glory of Georgia football. Wins over Florida, Spurrier, Tennessee, and Tech will have everyone but the dominating Tide fans boasting.

Oh, and Georgia fans will have plenty more to be excited about, because the basketball team will be taking over a spot in the top 25 polls. Aside from the inevitable departure of A.J. Green, it won’t be a better time to be a Dawg fan.

Hunker Down for September folks. I can’t wait, and I’m sure you can’t either.

Read more Georgia Bulldogs Football news on BleacherReport.com

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Jimbo Fisher’s team should have no trouble scoring points behind quarterback Christian Ponder, but it’s the defense that holds the key to the season. One of Fisher’s first moves was to bring in Mark Stoops as defensive coordinator. Stoops had spent the previous six seasons at Arizona, and he’s facing quite the challenge in Tallahassee. Florida State gave up an average of 30 points a game last season and finished 108th in total defense. The nonconference schedule features a road game at Oklahoma and home games against Brigham Young and Florida.

As a run up to the start of the season, the Wiz will display one poster each day until our supply is exhausted. Last year, the site displayed 69 posters. This is the 21st poster that has been displayed, and we 37 others in hand. Keep them coming!

Then we turn it over to readers, who will vote on the poster of the year. In the meantime, send your team’s poster schedule to jayzuma (at) gmail.com.

Click the image for an enlarged view. Thanks to Jason! Poster designed by Old Hat Creative.