Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

Jul 7, 2014, 10:24 AM

Here's a rundown of the UGA position groups on offense from a UGA fan. Trying my best to be objective rather than homerific. I'll post a look at the defensive groups a little later in this thread.

QB - Huston Mason RsSR

Lightly recruited out of high school due to an average arm, but did set GA HS passing records his SR season. Doesn't have a cannon for an arm by any means, but does have above average accuracy. Not as mobile as Murray was, but certainly not a statue. Considering it is his fifth year in the system, expect to see a guy that will be able to get UGA into the correct play and out of the wrong play at the LOS, however considering his lack of playing time and his average arm strength, don't expect to see a guy that is going to take over and dominate a game. Overall, Mason will be a downgrade from Murray, but not so much of one that the UGA offense will tank. Look for the coaching staff to rely more on Gurley and the short passing game rather than the bombing attack seen over the last couple of years.

RB - Todd Gurley JR; Keith Marshall JR

When healthy, Todd Gurley is elite, but last year he was far from healthy after tweaking his quad on a long TD run in Death Valley and then having a severe high ankle sprain against LSU that didn't really heal up til the offseason. Injuries beyond the normal bumps and bruises weren't an issue in his FR year, so it is anyone's guess what this year will hold. Beyond Gurley, the Dawgs have one of the deepest talent pools at the position in the nation. Marshall is coming back from a pretty bad knee injury, so he may or may not be ready 100% by the beginning of the season. But UGA has four other talented RBs that will compete for the scraps. SO Brendan Douglas got a good amount of carries due to Gurshall injuries last year and looked good at times, but struggled with the handle on the ball in a couple of crucial late game situations. RsFR AJ Turman is a big bruiser that redshirted last year, but had some good moments in spring ball. UGA is also welcoming two 24/7 Composite 5 star running backs into the fold. Sony Michel out of FL is a smaller speed back and Nick Chubb out of GA comes in at 230 lbs and took 5th place in the GA State HS finals for the 100 meter dash with a 10.89. His fastest laser timed 100 was a 10.69 in the regional finals. Hopefully, Gurley stays healthy in what is bound to be his final season in the Red & Black, but even if he doesn't UGA isn't hurting for talented ball carriers.

WR - Malcom Mitchell RsJR; Michael Bennett RsSR; Chris Conley SR; Justin Scott-Wesley RsJR

UGA doesn't currently have an AJ Green or a Sammy Watkins on the roster, but they do have a core of experienced letterman that can get the job done as evidenced by the combined total of 285 receptions for 4167 yards and 36 touchdowns returning. Malcom Mitchell is the number one receiver, and he is coming off an ACL that happened in the first quarter of the Clemson game last year. Pre injury he was the most dynamic of the UGA WRs, so we will see where he is in the recovery process come the fall. Bennett is a big guy with great hands who always seems to make the tough catch. Look for him to be Mason's security blanket. Conley is a jack-of-all trades type WR who isn't exceptional at any one thing, but just does it all well. Scott-Wesley is a speed demon with a laser timed 10.32 100 meters to his credit. He really started to develop last year before going down with an ACL against Tennessee. To sum up, Mason won't have to rely on one WR as he has a number of guys to depend upon.

TE - Jay Rome RsJR

Jay was highly recruited out of HS but hasn't seen a ton of snaps yet due to being behind on the depth chart to a couple of NFL drafted TEs (Lynch and Charles). There isn't a lot of depth here, but Jay has the tools to be a good one. Remains to be seen if he puts it together.

OL - LT - John Theus JR; LG TBD; C David Andrews SR; RG Greg Pyke RsSO; RT - Kolton Houston RsSR

Former 5 star John Theus is moving to the left side after playing most of the year at RT in 2013. Coming into his third year with numerous starts under his belt, the Dawgs are expecting him to make that jump of having his production match his potential this year. Houston will take over the RT job full time next year, and it will be interesting to see how he does. He struggled at times to hold the point of attack against bull rushes last year, and also got beat on the edge a few too many times in his 4 starts. Center David Andrews is the Captain of the line and should be in for a good SR season. Pyke is maybe the most athletic OL at Georgia having played the attack position in lacrosse at a very high level in high school, and really came on this spring. Look for him to have a break-out season. The final spot on the OL is still up for grabs. If SO B. Kublanknow steps up and wins the spot, then look for the rest of the line to look as stated above. If he doesn’t win it, then look for some shifting from the other guys in order to get the best five on the field. Overall, there isn’t as much depth as one would like with two or three upperclassmen not developing as the staff would have imagined. Injuries along the OL could really derail what is otherwise a fairly promising looking season offensively speaking.

K – Marshall Morgan JR

Really came on strong last year after a poor FR campaign. Has a big leg with a career long of 56 yards under his belt, and was very dependable to boot with 22 of 24 made last year. Should be in contention for some end of season awards this year

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

Here's a look at the defensive side:

DL - Ray Drew SR; Chis Mayes RsJR; Sterling Bailey RsJR

All three of these guys started some but not all of the year last year, and did a solid, yet unspectacular job. Ray Drew started to show flashes of the 5-star potential he had coming out of HS, but wasn't able to do so on a very consistent basis. Bailey did a workman-like job, but will be pushed for PT by the likes of Toby Johnson SR who was in Grantham's doghouse last year, but has more athletic ability and a quicker first step than Bailey. Mayes is a big ole country strong boy that did a good job of anchoring the middle later in the season after getting his feet under him as a first year JUCO transfer. Depth here is strong with the likes of Jon Taylor and John Atkins pushing for time and converted OLBs Josh Dawson and James DeLoach who have outgrown the OLB spots adding some much needed athleticism to the group for when needing to utilize four man fronts. Overall, look for this group to have a solid six man rotation that while they won't take over games, they will do a good job of keeping the LBs clean.

LB - Ramik Wilson SR; Amarlo Herrera SR; Leonard Floyd SO; Jordan Jenkins JR

All four starters from last year return, and this group is garnering high praise from many preseason sources. Wilson is getting the highest preseason praise as a 1st team AA in some circles, and while it may be a little premature he did have a stellar season last year with 133 tackles, 4 sacks, and 11 TFLs. He possess very good sideline to sideline speed, but does struggle taking on blocks head on and can be washed out on interior run plays. Herrera, the other ILB, has 30 starts under his belt, and is the QB of the defense. Athletically speaking he is a little stiff and struggles to get off blocks at the point of attack. He has lost 10 lbs over the offseason to try and help his overall speed improve. Floyd is the most athletic of UGA's LBs, and really got his feet under him as his FR season progressed last year. I'm excited to see how Pruitt uses him throughout the season. Jenkins is a third year starter that came in and started as a very highly touted FR two years ago. He has done a good job, but not a great job of replacing the likes of Jarvis Jones. In a running theme, as Pruitt requested the defense to trim up across the board, Jenkins has lost some weight this off-season to hopefully help reach his athletic potential. The depth here is almost completely untested as these four starters played almost all of the snaps last year. There is talent there, but no experience. Overall, I think that this group may be getting a little more hype than is actually deserved as of yet, but there is a ton of potential there to live up to that hype.

DB - Damian Swann SR; Shattle Fenteg JR; Quincy Mauger SO; Corey Moore SR; J.J. Green SO (Nickel)

As everyone knows there was some major attrition in the defensive backfield for UGA this offseason. The attrition really hit the safety spot hard as two of the most talented players were shown the door. This leaves Mauger and Moore as the only safeties on the roster with any experience, as both started 7 games last year. Mauger is a decent option at FS, but Moore at SS is concerning. He hasn't show the ability to step up in run support, nor really done much in coverage either. Swann at CB will be in his third year as a starter and will be fine. The other spot will IMO be held down by JUCO transfer Shattle Fenteg. He may be the best DB on UGA team at the moment. J.J. Green will transition from RB to play the Nickel back this year, and one thing is sure, he won't be scared of contact. Overall I think CB will be OK in the long run, but there are MAJOR questions at safety. Pruitt has his hands full in masking the weaknesses there.

P - Collin Barber SR

Lost his job for a portion of the year to a walk-on. Highly average punter at best.

Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

Re: Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

Re: Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

Re: Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

Re: Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

Tell'em Coot***

oh no, not this guy again***

Re: Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

Re: Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

Re: Know Thine Enemy: UGA edition

I see no way Clemson can win.

I keep recalling Danny Ford's words "You win in the 1st

Know Thine Weak Chin: Take It Personally.***

TigerBoard POTD