2017 Georgia Football Preview

Seth Raborn
Aug 26, 2017 · 5 min read
Photo courtesy of John Bazemore — Associated Press

SEC football is just days away. Before toe meets pigskin on August 31st, The Wheelhouse crew has compiled our preseason SEC power rankings and a preview of each team. As we release our team previews, we’ll release them in the order of which each team is ranked in our preseason rankings to help the days until kickoff go by quicker.

The Georgia Bulldogs check in at №. 3 in our SEC power rankings.

In year one at Georgia for Kirby Smart, the former Alabama defensive coordinator had a pretty solid one. Smart and Georgia started the season off with a clean 3–0 record with wins over North Carolina and Missouri. Then, they took back-to-back losses in horrible fashion with a 45–14 beating from Ole Miss. A week later, the Dawgs outplayed the Vols, but lost on a Hail Mary from Josh Dobbs to Jauan Jennings. Over the next two weeks, Georgia beat South Carolina, but then lost to Vanderbilt heading into a crucial game against Florida.

The week nine matchup with the №. 14 ranked Gators ended with a 24–10 loss and no hope left for the Bulldogs to make it to Atlanta. However, that didn’t stop Smart from finishing the 2016 season strong. Georgia went 3–1 to finish the season, including wins over №. 8 Auburn and TCU in the Liberty Bowl. Overall, Smart had a solid 8–5 debut season in Athens and are now the favorites to win the SEC East in 2017.

Offensive Preview:

The Georgia offense has talent and experience galore. It all starts with sophomore gunslinger Jacob Eason, who had 2,430 passing-yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman last season. Expect the former five-star to be even better this season, but a lot hinges on how the offensive line plays. THe Dawgs return Isiah Wynn and Dyshon Sims to the offensive line, but questions remain along the rest of the line. Smart has continued to recruit well at offensive line, but it may be a couple seasons before the line reaches its full potential.

The running back room has nothing to worry about this season with Nick Chubb and Sony Michele both returning. Chubb and Michele combined for nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2016. As long as they both remain healthy, the Bulldog backfield is locked-and-loaded.

Although Georgia lost Isiah McKenzie and Reggie Davis over the offseason, they return every wide receiver from last year. The Bulldogs bring back Terry Godwin, Riley Ridley and Javon Wims who all combined for 825 receiving-yards in 2016. Most importantly, Eason has Isaac Nauta and Jeb Blazevich back at tight end. Nauta and Blazevich will have key roles in the offense this season. There is a lot of inexperience at offensive line and receiver, but at least they aren’t short on talent.

Defensive Preview:

The Georgia defense remained stout through 2016 as the 12th rated defense in the country, only giving up an average of 24 points-per-game. The defensive line will be stacked with all three starting lineman from last year returning. This includes John Atkins and Trent Thompson who combined for a total of 86 tackles and 11 sacks last season. Along with their depth at defensive line they, the Dawgs also return every starter at linebacker as well. Natrez Patrick and Davin Bellamy lead the linebackers following a season in which they combined for 110 tackles.

In the secondary, the Dawgs’ have yet another core that seems to have only gotten better. The safeties bring back Malkom Parrish and Aaron Davis who both played well last season. However, the depth at cornerback took a hit now that Juwuan Briscoe is gone. With Parrish returning and Deandre Baker filling in for Briscoe full-time, Georgia will be fine. The Bulldogs essentially lost no one on the defensive side of the ball and will likely be one of the best in the SEC.

Special Teams Preview:

Special teams is the biggest weak spot for the red-and-black. There is currently a battle at placekicker between Rodrigo Blankenship and a few walk-ons, though it is likely he will start after hitting 14-of-18 field goals in 2016. Sophomore punter Marshall Long returns after maintaining a 39-yard average on his punts. The kick and punt returner are unknown with the loss of Isiah McKenzie and Reggie Davis. Godwin is one of the only players with experience returning kicks from last season, but it is still not clear who will be starting game one.

Newcomer to Watch:

True freshman left tackle Isaiah Wilson will have one of the biggest impacts on the team if he continues to impress in practice. The five-star prospect from Brooklyn has been receiving first team reps lately. The 6-foot-7, 345-pound Wilson appears to have taken over the starting duties at tackle and will be a name worth remembering over the next few years. He was the highest rated recruit in Georgia’s 2017 class.

Schedule Breakdown:

After a first week matchup with Appalachian State, the Bulldogs will jump right into things and head to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame. The next five games should be very winnable barring any major problems: Samford, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Missouri. Georgia will likely have to win these fives games to remain on track to win the SEC East. Then they take on the Florida Gators in Jacksonville, a game that has historically meant a trip to Atlanta for the winner.

The remaining four games include a strong Auburn team and Georgia Tech, who upset the Bulldogs last season. Also, they face South Carolina and Kentucky, two teams who are both on the rise in the SEC East. The schedule will be no cakewalk for Georgia, but there is a reason why the Dawgs were voted as the favorites to win the SEC East this season.

Keys to a successful season:

1. Getting solid contributions from the new starters at receiver and offensive line is important. The more time and weapons available for Eason, the better, especially to help take pressure off of the run game.

2. The defense has to continue to play at a high level. If the defense manages to play as well as they did in 2016, it’s hard to imagine that the Bulldogs won’t win the east. Especially if the offense steps it up this year.

3. Win the games you are supposed to. In order for Georgia to reach Atlanta, they can’t drop games to Vanderbilt and Tennessee like they did last season, much less any other weaker SEC east teams.

Final Say:

Overall, the Bulldogs are pretty well set up for success going into 2017. They have loads of depth and talent on the defensive side. With Eason, Chubb, Michele and a decent offensive line, there shouldn’t be any worries on offense. Georgia is clearly the best team in the SEC East and they control their own destiny.

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