For the first time since 2006, the University of Georgia Bulldogs will not be counting on Trinton Sturdivant to be a part of the offensive line. The oft-injured tackle never quite lived up to his phenomenal first year on campus, but his eligibility is finally up and he has moved on. Despite the injuries, Bulldog fans always seemed to pencil him in at left tackle ever since a magical 2007 true freshman year.
So who will start out at the all-important left tackle spot? Odds are Kenarious Gates will receive the opening day nod as he does have some experience at the position and has practiced there over the last few years. Much-hyped high school recruit John Theus could also see some time there, as could redshirt freshman Xzavier Ward and junior Austin Long.
Watts Dantzler played quite a bit as a true freshman last year and seemed a perfect fit for the right tackle position while still at Dalton (Ga.) High School. Last year’s prize offensive lineman recruit Zach DeBell will back up Dantzler unless he can seize the position away in spring practice, which is doubtful. Mark Beard was brought in from the junior college ranks and could see time on the outside though his size may be better suited for guard.
The interior positions on the line have some question marks but also some answers. It appears as though Kolton Houston’s NCAA issues have been resolved, and the coaches seem confident he will be back in 2012 after missing all of 2011. Houston could have started one year ago and he seems on pace to excel this year. Dallas Lee offers a bit of depth after playing and starting for much of last year. His season was ended by a broken leg in the Florida game, but Lee will see plenty of field time this year. Beard could play at guard as well. Chris Burnette is an option at right guard but he may be used as a center.
Speaking of center, David Andrews was brought in from the Wesleyan (Ga.) School to be the heir apparent at center to Ben Jones. Andrews received some reps last year, but Burnette is also cross-training at the position. Austin Long’s younger brother Hunter is another candidate for the spot.
So what would be the ideal situation? In a perfect world, Andrews would seize the center position and hold on to it for the next three years like Ben Jones did. If Theus could come in and play immediately, he would likely be able to hold up, if the recruiting experts are correct about him. (Sturdivant played as a true freshman as you may remember.) If Theus can start from Day One, that would allow Gates to slide back inside, opposite Houston with Beard, Burnette and Lee offering depth. Dantzler or DeBell on the other side would enable the running game to go off tackle on the right side. While that lineup is full of youth, it is also full of talent. Mark Richt and company brought this talent to Athens. Now it is up to Will Friend and the players themselves to turn a question mark into an exclamation mark.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Six Burning Questions entering spring practice
The University of Georgia Bulldogs will begin 2012 spring practice next week for what figures to be a very important season for Mark Richt. True, Richt just appeared in the SEC Championship game and received a contract extension, but, in all honesty, does that mean he is truly safe in the crazy world that is the SEC? Phillip Fulmer appeared in the 2007 SEC title game, only to fall to LSU, and Fulmer was gone following the 2008 season. Hmmm.
The Bulldogs won ten straight games on year ago but enter the 2012 season on a two-game losing skid after dropping the SEC championship game as well as the bowl game. There are six burning questions entering the 2012 season. Why six? ESPN has the Dawgs ranked No. 6 in one preseason poll.
1 Can Georgia learn to step on the throat and finish teams off? So many times last year the Dawgs jumped out to an early lead only to have to hold on and fret against an overmatched team. The Dawgs should have blown out Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Kentucky, but barely won. Georgia also watched early leads disappear against Boise State, South Carolina, LSU and Michigan State. Can Mike Bobo call up enough plays to ice games down the stretch? Can the running game move the chains and chew up the Sanford Stadium clock? Two new faces at running back and what sounds like a re-focused Isaiah Crowell could be the missing ingredients. Otherwise keep a roll of TUMS in your pockets, Bulldog Nation.
2 Will Malcolm Mitchell be able to make the switch to defensive back? A few weeks back I said that more Malcolm Mitchell was a good thing, as long as playing defense didn’t interfere with his health and ability to play offense. Well, it appears as though Mitchell is now a full-time defensive back with the recent suspensions and whatnot. Mitchell was a force in high school as a defensive back. I have no reason to think that he won’t be able to recall his prep days as a corner. He may actually be even better over there, and that is a scary thought for every other SEC East foe.
3 What will the offensive line look like in 2012? Good questions. A few pieces return but you may be looking at asking a true freshman John Theus to play immediately as well as redshirt freshman Zach DeBell. Kenarious Gates has played multiple positions and could start out at left tackle with Theus on the right side. Watts Dantzler got some action last year as did David Andrews. Otherwise you have Dallas Lee, Kolton Houston, Austin Long and Chris Burnette, players with various degrees of experience.
4 Can Jarvis Jones follow up his amazing first year on the field in Athens? The 2011 All-American will likely see more double-teams but remember that will just open up the other side for Cornelius Washington, Ray Drew, Jordan Jenkins, Garrison Smith, Abry Jones... you get my point.
5 Will Georgia miss its punter/kicker combination? As much as everyone was screaming for someone other than Blair Walsh to go kick in the second half of the season, he will be missed. Many expect Marshall Morgan to come in and immediately win the starter’s job, but senior Jamie Lindley could push the freshman. As for punter, true freshman Collin Barber was given a scholarship. As a punter. Think about that.
6 Can Georgia live up to expectations? The last time Georgia entered the year with any sort of hype, the Dawgs were smoked in Sanford Stadium by Alabama, thumped in Jacksonville by Florida and suckerpunched by Georgia Tech in Athens. The Dawgs will not face any of the SEC West’s big three next year and will get a reprieve from South Carolina until a bit later on the schedule. Georgia should be looking at an 11-win season. Anything less and Richt’s collar may start to draw a bit tighter.
The Bulldogs won ten straight games on year ago but enter the 2012 season on a two-game losing skid after dropping the SEC championship game as well as the bowl game. There are six burning questions entering the 2012 season. Why six? ESPN has the Dawgs ranked No. 6 in one preseason poll.
1 Can Georgia learn to step on the throat and finish teams off? So many times last year the Dawgs jumped out to an early lead only to have to hold on and fret against an overmatched team. The Dawgs should have blown out Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Kentucky, but barely won. Georgia also watched early leads disappear against Boise State, South Carolina, LSU and Michigan State. Can Mike Bobo call up enough plays to ice games down the stretch? Can the running game move the chains and chew up the Sanford Stadium clock? Two new faces at running back and what sounds like a re-focused Isaiah Crowell could be the missing ingredients. Otherwise keep a roll of TUMS in your pockets, Bulldog Nation.
2 Will Malcolm Mitchell be able to make the switch to defensive back? A few weeks back I said that more Malcolm Mitchell was a good thing, as long as playing defense didn’t interfere with his health and ability to play offense. Well, it appears as though Mitchell is now a full-time defensive back with the recent suspensions and whatnot. Mitchell was a force in high school as a defensive back. I have no reason to think that he won’t be able to recall his prep days as a corner. He may actually be even better over there, and that is a scary thought for every other SEC East foe.
3 What will the offensive line look like in 2012? Good questions. A few pieces return but you may be looking at asking a true freshman John Theus to play immediately as well as redshirt freshman Zach DeBell. Kenarious Gates has played multiple positions and could start out at left tackle with Theus on the right side. Watts Dantzler got some action last year as did David Andrews. Otherwise you have Dallas Lee, Kolton Houston, Austin Long and Chris Burnette, players with various degrees of experience.
4 Can Jarvis Jones follow up his amazing first year on the field in Athens? The 2011 All-American will likely see more double-teams but remember that will just open up the other side for Cornelius Washington, Ray Drew, Jordan Jenkins, Garrison Smith, Abry Jones... you get my point.
5 Will Georgia miss its punter/kicker combination? As much as everyone was screaming for someone other than Blair Walsh to go kick in the second half of the season, he will be missed. Many expect Marshall Morgan to come in and immediately win the starter’s job, but senior Jamie Lindley could push the freshman. As for punter, true freshman Collin Barber was given a scholarship. As a punter. Think about that.
6 Can Georgia live up to expectations? The last time Georgia entered the year with any sort of hype, the Dawgs were smoked in Sanford Stadium by Alabama, thumped in Jacksonville by Florida and suckerpunched by Georgia Tech in Athens. The Dawgs will not face any of the SEC West’s big three next year and will get a reprieve from South Carolina until a bit later on the schedule. Georgia should be looking at an 11-win season. Anything less and Richt’s collar may start to draw a bit tighter.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Is More Malcolm Mitchell a Good Thing?
Why wouldn’t you want Malcolm Mitchell on defense too?
At Valdosta (GA) High School Malcolm Mitchell was a shutdown defensive back getting attention from most of the larger local programs, but when Rance Gillespie took over the Wildcat program, the first thing he did was borrow Mitchell for the offense. Mitchell soon was making highlight catches and taking short hitch routes to the house. UGA suddenly began recruiting Mitchell for wide receiver instead of cornerback.
When Valdosta teammates Jay Rome and Malcolm Mitchell each committed to the University of Georgia’s Dream Team, many people were excited about Rome, but it would be Mitchell that made his presence felt from the first game last year against Boise State. Mitchell caught three passes for 64 yards against the Broncos and showed off the speed on a 51-yard score. He also carried for 18 yards in the Georgia Dome. He would go on to huge game against Tennessee, a big score against Auburn and a seven-catch outing in the bowl game. In eleven games he caught 45 passes for 665 yards and four scores. He would have had a fifth had he held on to a pass against LSU, but we won’t go there. Mitchell also snagged a two-point conversion against Michigan State.
And now he wants to take his talents to the defensive side of the ball after Georgia was hurt by suspensions and expulsions earlier this off-season. Mitchell will split time between offense and defense, much like his senior year of high school.
This should be a no-brainer, right? A guy that WANTS to play both ways in Athens ala Champ Bailey? Yes please. Remember, though, that Mitchell missed three games, including the Florida game, one year ago with a hamstring injury. He was “moved” to offense as the team was trying to replace AJ Green. Now he will move to defense to replace Brandon Boykin and the recently departed. He can no doubt do it, but should he?
Any Georgia fan will want to see a playmaker like Mitchell on the field as much as possible; however that same Georgia fan should also want Mitchell to be healthy when on the field. You hope he doesn’t stretch himself too thin. If anyone can do it on this Georgia squad, it is Mitchell. Here’s hoping he stays healthy. If so, Todd Grantham will be able to enjoy a new toy much like Mike Bobo did one year ago.
At Valdosta (GA) High School Malcolm Mitchell was a shutdown defensive back getting attention from most of the larger local programs, but when Rance Gillespie took over the Wildcat program, the first thing he did was borrow Mitchell for the offense. Mitchell soon was making highlight catches and taking short hitch routes to the house. UGA suddenly began recruiting Mitchell for wide receiver instead of cornerback.
When Valdosta teammates Jay Rome and Malcolm Mitchell each committed to the University of Georgia’s Dream Team, many people were excited about Rome, but it would be Mitchell that made his presence felt from the first game last year against Boise State. Mitchell caught three passes for 64 yards against the Broncos and showed off the speed on a 51-yard score. He also carried for 18 yards in the Georgia Dome. He would go on to huge game against Tennessee, a big score against Auburn and a seven-catch outing in the bowl game. In eleven games he caught 45 passes for 665 yards and four scores. He would have had a fifth had he held on to a pass against LSU, but we won’t go there. Mitchell also snagged a two-point conversion against Michigan State.
And now he wants to take his talents to the defensive side of the ball after Georgia was hurt by suspensions and expulsions earlier this off-season. Mitchell will split time between offense and defense, much like his senior year of high school.
This should be a no-brainer, right? A guy that WANTS to play both ways in Athens ala Champ Bailey? Yes please. Remember, though, that Mitchell missed three games, including the Florida game, one year ago with a hamstring injury. He was “moved” to offense as the team was trying to replace AJ Green. Now he will move to defense to replace Brandon Boykin and the recently departed. He can no doubt do it, but should he?
Any Georgia fan will want to see a playmaker like Mitchell on the field as much as possible; however that same Georgia fan should also want Mitchell to be healthy when on the field. You hope he doesn’t stretch himself too thin. If anyone can do it on this Georgia squad, it is Mitchell. Here’s hoping he stays healthy. If so, Todd Grantham will be able to enjoy a new toy much like Mike Bobo did one year ago.
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