SEC PREVIEW GEORGIA

Close isn’t enough to satisfy Bulldogs

Georgia coach Mark Richt talks with reporters during the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., Thursday, July 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Georgia coach Mark Richt talks with reporters during the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., Thursday, July 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

HOOVER, Ala. - Georgia must prove it can move beyond the final few seconds of a showdown from last season if it wants to knock on the door of the Bowl Championship Series again in 2013.

The Bulldogs were 5 yards away from an upset of Alabama in the SEC Championship Game when the clock ran out in their 32-28 loss at the Georgia Dome. A victory would have sent Georgia into the BCS Championship Game against Notre Dame, the same team the Bulldogs beat to clinch their last national title in 1980.

Instead, Alabama went on to claim its third BCS crown in the past four years and the Bulldogs thumped Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, then started coming to grips with how close they came to the title game.

Bulldogs At a Glance

Georgia glance

LAST SEASON 12-2, 7-1 (tie first in SEC East)

COACH Mark Richt (118-40 in 13th year at Georgia and overall)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 10, defense 4

KEY RETURNING PLAYERS QB Aaron Murray, RB Todd Gurley, RB Keith Marshall, DE Garrison Smith, CB Damian Swann

SEC TITLE SCENARIO The Bulldogs must survive early season matchups against Clemson, South Carolina and LSU to remain in national title talk, and the last two of those games will determine if they stay in the league race.

“We got a taste of how close you can get and not quite get it done,” Coach Mark Richt said at SEC media days. “Once again, the goal is to get back to Atlanta. That’s it for us. You get to Atlanta … you win that game, you’ve got a chance to play for a national championship.

“Sounds like a broken record, but that’s the real deal.”

The Bulldogs, picked to win the SEC East by media, are projected as a national contender. Senior quarterback Aaron Murray leads a group of 10 returning starters on an offense that set a school scoring record with 529 points and an average of 37.8 points per game. Georgia also averaged 7.09 yards per play, best in the nation.

“This is the best offense I’ve ever been a part of,” Murray said.

The soft-spoken Richt, who was seemingly on the hot seat just three seasons ago, has stabilized the program while averaging 9.8 victories per season in his 12 years. His Bulldogs were the choice of media to win the SEC East for the third consecutive year.

The heart-breaking loss to Alabama might be the Bulldogs’ pivot point.

“It’s definitely served as motivation,” tight end Arthur Lynch said. “Some people have thought we might not be able to look forward because of how close we were, but absolutely not. I think we’ve been able to really build on that and know that this is what success can taste like.”

Murray, who ranked No. 2 in passing efficiency in the nation, opted to return for his fourth year as a starter partly because of Georgia’s near miss.

“To come that close to winning a championship and being able to compete for a national championship, it’s hard to not give it one more go if you have the opportunity,” he said. “I came back to win some championships, to help this team, and that’s all that’s on my list right now. I’m not here for me.”

Georgia’s tailback combination of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, affectionately called “Gurshall” in the Peach State as an homage to Herschel Walker, might be the nation’s best.

Gurley rushed for 1,385 yards and broke Walker’s record of 17 rushing touchdowns by a freshman. Marshall averaged 6.5 yards per carry, better than Gurley’s 6.2 average, and will likely become a bigger piece in the Georgia attack.

Murray’s protection on the offensive line comes from all returning starters in center David Andrews, guards Dallas Lee and Chris Burnette, tackles John Theus and Kenarious Gates, and Lynch.

Juniors Michael Bennett, Chris Conley and Malcolm Mitchell, who spent last season in a mostly ill-fated attempt to play both cornerback and receiver, should lead one of the SEC’s best receiving corps.

The Bulldogs have to rebuild on defense after losing a handful of key performers to the NFL, including underclassmen like linebackers Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree and defensive tackle Kwame Geathers. The only returning starters are end Garrison Smith, linebackers Amarlo Herrera and Jordan Jenkins and corner Damian Swann.

“We take it as a challenge,”Smith said. “We’re talented too.”

The Bulldogs have been a model of stability in the fast-moving world of college football coaching. Richt is the dean of SEC coaches with 13 years at Georgia, and coordinators Mike Bobo and Todd Grantham have been in place for at least four seasons. The program has lost just one assistant coach in the past two years, replacing Rodney Garner this off season by luring Mississippi State co-defensive coordinator Chris Wilson to handle the defensive line.

Georgia’s schedule is brutal outside of home games against North Texas and FCS opponent Appalachian State. The Bulldogs open at Clemson and close with a road game at Georgia Tech, meaning they have just six home games, and their crossover opponents from the SEC West are LSU and Auburn.

“I told our team we’re in a race and that is to be midseason form by game one,” Richt said. “The race started in January.”

Sports, Pages 17 on 07/25/2013

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