Show Up At Kickoff

In the first quarter of Georgia’s three losses last year (Florida, Auburn and West Virginia), the Dawgs were outscored 42-10 and outgained 377 yards to 134. This is not just an indictment of the defense, either; in the Florida game, Georgia had first quarter drives of 1 yard and 7 yards. Against West Virginia: 4, 6, 6, and 30 yards, with two of those ending in turnovers. Georgia may be able to come out flat against the likes of Vandy, Kentucky, and Mississippi State, but that shizzle won’t flizzle against the SEC’s best.

Solid O-Line Play

Whoever’s behind center for UGA at any given moment isn’t going to have to win games by himself - that’s what having a very good running back corps does for you. But mistakes by JoeJoeBlakeyMatt will have to be few and far between, and the easiest way to ensure that happens is for the offensive line to gel quickly and control the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately we’re not very deep across the line, so keeping guys healthy (and not suspended) is crucial. There’s no reason to believe this year’s O-line can’t be as good as the units in years’ past (if you believe we are a program that reloads, not rebuilds) but they’re going to have to gain experience points quicker than a Techie’s druid in World Of Warcraft.

Special Teams Must Be Special, And Not In A Corky-From-Life-Goes-On Kind Of Way

These two guys have the highest overall rating on the Georgia squad, according to NCAA Football ‘07:

Go on, say you scared.

For the unitiated, that would be PK Brandon Coutu and P Gordon Ely-Kelso. What they lack in the Intimidating Visage Department they more than make up for in ability. Hopefully we’re not going to revert back to the “Field Goal U” days of seasons past, but Coutu is going to need to be accurate all season long, especially early in the season if the offense struggles out of the gate. Ely-Kelso deserves some serious love from Dawg fans for the job he’s done over the last few seasons. Punter’s not a sexy position, but field position is going to be critical and Gordo’s going to have to step up again this year. Loved his performance in Fight Club, by the way.

On the punt-returning front, someone’s going to have to step up (especially in the South Carolina game, where lately points have been at a premium) in Thomas Flower’s two-game absence. Right now, that’s looking like either Mikey Henderson or true freshman and Tucker grad Asher Allen. (Big ups to David Ching’s awesome blog for the info)

We’re looking pretty good on paper as far as kickoff returns go. Speedy Ramarcus Brown and tailback Thomas Brown (no relation) look like the top guys there, and again, must give the offense good field position to take pressure off our QB(s).

What can Brown do for you? Run really fast, that’s what.

Pressure, Pressure, Pressure

Georgia took a huge step forward last year in the forced-turnover department, and they’ll need to continue that trend. While there’s little doubt that the secondary can step up, the lack of extensive experience at corner could be an issue. The best way to counter this is for the front seven to control the line of scrimmage, force turnovers, and register sacks. With all the national attention on Quentin Moses, this could be a banner year for Charles Johnson. If he steps up, we could be looking at a very, very good defensive unit which exceeds current expectations. Leadership needs to come from LB Tony Taylor, this year’s recipient of the Reggie Brown He’s Still Here? Award.

Get That Damn Prehistoric Scaly Monkey Off Our Backs

15 of 17. That’s all I have to say about that.