Just two years ago, Georgia football faced a crossroads.
A losing season, a Liberty Bowl defeat to Central Florida and a lot of question marks turned up the intensity on Georgia head coach Mark Richt, who faced the tedious "hot-seat" talk.
How's that seat feeling now?
On Tuesday, Richt walked off the Orlando turf sticky from his post-game Gatorade bath and beaming a well-earned smile -- knowing that after a 12-2 record and Capital One Bowl defeat of Nebraska his team faces a crossroads of completely different nature.
Two years ago, fans and pundits wondered whether Georgia could regain its position amongst the Southeastern Conference elite, or whether 6-7 was becoming a trend. Richt responded by digging in and focusing his eyes on a loftier prize, and now that ascent back to relevancy is blissfully complete -- prompting yet another question: can the Bulldogs continue their climb?
Richt's biggest victory -- and what would have been the program's biggest win since 1980 -- came so tantalizingly close on Dec. 1 that Bulldogs fans could literally taste the BCS before that crushing finale in the Georgia Dome against Alabama.
The play and determination on display that night in Atlanta should certainly imbue Dogs' fans with confidence that Richt and his coaching staff have the ability to go toe-to-toe with the staff perceived as the best in the business. Two straight seasons of sweeping past old rivals Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia Tech and -- most importantly -- Florida have also done much to raise confidence in Athens. And while those teams may improve or even flag over the next few seasons, there is clearly no reason for Georgia to fear their closest rivals -- though the Dogs will need to show soon that their two-game losing skid to South Carolina is the exception rather than the rule.
With all of that in mind, it seems perhaps the biggest question for Georgia is the make-up of its roster in 2013 and beyond.
There will always be talent in Athens -- the state of Georgia produces elite players by the bushel-load (just look at northeast Georgia alone this season), and Richt has never been a slouch in the recruiting game -- but will it be the right mix of talents? Will it be the type of talent that can pull off a "special" season and beat the type of juggernaut that so often arises from the SEC Western Division?
Much of that may depend on a the decisions of a handful of players over the next few days, as juniors such as quarterback Aaron Murray and defensive tackle Kwame Geathers weigh up their professional potential versus one last season "Between the Hedges." (The only decision all-world junior linebacker Jarvis Jones has to make is what color suit to wear to the NFL's draft ceremony.)
As previously stated the cupboards are not bare in Athens, and even if every draft-hopeful junior bolts, someone will step in to fill a spot -- witness Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall (Isaiah who?). But with a killer schedule opening the 2013 campaign -- three of the first four opponents include Clemson, South Carolina and LSU -- experience and leadership will be at a premium and should outweigh even the most precocious talent.
Veteran know-how will be at an extreme premium on defense in 2013. Will a handful of returning standouts such as cornerback Damian Swann, defensive end Garrison Smith, and linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Amarlo Herrera provide the glue to help the Dogs rebound from an overall mediocre defensive performance (sure there were great games and moments, but the 2012 unit underachieved based on the talent available)?
Can the offense, which appears set with numerous weapons -- the aforementioned Gurley and Marshall high among those options -- carry the load should the defense need time to coalesce?
They are tough questions and the answers could prove equally tough. But the Dogs will certainly enjoy answering them a lot more, especially this preseason -- when similar queries come in droves from media types. Most crucially, however, it seems as though Richt has already answered the biggest question of all, and the dean of SEC coaches will enter 2013 in a mood much more like the one that surrounded the program a decade ago, rather than the recent past.
That fact alone is reason for celebration amongst the Georgia faithful.
-- Morgan Lee is sports editor for Access North Georgia.com
Friday
November 8th, 2024
1:58AM
