dawg tracks 2018 Georgia Schedule
Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 27 Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24
Austin Peay State @ *South Carolina Middle Tennessee @ *Missouri *Tennessee *Vanderbilt @ *LSU vs. ^*Florida (CBS) @ *Kentucky *Auburn Massachusetts Georgia Tech
TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA 3:30 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA
*SEC games; ^EverBank Field (Jacksonville, Fla.)
2018 Key Dates
March 20 - Spring practice begins March 21 - NFL Pro Day April 21 - Spring “G-Day” Game April 26-28 - NFL Draft Season Opener: Sept. 1 - Austin Peay State SEC Opener: Sept. 8 - @ South Carolina
A Look At The 2018 Slate
League contests at home against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Auburn -- as well as the program’s first game at LSU in 10 years -- highlight the 2018 football schedule. All four of Georgia’s true road games will be in SEC play, with trips to South Carolina, Missouri, LSU and Kentucky. The Bulldogs’ annual neutral-field matchup with Florida in Jacksonville will be on Oct. 27. LSU will replace Mississippi State as UGA’s rotating Western Division opponent, marking the first game between these two programs since 2013, and Georgia’s first trip to Baton Rouge since 2008. Georgia will kick off the 2018 season with a home contest Sept. 1 against Austin Peay, the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Other non-conference matchups in Athens include Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 15, Nov. 17 against Massachusetts and the regular season-ending rivalry game vs. Georgia Tech. Georgia’s agreement to play UMass in football also included a home-and-home series in men’s basketball. The Bulldogs lost to the Minutemen 72-62 in Amherst, Mass., in December 2017. The two hoops programs will play in Athens during the 2018-19 season.
2017 Georgia Results
Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 28 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 18 Nov. 25
Dec. 2 Jan. 1 Jan. 8
Appalachian State (ESPN) W, 31-10 @ #24 Notre Dame (NBC) W, 20-19 Samford (SECN ALT) W, 42-14 #17 *Miss. State (ESPN) W, 31-3 @ *Tennessee (CBS) W, 41-0 @ *Vanderbilt (ESPN) W, 45-14 *Missouri (SECN) W, 53-28 vs. ^*Florida (CBS) W, 42-7 *South Carolina (CBS) W, 24-10 @ #10 *Auburn (CBS) L, 40-17 *Kentucky (CBS) W, 42-13 @ Georgia Tech (ABC) W, 38-7
$#4 Auburn (CBS) W, 28-7 !#2 Oklahoma (ESPN) W, 54-48 2ot +#4 Alabama (ESPN) L, 26-23 ot
*SEC game; ^EverBank Field (Jacksonville, Fla.); $SEC Championship Game - Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta); !CFP Semifinal: Rose Bowl - Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.); +CFP National Championship - Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
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georgia bulldogs
2017 SEC Champions
2018 Bulldog Spring Storylines Year Three Of The Smart Era
Georgia enters the 2018 season looking to make a return trip to the College Football Playoff and continue the trend of the runner-up finisher winning the following year. In 2015, Alabama beat Clemson for the national title and then in 2016, the Tigers topped the Tide. Last year, Alabama returned to the National Championship and beat Georgia for its latest crown. The Bulldogs welcome back 53 lettermen, including eight on offense and four on defense who ended the year in starting roles. On special teams, Georgia also returns its scoring leader in junior PK Rodrigo Blankenship along with its top punt/kickoff returner in junior Mecole Hardman.
Bulldogs Welcome Three New Coaches
Teams have now been given the opportunity to have a 10th full-time coach and the Bulldogs also filled two additional vacancies with Kevin Sherrer heading to Tennessee to become defensive coordinator and Shane Beamer leaving to work with Oklahoma. Georgia added Cortez Hankton on the offensive side of the ball and Dan Lanning on the defensive side. Hankton comes to the Bulldogs after serving as the Vanderbilt receivers coach while Lanning was Memphis’ inside linebackers coach. Scott Fountain will be the additional on-field coach focusing on special teams after serving as the special teams analyst in 2017. Head coach Kirby Smart is going into his third year with Georgia as well as Mel Tucker (defensive coordinator/secondary), Jim Chaney (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Sam Pittman (offensive line), James Coley (receivers), Glenn Schumann (inside linebackers) and Dell McGee (running backs). Tray Scott (defensive line) also begins his second year with the Bulldogs.
Replacing Record-Setting Tailback Tandem
Nick Chubb and Sony Michel opted to stay for their senior seasons in 2017 and helped lead the Bulldogs to an SEC title, a Rose Bowl Game victory and an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship. They combined for 8,407 yards rushing and 77 rushing touchdowns during their four years at Georgia. Now, the Bulldogs will rely on their three returning backs in sophomore D’Andre Swift and juniors Brian Herrien and Elijah Holyfield. Swift was named to the 2017 All-SEC Freshman Team after leading the returners with 618 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, early enrollee Zamir White, who is rehabbing from a fall knee injury, and fellow freshman James Cook are expected to compete for playing time.
Defense Aiming To Stay At Elite Level
Georgia had one of the nation’s top defenses led by Butkus Award winner and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Roquan Smith. Smith along with a host of seniors from last year’s squad have now turned their attention to the NFL Draft. The Bulldogs will turn to a number of experienced veterans this fall, including returning starters DB Deandre Baker, DB J.R. Reed, DL Tyler Clark and DE Jonathan Ledbetter, in an attempt to stay one of the SEC and nation’s best units.
Staff Hauls In Top-Rated Recruiting Class Georgia finished with the country’s top-ranked recruiting class for 2018, signing 26 prospects during a pair of signing periods in December and February. The Bulldog class included five-star signees Justin Fields (QB) and Brenton Cox (OLB).
Nine Early Enrollees Join The Bulldogs
Nine early enrollees started school in January and are working out with the team while they take their first classes at UGA. QB Justin Fields (Kennesaw, Ga.), RB Zamir White (Laurinburg, N.C.), OL Trey Hill (Warner Robins, Ga.), WR Kearis Jackson (Fort Valley, Ga.), OT Cade Mays (Knoxville, Tenn.), OL Warren Ericson (Suwanee, Ga.), OLB Brenton Cox (Stockbridge, Ga.), DL Devonte Wyatt (Decatur, Ga.) and DB Divaad Wilson (Miami, Fla.) make up a portion of the Bulldogs’ top-ranked 2018 national signing class.
Lettermen, Starters Return From 13-2 Bulldog Team
In addition to junior PK Rodrigo Blankenship returning, the Bulldogs are returning eight offensive starters and four on defense. Sophomore QB Jake Fromm is back after going 12-2 as a starter after coming in for the injured Jacob Eason in the first game of the year. Unlike last year, the Bulldogs return four of five starting linemen, including two-year starter Lamont Gaillard at C and 2017 Freshman All-American OT Andrew Thomas. Georgia will be without last year’s leading receiver Javon Wims who completed his senior year and is training for the NFL Draft. However, senior Terry Godwin and juniors Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley, among others, do return. The Bulldogs will also feature returning TEs Isaac Nauta, Charlie Woerner and Jackson Harris to complement the running backs listed in the above box. The leading tackler the last two seasons has departed in Roquan Smith and four starters remain from last year’s unit. Senior Deandre Baker and junior J.R. Reed will anchor the backfield while senior Jonathan Ledbetter and junior Tyler Clark will join a host of returning lettermen on the front line. Junior D’Andre Walker, sophomores Monty Rice, Nate McBride and Walter Grant are expected to earn growing roles at the ILB and OLB spots.
2018 spring football