dog tracks 2014 Georgia Schedule
Aug. 30 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29
Clemson (ESPN) 5:30 p.m. @ *South Carolina (CBS) 3:30 p.m. Troy (SEC Network) 12:00 p.m. *Tennessee TBA *Vanderbilt TBA @ *Missouri TBA vs. #*Arkansas TBA vs. ^*Florida (CBS) 3:30 p.m. @ *Kentucky TBA *Auburn TBA Charleston Southern TBA Georgia Tech TBA
#War Memorial Stadium (Little Rock, Ark.); ^EverBank Field (Jacksonville, Fla.); *SEC games
2014 Key Dates
August 30 - Season opener vs. Clemson September 13 - SEC opener @ South Carolina October 4 - Homecoming vs. Vanderbilt
An Opener Vs. The ACC Again
The beginning of the 2014 season will mark the second consecutive season that the Bulldogs will open against Clemson from the ACC. Last year, Georgia traveled to Clemson, S.C., and fell to the eighth-ranked Tigers 38-35. The 2013 matchup marked the first time in the last six tries that Clemson topped the Bulldogs. The last time Georgia squared off against the Tigers in Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs edged Clemson 31-28 in 2002.
First Up In The SEC
Since 1992, Georgia has opened its SEC schedule up against South Carolina in every season but one. In 2012, the Bulldogs traveled to Columbia, Mo., rather than Columbia, S.C., to start their league play. Georgia beat Missouri 41-20 in the Tigers’ first ever SEC game. This season, the Bulldogs again play their first game versus South Carolina and the matchup will be held in the Gamecocks’ home stadium. Georgia beat sixth-ranked South Carolina 41-30 in Sanford Stadium last season.
2013 Georgia Results
Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 Jan. 1
@ #8 Clemson L, 38-35 #6 *South Carolina W, 41-30 North Texas W, 45-21 #6 *LSU W, 44-41 @ *Tennessee W, 34-31 (ot) #25 *Missouri L, 41-26 @ *Vanderbilt L, 31-27 vs. ^*Florida (@ Jax.) W, 23-20 Appalachian State W, 45-6 @ #7 *Auburn L, 43-38 *Kentucky W, 59-17 @ Georgia Tech W, 41-34 (2 ot) vs. ^!Nebraska L, 24-19
^EverBank Field (Jacksonville, Fla.); !TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl; *SEC games
2014 Bulldog Storylines
High-Octane Offense
Georgia has six returning starters on offense that helped set a school record by averaging 484 yards per game in 2013. That tally ranked fourth in the SEC. The Bulldogs ranked fifth in the league in scoring offense at 36.7 thanks to scoring at least 35 points eight times last season. Georgia’s 58 touchdowns last year ranked second in the school history, trailing only the 2012 team that set the mark with 72. The headliners returning on offense include leading rusher Todd Gurley, who will be a junior after recording 989 yards rushing last year, and the top three receivers in seniors Michael Bennett and Chris Conley and Gurley. Senior Hutson Mason finished the year starting the final two games after Aaron Murray sustained a season-ending ACL injury in the team’s 11th game against Kentucky.
SEC’s Leading Tackler Returns
Senior Ramik Wilson led the SEC in tackles last year with 133 stops, including 11 TFLs and four sacks. The Tampa, Fla., native earned All-SEC First Team honors after registering the most tackles for the Bulldogs since current Carolina Panther Thomas Davis racked up 138 for the Bulldogs in 2003. Wilson became only the third Georgia defender in school history to lead the league in tackles. He joined Whit Marshall (128, 1995) and Rennie Curran (130, 2009). Wilson led the team in eight games in 2013, including a career-high 18 stops at #7 Auburn, in his first year starting. He had just 10 tackles in 18 games during his first two years.
Pruitt Leads New Defensive Staff
Georgia overhauled its defensive staff following the 2013 season. Mark Richt hired Jeremy Pruitt, who was the defensive coordinator for the 2014 national champion Florida State Seminoles, to lead the unit. The Bulldogs filled out their defensive staff with Tracy Rocker (Defensive Line/Will Linebackers), Kevin Sherrer (Sam Linebackers/ Star Position) and Mike Ekeler (Inside Linebackers/Defensive Special Teams Coordinator). Rocker came to Georgia after serving on the Tennessee Titans’ staff while Sherrer was the South Alabama defensive coordinator in 2013. Ekeler coached the inside linebackers at Southern California last season.
Red Cross Update
Four key members of the offense were lost during the 2013 season due to ACL injuries and how well three of them return in 2014 will provide a boost to an already potent group. Starting flanker Malcolm Mitchell went down in the first quarter of the seasonopening Clemson game. Mitchell returned in the spring, but sustained another leg injury and is expected to be ready for fall camp. Starters Keith Marshall (TB) and Justin Scott-Wesley (receiver) both went down in the overtime win at Tennessee with another pair of knee injuries. Finally, record-setting senior quarterback Aaron Murray was carried off the field before halftime of the Kentucky game with a similar injury, effectively ending his Bulldog career.
Non-Conference Success
Under the direction of Mark Richt, Georgia owns a 52-10 record against teams from outside the Southeastern Conference. They are 36-1 at home since 2001. Last year, the Bulldogs were 3-2 after beating North Texas, Appalachian State and Georgia Tech and dropping decisions at #8 Clemson and to Nebraska in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl. In 2014, all of Georgia’s regular season non-conference foes will come to Sanford Stadium. The non-conference slate features Clemson in the season opener along with home games with Troy, Charleston Southern and the regular season finale versus Georgia Tech. Georgia last opened a season in Athens against Clemson in 2002, a 31-28 Bulldog victory. This win helped jump-start the momentum for Georgia’s 13-1 season that finished with an SEC Championship. Georgia has a 41-18-4 lead in the series with the Tigers. The Bulldogs have won five out of the past six meetings with Clemson. It will be the first-ever meetings with Charleston Southern and Georgia holds a 1-0 edge on Troy after the Bulldogs topped the Trojans 44-34 in 2007. The Bulldogs own a 63-37-5 edge in the rivalry with the Yellow Jackets, including winning the past five meetings and 12 out of the last 13.
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