A production of The Red & Black
Classic City Kickoff HUTSON MASON 12 games, 1 legacy pg 10
GAMEDAY UPGRADES pg 13
ROSTERS pg 8
Georgia vs. Clemson Saturday, August 30, 5:30 p.m.
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Dawgs of Days Gone By.
These guys knew how to play hard - just look at the “uniform!”
Georgia has a 2-1 record against Clemson under Mark Richt. Aug. 30 will be the 64th meeting between the two teams. TAYLOR CRAIG SUTTON/Staff
Relive the glory years - all 120 of them - in this exciting release from The Red and Black.
Table of Contents
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FACES ON THE FIELD New players on the field that the Bulldog Nation might not recognize.
TEAM ROSTERS Check out the full list of both teams’ players to see names, numbers and positions.
SANFORD UPDATES Sanford Stadium comes equipped with new bells and whistles for the 2014 season.
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WITH THE ENEMY Elaine Day, sports editor of The Tiger News, gives an inside look at Clemson.
HUTSON MASON The redshirt senior takes the field with one year to make a name for himself.
THE book that’s captivating the Bulldog Nation... “For all UGA alums, a must-read and must-buy. . .” — Charles Russell, Class of 1979
Available at:
THE GOOD, THE BAD What are best and worst possible scenarios for the Bulldogs against Clemson?
COVER PHOTO BY JOSHUA L. JONES & JOHN ROARK/Staff
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Former five-star recruit Lorenzo Carter (7) has a chance to see plenty of playing time on Saturday when the Georgia Bulldogs open their season against Clemson. Carter is a 6-foot-6, 237 pound linebacker out of Norcross High School who was widely considered the top in-state prospect for the class of 2014. JOHN ROARK/Staff
New faces, new places: Lorenzo Carter to play Saturday BY CONNOR RILEY @ConnornotKevin With the beginning of a new football season, Georgia will be relying on a new batch of players to replace many of the graduated starters. Some of them are freshmen, only a year removed from playing in high school stadiums, while others have been waiting patiently for their chance to shine at Sanford Stadium. Here are three of the notable new faces to watch for the 2014 season. Nick Chubb: Chubb is one of two highly-recruited freshmen running backs joining the Bulldogs this year, the other being Sony Michel. Chubb, listed at 5-foot-10 and 228 lbs and from Cedartown, had one of
the best senior seasons in Georgia high school history, rushing for 2,720 yards and 39 touchdowns according to 247Sports.com. While Chubb will not receive the carries that Gurley received as a freshman, Georgia coach Mark Richt said he has plans to use Chubb in some offensive capacity. Chubb will also see some time on the much-maligned Georgia special teams units. Brandon Kublanow: Kublanow is slated to take over the left guard position, vacated by the nowgraduated Dallas Lee. Kublanow is a 6-foot-3, 294 lbs sophomore from Marietta. Kublanow appeared in nine games during the 2013 season. Kublanow will be starting next to junior left tackle John Theus. These two players will be in charge of keeping senior quar-
terback Hutson Mason’s blindside clean, as well as limiting the impact of Clemson’s All-American defensive end Vic Beasley. Lorenzo Carter: Carter, a consensus five-star outside linebacker at Norcross High School, was the highest-rated recruit in Georgia’s 2014 recruiting class. He is a long and lanky 6-foot-6 yet he only weighs 237 lbs. While he may not have the strength and body mass to play every down right away, Carter does posses the natural ability to play on third downs in a pass-rushing role. Carter could line up opposite sophomore outside linebacker Leonard Floyd in obvious passing situations and potentially sub in for Floyd on early downs to give the sophomore a breather. Carter will play a valuable role for the team.
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Matchup: Georgia’s front 7 vs. Clemson offensive line BY CODY PACE @CodyPace Clemson’s Roderick McDowell and Tajh Boyd are both gone and junior running back Zac Brooks is out for the season with a foot injury. With the loss of those three, Clemson loses 1,671 of its 2,270 rushing yards from 2013. The Tiger’s leading returning rusher, senior D.J. Howard, had just 57 carries and 213 yards in 2013. When Clemson rolls into Sanford Stadium on Saturday, they’re going to throw the football. Beyond its lack of returning experience, throwing the ball makes sense for Clemson. Senior quarterback Cole Stoudt, although in his first year of starting, completed almost 80 percent of his 59 pass attempts in a limited role last season and he returns a solid group of receivers, even without Sammy Watkins and Martavius Bryant. It also plays into Stoudt’s hand that Georgia’s secondary is inexperienced and full of players still struggling to gain their foothold in the depth chart. That’s where the front seven comes in. Georgia makes up for its inex-
perience in the secondary with its experienced front seven, particularly the linebacking corps. Even if inside linebacker Tim Kimbrough retains his starting spot over senior Ramik Wilson, the front seven will still only have only two sophomore starters. In order for the front seven to help the secondary, it’s going to have to get in Stoudt’s face and knock him off of his rhythm, which, if last season’s Clemson offense is any indication, will be a fast one. The key to this matchup is how Georgia’s defensive line handles the offensive line. The Bulldogs come in a little undersized on the defensive line, with senior Mike Thornton being a nose tackle at 290 pounds. Thornton, James DeLoach and Sterling Bailey will need to eat up blocks to allow Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd to get to Stoudt. If the defensive line can’t draw any double teams on its own, it will leave Jenkins and Floyd with an offensive lineman to deal with all evening, and a running back still available to block in the backfield. If Floyd and Jenkins can’t get to Stoudt, it could be a long day for the Georgia secondary.
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John Theus vs. Vic Beasley Clemson senior defensive end Vic Beasley could have been a first round pick in the 2014 NFL draft, but he’s back. The Georgia offensive line experienced just how good Beasley is on week one last year when he recorded two of his 13 sacks at their expense and, in particular, at the expense of former left tackle Kenarious Gates. Now it’s John Theus’ turn to try to slow down Beasley as the junior shifts from right to left tackle. Theus will need to keep Beasley off of senior quarterback Hutson Mason to help the offense keep its rhythm on Saturday, and to prevent the offense from becoming too one dimensional and relying on junior running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall too much.
MASON
STOUDT
Hutson Mason vs. Cole Stoudt While Mason and Stoudt may not be on the field at the same time, their performances will naturally be compared as both are seniors getting the first full seasons at the helm of their respective offenses. Mason has a little more to rely on with the Bulldogs’ depth at running back and at receiver than Stoudt, which could mean the Clemson quarterback ends up having to throw more passes than Mason. That being said, both quarterbacks are going to be in charge of orchestrating their offenses’ quicker paces, and the game very well could come down to which quarterback minimizes their mistakes.
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Behind Enemy Bylines: Student editor talks season opener BY CONNOR SMOLENSKY @ConnorSmo
ED: Injuries were a big issue last season, perhaps topped off by Aaron Murray’s torn ACL. However, that did give Hutson Mason a chance to see some snaps before the end of the season. How are people feeling about Mason’s abilities heading into the 2014 opener?
Every week this football season, The Red & Black will be reaching out to the sports editor of each opponent’s school newspaper to trade questions about the weekend’s game. This week we traded questions with Elaine Day, sports editor of Clemson’s student newspaper, The Tiger News.
CS: Georgia fans got a glimpse of Mason’s ability in two games last season, and while it was nothing spectacular, I think it was definitely a big boost for Mason. Here’s a quarterback that has been on the bench for four years behind Murray. He rarely got any playing time, unless Georgia was winning big, but just to get two games of experience, get hit again and get reacclimated to the speed of the game was huge. I think people are confident in Mason. It’s not like Georgia is throwing out a young signal caller, he’s been in the offense for four years. Mason was accurate throughout the spring and summer scrimmages, and seems to be stepping up as a leader. He has all the weapons around him to be successful, and is motivated by having just one season to make his mark.
CONNOR SMOLENSKY: After the big win last year, what is the mood around Clemson with the game just a week away? ELAINE DAY: Football season in Tigertown is always highly anticipated, and this year is absolutely no exception. Even though the game isn’t in Memorial Stadium, people are ready to see their 2014 Orange Bowl Champion Tigers in action. We’ll be sending a big contingent of people down to Athens, and for those who can’t make it, the game will be shown on the Jumbotron in Death Valley. Fans are pumped to have another shot at the Bulldogs, and students, players and coaches alike are confident that we can repeat last year’s performance. While Georgia may be ranked higher in the preseason polls, the Clemson faithful believe that the team’s talent and leadership can get the job done. With Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins now members of the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills, respectively, people are excited to get their first glimpse at the newlook Tigers offense. CS: Todd Gurley has been on nearly every preseason All-American poll, how confident are people in Clemson’s ability to stop him? ED: Clemson’s defensive line looks to be rather solid this season. In a recent conference call with the national media, ESPN college football analyst David Pollack said, “I think [Clemson’s] defensive line and defensive front seven, you can put them put up there with the top 10 in college football and not blink an eye.”
ED: How is Georgia feeling in the days leading up to the game? How bad does Georgia want to get revenge? Are people optimistic that being in Sanford Stadium might be what the Bulldogs need to top the Tigers? The Clemson Tigers will need to replace former standouts Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins this year. Cole Stoudt will start at quarterback. FILE/Staff The majority of Clemson’s 2013 dominant defense is returning for the 2014 season. As mentioned before, Vic Beasley will be one of the many highlights of this defense, along with linebacker Stephone Anthony, safety Jayron Kearse, defensive ends Corey Crawford, Shaq Lawson, and Tavaris Barnes, and defensive tackles Grady Jarrett, Josh Watson, DeShawn Williams and DJ Reader. In addition, the Tigers have some strong players
ready to contribute after redshirting the 2013 season, including defensive tackles Carlos Watkins and Scott Pagano, and defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko. Clemson led the nation in tackles for loss last season with 123, and look to be as good, if not better, this season. As such, Gurley certainly poses a respectable threat, but not one that the Tiger defense shouldn’t be able to handle.
CS: This is a game that Georgia fans have been waiting for since last year’s matchup. Everyone has been talking about this game for weeks, and I know the team is bitter about the way last year turned out. People are excited about this year’s tem, and the atmosphere this week reminds me of last year’s LSU game. Georgia head coach Mark Richt has been on social media for weeks asking fans to show up, get loud and wear read. He did the same for the LSU game, and it was as loud as I’ve ever heard Sanford Stadium.
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Tigers’ defense will rely on front 7
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Though Clemson loses star playmakers Sammy Watkins and Tajh Boyd, the team will have three returning starters on its offensive line in 2014. FILE/Staff BY NICK SUSS @nicksuss Much like the Georgia Bulldogs, the Clemson Tigers are a talented team with holes to fill at several vital positions. The No. 16 team in the country according to the Associated Press, is led by its defensive front seven and paced offensively by an oftlauded scheme helmed by offensive coordinator Chad Morris. However, the Tigers have to replace key players at the offensive skill positions and in the defensive backfield, and they enter the season thinnest on the depth chart in those two areas. Offense: Clemson’s offensive situation is, essentially, an exaggerated form of Georgia’s. In addition to having to replace a record-breaking quarterback, Clemson has to replace, its running back and one of the best receiving targets in college football. After the departures of quarterback Tajh Boyd, tailback Roderick McDowell and wide receiver Sammy Watkins, the offense is definitely rebuilding, but still potent. Senior Cole Stoudt is the man tasked with the difficult job of replacing Boyd, but if his numbers from his brief appearances in the past are any indication, the Tigers will be in good hands. In eight games in 2013, Stoudt completed just under 80 percent of his passes, while throwing five touchdowns and zero interceptions. A three-star recruit out of high school, Stoudt is a tall quarterback who should flourish in Morris’ uptempo system despite the lack of known quantities at the skill positions. Replacing McDowell may be more difficult, as Georgia coach Mark Richt
said little is known about presumed starter D.J. Howard. One strength of this Clemson offense is its offensive line, which is returning three starters from last season for this game. Defense: Clemson knows how to get to the quarterback. To continue the similarities to Georgia, the strength of Clemson’s defense and team as a whole is its pass rush. Senior defensive end Vic Beasley is one of the best pass-rushers in the country and a presumed high-level NFL prospect, returning for 2014 after recording 13 sacks, breaking up six passes and forcing four fumbles last season. Beasley is surrounded by three other returning starters on the defensive line in Clemson’s base 4-3 defense, all of whom are seniors just like Beasley. This Clemson defensive line may well be among the strongest units in the nation and will likely wreak havoc on any team it plays this season, not just Georgia. Behind the defensive line, the linebacking corps also returns two seniors in the forms of middle linebacker Stephone Anthony and weakside linebacker Tony Steward, as well as sophomore Korrin Wiggins who plays strongside linebacker. The three combined to record 122 tackles in 2013, though most of those came from Anthony. The secondary presents some concerns for Clemson, as aside from seniors Robert Smith and Martin Jenkins, little is known about the back end of the Clemson defense. In order for Clemson to succeed against Georgia and beyond, it must receive strong contributions from former fivestar cornerback Mackensie Alexander, a redshirt freshman expected to start against Georgia after missing last season with a groin injury.
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UGA Roster “[Nick Chubb]’s a load. He’s a tough guy to bring down, a really strong guy. Tackle breaking is a big part of his game, and, sometimes, when you do drills where you don’t tackle you thud a guy and you’re like, ‘Okay, he’s down.’ He’s going to get yards after contact. So when you start tackling for real, he’s a pretty physical guy.” MARK RICHT
CHUBB, TB 1 Tramel Terry, S 1 Sony Michel, RB 2 Sheldon Dawson, CB 2 Sam Vaughn, QB 3 Todd Gurley, TB 4 Keith Marshall, TB 4 Brendan Langley, WR 5 Damian Swann, CB 6 Michael Erdman, SE 7 Lorenzo Carter, OLB 7 Jacob Park, QB 8 Blake Tibbs, FLK 8 Shaun McGee, OLB 9 Kenneth Towns, SE 9 Reggie Wilkerson, CB 10 Faton Bauta, QB 10 Kennar Johnson, CB 11 Keyon Brown, OLB 12 Brice Ramsey, QB 12 Lucas Redd, DB 13 Marshall Morgan, PK 14 Hutson Mason, QB 14 Malkom Parrish, DB 15 J.J. Green, CB 16 Isaiah McKenzie, WR 16 James Davis, CB 17 Davin Bellamy, OLB 18 Jonathon Rumph, SE 18 Jesse Jones, CB 19 Rico Johnson, CB/WR 20 Quincy Mauger, FS 22 Brendan Douglas, TB 22 Javonte’ Nelson, FS 23 Shakenneth Williams, WR 23 Jonah Guinn, S 24 Dominick Sanders, DB 25 Shaq Jones, DB 26 Malcolm Mitchell, FLK 26 Tristan Askew, CB 27 Nick Chubb, TB 28 Kyle Vagher, TB
30 Kosta Vavlas, ILB 31 Chris Conley, FLK 32 Collin Barber, P 32 Ridge Underwood, ILB 33 Brendan Langley, WR 33 Detric Bing-Dukes, FB 35 A.J. Turman, TB 35 Aaron Davis, CB 36 Kyle Karempelis, TB 36 Devin Gillespie, SS 37 Devin Bowman, CB 37 Matthew Fox, FB 38 Ryne Rankin, ILB 38 Clay Johnson, FLK 39 Corey Moore, FS 39 Dominic Bryan, FB 41 Jared Chapple, TE 41 Christian Payne, FB 42 Tim Kimbrough, ILB 43 Tommy Long, ILB 44 Cameron Faulkner, FB 45 Reggie Carter, ILB 46 A.J. McDonald, ILB 47 Ray Drew, DE 47 Taylor Maxey, FB 48 Quayvon Hicks, FB 49 Nathan Theus, SN 50 Johnny O’Neal, ILB 51 Ramik Wilson, ILB 52 Amarlo Herrera, ILB 53 Lamont Gaillard, DT 54 Brandon Kublanow, OG 55 Dyshon Sims, OL 56 John Courson, SN 57 John Huff, ILB 57 Alex Essex, OT 58 Sterling Bailey, DE 59 Jordan Jenkins, OLB 59 Matthew Herzwurm, SN 60 Josh Cardiello, OG 61 David Andrews, C
63 Xzavier Ward, OT 64 Jake Edwards, OL 65 Kendall Baker, OL 66 Hunter Long, OG 67 Michael Scullin, OL 68 Eddie McQuillen, OT 69 Trent Frix, SN 70 Aulden Bynum, OG 71 John Theus, OT 72 Glenn Welch, C 73 Greg Pyke, OG 74 Thomas Swilley, OL 75 Kolton Houston, OT 76 Zach DeBell, OT 77 Isaiah Wynn, OL 78 Watts Dantzler, OG 79 Mark Beard, OT 80 Charlie Hegedus, WR 81 Reggie Davis, FLK 82 Michael Bennett, SE 83 Jeb Blazevich, TE 84 Jack Loonam, TE 84 Leonard Floyd, OLB 85 Jordan Davis, TE 86 Justin Scott-Wesley, SE 87 Jay Rome, TE 88 Toby Johnson, DE 88 Joesph Ledbetter, TE 89 Ben Souther, WR 89 James DeLoach, OLB 91 Josh Dawson, DE 92 William Ham, PK 93 Chris Mayes, N 93 Patrick Beless, PK 94 Jon Taylor, DE 94 Thomas Pritchard, PK 96 Mike Thornton, N 97 John Atkins, N 97 Adam Erickson, Pr
“Leonard [Floyd] has got the chance to be a very productive guy. He’s a very talented guy who loves football and practices and plays hard. He’s got a very natural football IQ It all comes very natural to the guy. You don’t have to give him rep after rep after rep for him to get it. You just kind of get him the concept and get him to understand what you’re trying to get done and he seems to pick it up quicker than most.” FLOYD, OLB
MARK RICHT
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Introducing...
Clemson Roster “They have a new quarterback in [Cole] Stoudt, a guy a lot similar to Hutson, at least as far as he has been around the program a long time and has gotten a lot of practice reps. Stoudt is a very tall, accurate and efficient passer. He can move well enough to extend plays and he makes good decisions.” MARK RICHT STOUDT, QB 1 Ebenezer Ogundeko, OLB 1 Trevion Thompson, 2 Mackensie Alexander, DB 3 Vic Beasley, DE 3 Artavis Scott, WR 4 Deshaun Watson, QB 5 Germone Hopper, WR 6 Dorian O’Daniel, LB 7 Tony Steward, LB 7 Mike Williams, WR 8 Demarre Kitt, WR 9 Tavaris Barnes, DE 9 Wayne Gallman, RB 10 Ben Boulware, OLB 10 David Olson, QB 11 Travis Blanks S 12 Nick Shuessler, QB 12 Korrin Wiggins, DB 13 Adam Humphries, WR 14 Martin Jenkins, CB 15 T.J. Green, S 16 Jordan Leggett, TE 17 Austin McCaskill, QB 17 Kyrin Priester WR, 18 Jadar Johnson, S 18 Cole Stoudt QB, 19 Charone Peake, WR 20 Jayron Kearse, S 21 Adrian Baker, CB 22 D.J. Howard, RB 23 Tyshon Dye, RB 24 Zac Brooks, RB 25 Cordrea Tankersley, CB 26 Adam Choice, RB 26 Garry Peters, CB 27 C.J. Fuller, RB 27 Robert Smith, S 29 Marcus Edmond, DB 30 Taylor Watson, S 31 Ryan Carter, DB 32 C.J. Davidson, RB
32 Corbin Jenkins, PK/P 34 Kendall Joseph, LB 35 Quintin Hall, LB 35 Justin Miller, TE 35 Hunter Renfrow, WR 36 Ammon Lakip, PK/P 38 Jefferie Gibson, S 38 Alex Goode, RB 39 Christian Groomes, PK/P 40 Kurt Fleming, RB 41 T.J. Burrell LB 42 Stephone Anthony LB 43 Korie Rogers, LB 44 B.J. Goodson, LB 45 Chris Register, OLB 46 Chad Richardson, LB 47 Macus Bullard, LB 47 Alex Spence, PK 48 D.J. Reader, DT 49 Beau Brown, S 50 Justin Falcinelli, OT 50 Grady Jarrett, DT 51 Jim Brown, LS 51 Taylor Hearn, OL 52 Kellen Jones, LB 53 Martin Aiken, DE 54 Zach Riggs, OL 55 Roderick Byers, DE 55 Tyrone Crowder, OL 56 Collins Mauldin, DE 56 Scott Pagano, DT 57 Jay Guillermo, C 58 Ryan Norton, OL 61 William Cockerill, OT 61 David Estes, LS 65 Oliver Jones, OT 67 Kalon Davis, OG 68 David Beasley, OG 69 Maverick Morris, OL 72 Josh Hutchinson, OT 73 Joe Gore, OT
74 Spencer Region, OG 75 Michael Sobeski, LS 75 Daniel Stone, DE 77 Reid Webster, OT 78 Eric MacLain, OL 79 Isaiah Battle, OT 80 Milan Richard, TE 81 Stanton Seckinger TE 82 Adrien Dunn, WR 83 Daniel Rodriguez WR 84 Andrew Maass, WR 84 Cannon Smith, TE 85 Dane Rogers, DE 85 Seth Ryan, WR 86 Sam Cooper, TE 87 D.J. Greenlee, TE 88 Sean Maclain, WR 89 Jay Jay McCullough, TE 90 Shaq Lawson, DE 91 Josh Watson, DT 92 Bradley Pinion, PK/P 93 Corey Crawford, DE 94 Carlos Watkins, DT 95 Andy Teasdall, P 98 Kevin Dodd, DE 99 DeShawn Williams, DT
“Whoever lines up against [Vic] Beasley has got their hands full. I don’t know if they’re always going to put him on one side or the other. He may end up on either edge or coming up the gut, I don’t know what they’re going to do with the guy, but whoever has the assignment of blocking Beasley has got their hands full and they’re probably going to need some help.” BEASLEY, DE
MARK RICHT
• Never before seen footage • Untold stories from your favorite players, coaches, and opponents • Hours of interviews • Giants. On a small screen.
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ONE SHOT Hutson Mason waited four years for a chance
University of Georgia starting quarterback Hutson Mason (14) redshirted in 2012 to create a year of separation between him and former starting quarterback Aaron Murray. Mason will make his first start in Sanford Stadium on Aug. 30 when the Bulldogs open up their season against the Clemson Tigers. FILE/Staff BY NICK SUSS @nicksuss It’s not easy to take advantage of one year. Going into his fifth season as a member of the Georgia football team, senior quarterback Hutson Mason will have to try to do just this. After waiting patiently for four years behind Aaron Murray for his turn as the starting
quarterback of the Georgia Bulldogs, Mason’s first full season as a starter will begin Saturday against Clemson. Though Mason did start two games at the end of the 2013-2014 season in spell of the then-injured Murray, he has never before started before 90,000 spectators in a stadium quite as large as Sanford Stadium, and has never faced off against a ranked opponent. But despite his lack of experi-
ence, Mason said he is unfazed by the prospects of what Saturday’s contest against the Tigers will hold. “I’m not really nervous,” Mason said. “People keep asking me if I’m nervous. Nervous isn’t the word. I’m more anxious. There’s no reason to be nervous when you’re prepared and ready.” Preparation has been key for Mason heading into both the season
opener and the season as a whole. Teammates and coaches alike have commented on how hard Mason has worked this offseason and the admirable nature of the leadership role he has assumed. “He’s definitely approaching this game with a lot of intensity,” junior tight end Jay Rome said. “He’s been studying a lot, staying after practice, throwing a few routes and everything.
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Y’S
UGA HOCKE ÂŽ
I definitely think his mind is in the right place.� Leadership and confidence are two facets of Mason’s game that teammates such as junior tailback Todd Gurley mentioned as impressive. “Hutson’s the same guy he was a year or two ago,� Gurley said. “He’s just got that starting role now. He’s always had that swagger, confidence about him. That’s what we like about him. Who wouldn’t want their leader to have confidence?� As unflappable as Mason has appeared there is one part of game day that Mason said might make him excited. Mason, a Marietta native, said the best thing about making his first start in Sanford Stadium will be hearing his name announced over the loud speaker before the game, saying it is something he has dreamed of for five years. However, if Mason had been asked what his dream was six years ago, he might have positioned himself on the other side of a Georgia versus Clemson matchup. Mason said that when he was being recruited, his final two schools
were Georgia and Clemson. In fact, Mason was never really granted the opportunity to make his final choice; Georgia won by default. “My visit to Clemson, when I left there, they told me they were going to offer me the next day,� Mason said.
“When you wait around for one year, there’s no other way to define it ... You don’t wait around for one year to go to the Liberty Bowl. You don’t wait around to become second. That’s your only shot, man.� - Hutson Mason “When I went home they called me the next day and told me they were going
to take another route, they were going to take two quarterbacks next year.� As Clemson deprived Mason of the full opportunity to choose between the two colleges, Mason ended up at Georgia. Had the circumstances have gone the other way and Clemson had offered Mason, he doesn’t know which path he would’ve chosen. “It would’ve been tough,� Mason said. I could remember leaving Clemson, and was just really impressed by the Clemson academics. I had a great meeting with the coaches and I remember leaving and telling my [high school] coach, ‘Woah, I’m kind of stuck.’ I went home and I prayed about it, and, ironically, the next morning [Clemson] called. And from that moment I knew what decision to make.� Though his past is behind him, Mason still invariably is connected to the past. He will always be connected to Murray, the man behind whom he waited for four seasons. Murray’s presence will undoubtedly be missed many times in 2014, but players like Gurley said they feel it is time for Georgia to move past its previous leader and embrace Mason. ➤ Continued on Page 12
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After former UGA quarterback Aaron Murray tore his ACL against Kentucky last season, Hutson Mason (left) started the final two games of 2013. He went 43-of-75 passing for 619 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. FILE/Staff
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➤ From Page 11 “It’s time to move on,” Gurley said. “[Murray] definitely left a legacy behind. It’s going to be hard to forget him. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be some situations where we mess up bad and we’re going to be like, ‘Man, I wish we had Aaron.’ [But] we’ve got Hutson now and we believe in him and we can go from there.” Mason’s direct predecessor isn’t the only quarterback from Georgia’s past to whom he will be connected. Mason will always be compared to former Georgia quarterbacks D.J. Shockley and Joe Cox, both of whom waited behind long-time signal-callers David Greene and Matthew Stafford respectively to earn starting jobs their senior seasons. Remembering firsthand the similarities between his situation and Mason’s, Shockley said that just as it was for him in 2005, the pressure on Mason is larger than it is for anyone else on the team, and Murray’s act will be a tough one to follow. “The stage is bigger,” Shockley said. “He’s the guy now, Aaron’s gone. Everybody expects Hutson to step in and have a big year,” he said. “I think he wants to step in and prove everybody right that he can be the guy and
take control of the team and show why he stayed around and kept learning.” Mason, who said that he and Shockley have a strong relationship and speak over the phone often, said he understands exactly the kind of pressure Shockley had to endure. “The quarterback position is the one who takes the blame, and he’s the one who takes the credit,” Mason said. “No one blames the left guard for a bad game. The quarterback is going to get the blame really. You get death threats, they’re going to burn your house, they’re going to steal your scooter.” It would be easy to say that the pressure is going to be too much for Mason. As Shockley was quick to contend, Mason looked uncomfortable in his two starts at the end of last season, citing the difference between game speed and practice speed as the main reason for his struggles. In his two starts, Mason went 43of-75 passing for 619 yards and three touchdowns — respectable numbers given the context. However, Mason threw two interceptions in those games and his inexperience was partially to blame for both Georgia Tech’s early 20-point lead over Georgia and the Bulldogs’ Gator
Bowl loss to Nebraska. Despite this, Shockley said that just as he parlayed his early-season struggles into a season that saw Georgia claim a Southeastern Conference championship, so too can Mason. “[Struggles] are just an experience part of the game,” Shockley said. “I had the same issue. I think once he had that trust in those guys and the more experience he’s gotten, I think all of that will take over.” Georgia coach Mark Richt has a different opinion of what Mason’s two starts mean for his development. Rather than viewing those games as a learning experience that taught Mason what not to do, Richt said those games are a confidence boost for the rest of the team. “It feels to a certain degree like we’ve got a veteran starter back with us,” Richt said. “Usually when you have a new QB, you’re wondering what he can do, what he can comprehend or how he can handle being a starter.,” Richt said. Some of those questions have already been answered with [Mason] so you don’t think too much about it.” While Shockley and Richt saw the early beginning to the Mason era at Georgia in different ways, Mason said
that he views these starts in the same way he viewed his previous starts and will view his future starts. “I don’t think there’s any difference,” Mason said. “I watch the same film on Sunday that I’ve watched on Sundays for four years, the same blitzes on Monday, stuff like that,” he said. “I think when you’re going into it you try to keep it simple and you try to keep the routine thing the routine processes routine.” As much as Mason wants to keep this season the same, it is different. Last season Mason was “the replacement.” This season, Mason is “the guy.” Embracing his new role, the role he’s been preparing to play for four years, Mason said he only has one goal, one singular mark for which to strive that will set him apart from Murray and every quarterback before him since Shockley: winning an SEC championship. “When you wait around for one year, there’s no other way to define it,” Mason said. “You don’t wait around for one year to go to the Liberty Bowl. You don’t wait around to become second. That’s your only shot, man,” Mason said.
Classic City Kickoff
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Sanford Stadium makes renovations BY CONNOR SMOLENSKY @ConnorSmo
Sanford Stadium made some renovations for the upcoming season to enhance the Gameday atmosphere. The Red & Black highlighted some of the stadium’s improvements.
FOOD Sanford Stadium is bringing in some name-brand vendors to add variety to their concessions this year. Fans will be able to get some of their favorite food in the stadium including Subway, Papa John’s, Sonny’s BBQ, Herschel’s Famous 34 Hamburgers, Chick-Fil-A sandwiches and Houston’s Peanuts. While waiting on line for some grub, fans will have an upgrade in viewing the games as flat screens were installed for customers waiting on line.
CELL SERVICE Trying to use your cell phone for anything other than taking a picture has been nearly impossible at Sanford Stadium in the past. This season, phone carriers have installed Distributive Antenna Systems around the stadium, which will improve fans’ ability to make calls, send texts and connect to their provider’s 4G or LTE network. Specifically, AT&T announced that they have installed 400 antenna systems around Sanford Stadium, and promise attendees will notice a difference in their connection.
Fans will see infrastructure improvements in Sanford Stadium this fall. TAYLOR CRAIG SUTTON/Staff
MUSIC The Georgia football atmosphere at Sanford Stadium has always been reserved compared to other stadiums around the Southeastern Conference. Other than your typical fight songs, there was never much music played at the stadium, but that will be changing in 2014. This year, the SEC amended its bylaw related to institutionally controlled sound systems. Under the revised policy, the SEC will permit the use of institutionally-controlled, computerized sound systems, which includes music, and institutionally-controlled artificial noisemakers. These sounds are acceptable any time except when the offensive center is over the football until the play is whistled dead. These renovations will sound even better as Sanford Stadium installed a new sound system to improve sound quality in all areas.
Edges: Bulldogs’ offense holds definite advantage over Clemson in 2014 season opener BY CODY PACE @CodyPace Offense Both Georgia and Clemson are starting firstyear senior quarterbacks in Hutson Mason and Cole Stoudt, respectively. Both offensive lines have an established center and an emerging left tackle with some questions along the way. That’s where the comparisons end. While Clemson returns a solid group of receivers and tops it off with some talented freshmen, it doesn’t compare to Georgia’s group of returners in Chris Conley, Michael Bennett and Reggie Davis, even with the injuries to Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley. The differences are even more stark in the backfield. Georgia has a Doak Walker contender at running back in Todd Gurley with plenty of talent behind him in a healthy Keith Marshall, as well as Brendan Douglas and highly-touted freshmen Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Clemson lost its two top rushers from last season in Roderick McDowell and Tajh Boyd and its third top rusher, Zac Brooks, will miss the year with a foot injury. Clemson’s offense isn’t bad, it just doesn’t have the same returning firepower. Strong edge: Georgia
Defense There are a lot of parallels between Georgia and Clemson on defense. Clemson touts defensive end Vic Beasley, a potential top-10 pick in the NFL and a dominant pass rusher. Georgia may not have anybody at that level, but Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd can certainly get the job done as outside linebackers. In general, the linebacking corps of both teams are very experienced, although Georgia may have a slight edge there. In the secondary, both teams return a veteran corner — Damian Swann for Georgia and Martin Jenkins for Clemson — and are looking for some answers around the depth chart. Clemson, however, may be a little more stable. While the Tigers are starting redshirt freshman Mackensie Alexander at corner, they do return senior Robert Smith at safety, who was fourth on the team in tackles last season. The real advantage for Clemson, however, is the defensive line. The Tigers’ defensive line manhandled Georgia’s more experienced offensive line last season and it returns the entire starting unit. Georgia, on the other hand, could be a little under sized for some of its three-down linemen formations. Edge: Clemson Special teams: Georgia has the potential to be explosive on spe-
cial teams this season. Marshall Morgan was one of the best kickers in the country last season and Isaiah McKenzie, Michel and Davis can make for a dynamic kick and puntreturn threesome. Clemson, however, lost kicker Chandler Catanzaro and kick returner Sammy Watkins. On top of that, punter Bradley Pinion struggled with just 37.8 net yards per punt last season. The one bright spot for Clemson is that punt returner Adam Humphries comes back, although he did not record a touchdown last season. Strong edge: Georgia Coaching This is really a toss up. Georgia head coach Mark Richt has had a longer tenure than Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has with the Tigers, but Swinney has accomplished a lot in his six years at the helm. Clemson’s 32-8 record since 2011 is the best three-year win total in school history, and a lot of that has to do with Swinney’s ability to bring toplevel talent to the school like Boyd and Watkins. Really, this matchup could go either way with both programs being similarly successful, but since Swinney beat Richt last season, he gets the nod. Very Slight Edge: Clemson
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Classic City Kickoff
5 key questions: Can Georgia protect Mason?
The Bulldogs will have to replace three former starters on the offensive line, including guards Dallas Lee and Chris Burnette. Sophomore Brandon Kublanow and redshirt sophomore Greg Pyke are two potential replacements. FILE/Staff BY TANYA SICHYNSKY @tanyasic 1. Will Hutson Mason be as rattled as he looked in his two starts last season? Georgia’s quarterback has yet to start a game in Sanford Stadium, both of his starts having come in Atlanta and Jacksonville. Mason is looking forward to the little things that will come with his first start at home, including hearing his name and his hometown announced during the Bulldogs’ starting lineup. That being said, he’s had plenty of time to get those first-start jitters out of his system. Should he looked rattled at all, it will not be because he’s unfamiliar with the offense or didn’t watch film, but rather because the excitement may get the best of him. That likely won’t happen, though. As Mason put it, one of the most critical parts of the mental game as a quarterback is to remain composed. If he can get in a zone and crank out a series of error-free plays, he’ll forget about the 92,746 fans around him and hone in on the 10 other men on his side of the line of scrimmage. 2. How big is home-field advantage? Remember Georgia vs. LSU last September? Senior cornerback Damian Swann said he thinks Sanford Stadium could get even louder than that on Saturday should the team put up a few big plays early. Given the noise factor in Memorial Stadium last year and the fact that the Bulldogs held their own for some time and only lost by three, homfield advan-
tage should help Georgia significantly the second time around. In Georgia’s two top-20 matchups played at Sanford Stadium in 2013, the Bulldogs won 41-30 (South Carolina) and 44-41 (LSU). Both LSU and South Carolina were ranked No. 6 by the Associated Press at the time each team came to Athens and both times, Sanford was rocking. Clemson rolls in as the No. 16 team this weekend. 3. How will the defense be different in first game under Pruitt? For one, fans may want to pull out their rosters to identify all the unfamiliar faces they’ll come across when the defense takes the field. Not only will the secondary rotate in some 11 to 12 different players, according to senior safety Corey Moore, but the entire defense is stocked with freshmen, new starters and players who have switched positions since last season. Of the defense’s projected starters, as provided by the team, five have never started a game (that includes freshmen Dominick Sanders and Aaron Davis). Only Amarlo Herrera, Damian Swann and Jordan Jenkins started all 13 games last year. Of those rotating in, expect to see two more defensive tackle John Atkins, tailback turned corner, J.J. Green and freshmen Lorenzo Carter and Malkom Parrish. Pruitt is making these guys earn it based on their performances during the offseason and preseason camp. 4. Will Todd Gurley kick off his Heisman campaign with a big showing? If his opening drive on Saturday is anything like the one he had against
Clemson last year — one he cappped with a 75-yard touchdown run — then yes, certainly. Gurley is finally healthy, with no nagging injuries to push through during the season opener. Although Mason has two games of starting experience, it will certainly be reassuring for him to have Gurley in the backfield to take any pressure off the passing game. Should the environment of Sanford Stadium overwhelm Mason in anyway, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo will likely put the ball in Gurley’s hands, be it in the form of run plays or screen passes. Last year, Gurley rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries against Clemson. 5. Will Georgia’s offensive line be able to stop the Clemson pass rush? Put simply, no. Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley is arguably the best pass rusher in Division I football. Both Gurley and head coach Mark Richt have conceded as much. There are question marks regarding how the offensive line will perform. Kolton Houston and John Theus have starting experience, whereas Brandon Kublanow and Greg Pyke have yet to start a game. The nucleus of the line, center David Andrews, touts the most experience of the five, and the order of guards and tackles around him has been fairly inconsistent as offensive line coach Will Friend continues to rotate the group to find a playable starting five. Theus, who just recently moved back to left tackle from right tackle, will have his hands full for the night trying to keep Beasley out of Georgia’s backfield.
Best case, worst case University of Georgia linebackers Jordan Jenkins (59) and Ramik Wilson (51) swarm the ball carrier in last year’s 38-35 loss to Clemson on Aug. 31 at Memorial Stadium. Jenkins finished the game with five tackles and a tackle for a loss, while Wilson collected a team-high 13 tackles. FILE/Staff BY CONNOR RILEY @ConnornotKevin With Georgia’s first game quickly approaching there are still questions about how senior quarterback Hutson Mason will play, how the revamped secondary will look and how the offensive line will stack up against Clemson’s best positional unit. With such little known about these positions, here are the best and worst cases for each.
HUTSON MASON
Best Case: Mason easily makes fans forget about Aaron Murray, spreading the ball around to his wealth of receivers while also making quick and accurate throws. The fifth-year senior easily identifies Clemson’s blitz packages and is able to change the play at the line of scrimmage, easing the offensive line’s job. Mason easily picks apart Clemson’s secondary with many quick completions, allowing Georgia to run an up-tempo offense for most the game. This will help negate the depth of Clemson’s defensive line. Mason does not try to do everything, but does take care of the ball and makes everyone around better, leading Georgia to an easy, doubledigit victory.
Worst Case: Mason is constantly under pressure all night from the Clemson defense, often having to get rid of the ball to avoid a negative play. He struggles to complete passes more than five yards down the field, allowing Clemson to play eight defenders near the line of scrimmage and focus primarily on the run. Mason shows that he can’t throw the ball down the field as well as Murray, and that he is nothing more than a game manager. Georgia loses to Clemson and Georgia fans are wondering if Brice Ramsey is ready to start.
GEORGIA SECONDARY
Best Case: The secondary is vastly improved largely due to the arrival of new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. The defensive backs are unaffected by the offseason departures and freshman Malkom Parrish and Dominick Sanders play beyond their years. Pruitt is able to easily disguise his coverages, tricking new Clemson starter Cole Stoudt into throwing multiple interceptions. The secondary also does a good job in run support, and the defense shuts out Clemson, making it the first shutout since the 2012 Auburn game. Worst Case: The young secondary struggles to adapt to the college game. Pruitt is out-coached by Clemson’s offensive coordinator Chad Morris and the
Clemson offense has multiple big plays throughout the game. Clemson is also able to mix in the short passing game, thus neutralizing the pass rush. Clemson wins the game on last-second Hail Mary, with yet another a communication breakdown in the secondary.
GEORGIA OFFENSIVE LINE
Best Case: John Theus and Brandon Kublanow play up to the billings they had coming out of high school as a left tackle and guard, respectively. David Andrews plays like the best center in the country. Greg Pyke and Kolton Houston also do a good job in keeping Mason upright. Theus is able to contain Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley for most of the night. The offensive line is able to withstand the depth of Clemson’s defensive line, and control the ground game, allowing Todd Gurley and the running game easy holes to run through. Worst Case: Theus and Houston continue to struggle at the tackle positions, while Beasley is able to apply pressure on Mason. Clemson’s other defensive linemen are able to win their matchups forcing Mason to scramble for most of the game. The offensive line fails to get to the second level, and is the weakest unit on the team.
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Classic City Kickoff
Predicting Georgia’s season should be a tricky proposition Putting a prediction in print is a lot like buying milk: You know eventually it’s going to go bad. It’s hard to make a good prediction. No matter how much thought or reasoning you put into your prediction, some part of it is going to be wrong. There’s no way to foresee that which is unpredictable. But if there is one thing harder than making a good prediction, that would be making the first good prediction. And as this is the inaugural edition of the Classic City Kickoff, this is precisely the task to which I have been assigned. Frankly, that’s a rather daunting endeavor. Even though I’ve been to nearly every Georgia football practice since the spring, talked to practically all of the players and coaches and read just as much as I’ve written about the team, I still don’t feel like I know what is going to happen this fall. We can even start with the easy topics. Here’s a prediction I’m willing to make: If he stays healthy, Todd Gurley will be pretty good. Of course that’s an understatement, but it’s really easy to turn that understatement into an overstatement. Heisman Trophy-hype is unavoidable for players of Gurley’s status. The junior tailback has put together an impressive enough resume in his two seasons in Athens to have earned this respect. But when December comes and the trophy is handed out, there’s no guaranteeing that Gurley will even be in New York for the ceremony, let alone walking onto the stage. I think Gurley will have a good season. I think it’s safe to say that if he remains healthy for 12 games, he can have a great season. But the fact that I’ve twice now mentioned a clean bill of health is what gives me pause. This isn’t to say that Gurley won’t stay healthy this fall. But Gurley has said this fall that he doesn’t yet feel 100 percent, and I do think it’s entirely possible that some side effects of his previous injuries will linger deeper into the season than he is willing to admit. So I’ll put my milk on the line here and hope it doesn’t go sour: I don’t think Todd Gurley wins the Heisman Trophy in 2014.
Nick Suss
Assistant Sports Editor
But as I said early, talking about Gurley is the easy topic. Talking about the rest of the team is where things get a little murkier. Georgia’s schedule isn’t nearly as difficult in 2014 as it was in 2013. Clemson isn’t the same team it was a year ago, Arkansas isn’t LSU and South Carolina replaced Jadeveon Clowney with someone who isn’t Jadeveon Clowney. That being said, any opponent looking at Georgia on its schedule can say the same things. Georgia doesn’t have Aaron Murray anymore. Georgia doesn’t have Arthur Lynch anymore. Georgia doesn’t have Tray Matthews or Josh Harvey-Clemons or Shaq Wiggins or Jon Taylor or Todd Grantham anymore. The only thing Georgia consistently still has on its team is a series of question marks. But that doesn’t mean the season is in vain. There’s a reason Georgia is still the No. 12 team in the country in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches’ poll. This is a talented Georgia team with surpluses of ability gushing off the depth chart like juice out of a ripened peach at nearly every offensive skill position. This is a complicated Georgia team to make predictions about. The best-case scenarios and the worst-case scenarios are spread so far apart they’d need to take a plane flight just to meet each other halfway. Head coach Mark Richt doesn’t even know who he’s going to start on the defense on Saturday, so how should I know how the season’s going to go? It is worth venturing a guess, however. Here’s my prediction: Georgia finishes the regular season with a record of 9-3 and misses the Southeastern Conference championship game. I think Georgia loses its second game of the season at South Carolina, its sixth game of the season at Missouri and its eighth game of the season in Jack-
PREDICTION: GEORGIA 38, CLEMSON 31
sonville to Florida. Those three programs, along with Georgia, are the premier teams in the SEC East and traveling to play all of those teams, I think, will take a toll on the Bulldogs. The Florida game is the hardest for me to predict, and not just because I don’t know who’s going to be playing for either team two-and-a-half months from now. I know Georgia has had a recent hot streak against the Gators, but I think that Florida will view this season’s contest as a revenge game, a rivalry game and possibly the game that could save the job of their head coach, Will Muschamp. You may notice, however, that means I’m forecasting a victory over Auburn. Here’s the rationale. Auburn will have already played LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Texas A&M before they play Georgia with only one bye week and no cupcakes in between. I think Georgia sees a battered and roughed up Auburn team in Sanford Stadium, a place I don’t think the Bulldogs will lose in this year. Which leads us to Clemson. Clemson is ranked highly despite losing a highlyproductive and record-setting quarterback. So is Georgia. The strength of Clemson’s team lies in its ability to rush the passer, but so too does Georgia’s. Both teams enter the contest with a handful of high-profile injuries and suspensions. Georgia and Clemson are the fraternal twins of college football: as different as they may appear, they’re virtually the same. So why do I pick Georgia to top Clemson this week? The answer comes down to home-field advantage for me. Just as the Death Valley crowd forced Georgia mistakes in 2013, I expect Sanford Stadium to play a big role in limiting what Clemson’s fastpaced offense can do. In a game that will be a higher-scoring affair than most expect, I pick Georgia to win by a final score of 38-31. And here’s one more prediction for you: Most of these predictions will be wrong.