[su_spacer size=”20″] Yes, Bulldog fans the long and grueling wait of the off-season is finally over. On Saturday, all of the hype will be replaced with real facts. And the biggest mystery of the last nine months, who will start at quarterback, will finally be answered. However, at our Sunday night press deadline here at Bulldawg Illustrated, we, like all of you in the Bulldog Nation, only know that our beloved football team has three very capable QBs. And if I had to place a bet on when Coach Richt will announce his starter, my money would go on that answer not being unveiled until the Georgia offense takes the field for their first drive.
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Despite knowing that Coach Richt probably wouldn’t give any details, I sent Murray Poole to Athens last week to give the QB question the old, college try. I’m happy to report that Murray was able to accomplish something that hadn’t happened throughout camp, when Richt gave a positive attribute about each quarterback (page 21).
[su_spacer size=”40″] Personally, I would like to see Faton Bauta, Greyson Lambert and Brice Ramsey each get one of the first three quarters versus Louisiana-Monroe. And whichever player performs the best, then earns the right to play the 4th quarter and start the following week versus Vanderbilt. Sounds like a solid plan, right? Hopefully, Coach Richt will read this and agree.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Even with the dilemma at the quarterback position, as I stated in our Season Preview back in early June, the stock for Georgia football is definitely way up these days. And a lot of that has to do with the stellar leadership among the players. For this reason, who or what to put on our cover this issue was a no-brainer. If Leonard Floyd, Kolton Houston, Jordan Jenkins and John Theus earned the right to be captains for the first game, then they most certainly deserve the BI cover. Without question, these guys are the leaders that the team should follow this season. However, what I like most about each of them is that they do not shy away from talking about the ultimate goal of winning the national championship.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Speaking of the ultimate prize, BI’s Jeff Dantzler asks the question of when Georgia’s time will finally come (page 5). As he points out, our team is very close, but there still are a few things that must happen to clear the final hurdle. One of his main points is the need for Georgia to cut down on self-inflicted wounds.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Interestingly enough, if you look at last season’s losses, the miscues were mainly on the coaches, not the players. Because of this, another story Murray procured while in Athens, was trying to figure out the synchronization of the UGA coaches on gameday (page 20) this season. It’s very interesting to discover which coaches are on the field and which ones will be in the press box. The Bulldog Nation needs our staff to be on the same page like it’s never been this season. Hopefully that’s going to happen and we will see a sound brand of football truly worthy of championship talk.
[su_spacer size=”40″] But enough about the big picture because the long season begins with Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. Our game coverage can be found on pages 6-9. Yes, this is a game that our boys in red and black should take control of early, but there’s certainly some past history of these types of games staying close well into the second half during Coach Richt’s tenure. I think this team is different and I look for them to take care of business throughout this season when they are clearly the favorite. A lot of that has to do with the veteran offensive line and Nick Chubb’s bruising running style. And while the defense of the 2015 team is young (see related story, page 22), I look for them to expand on their opportunistic tendencies from last season. Jeremy Pruitt has a ton of playmakers in his arsenal. It’s going to be a blast to watch them do their thing this season!
[su_spacer size=”40″] Switching gears to the lifestyle front of being a Georgia Bulldog, Cheri begins our coverage on page 11 and what a treat she has for you there. As you probably know, Malcolm Mitchell released a children’s book this past Saturday called The Magicians Hat. We were fortunate enough to get Malcolm to come up with his Top 10 reasons to read his book. You’re going to love his reasons, one of which is “you’re never too old to read a children’s book,” so please make sure to buy one soon either at the UGA Bookstore or online.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Past Cheri’s page, our lifestyle coverage includes fan photo pages, a spotlight on Georgia girl, Kathryn McCrary and a creative interview with one of Athens’ favorite chef ‘s (and Georgia grad), Peter Dale. Enjoy this excellent content that encompasses the off the field happenings that make UGA so special.
[su_spacer size=”40″] There are even more goodies in this issue, but it’s now time for me to pull the plug, so I encourage you to peruse every single page. You won’t be disappointed, just like I’m betting that we’re not going to be disappointed when the first Saturday in December arrives. Let the magic begin.
[su_spacer size=”40″] For more articles like this, including player and fan photos as well as videos, check out Bulldawg Illustrated’s 2015 Season Opener digital issue:
[su_spacer size=”40″] Bulldawg Illustrated