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Nobody could have realistically expected to see that.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Ever.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Penn State called though, hoping that James Franklin could revive its disgraced program. Franklin left for State College and Vandy looked west. Then-Stanford assistant Derek Mason landed in Nashville and a new era began.
[su_spacer size=”40″] That new era has been an all too familiar one to the Commodore football program. Last season began with a 37-7 loss in Nashville to Temple. Temple. Things didn’t go much better from there. The Commodores squeaked past Charleston Southern and UMass, but went winless in SEC play. Vanderbilt was back at the bottom of the league.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Mason hired two new coordinators, and the Commodores are hoping that Year Two Post-Franklin will go much better than Year One. Year Two got off to a bad start, though not as bad as the previous season’s humiliating loss to Temple, as Vandy fell to Western Kentucky 14-12.
[su_spacer size=”40″] For Georgia, if this is going to be a championship caliber season, then this is a game the Bulldogs should win. Handily.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Racing to a 35-0 first half lead in the season opening 51-14 trouncing of Louisiana-Monroe, a few areas in which Georgia was confident, those areas were reinforced. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel were spectacular with the pigskin in their hands. Lorenzo Carter, Leonard Floyd, Jordan Jenkins — as expected — and Davin Bellamy were tremendous at outside linebacker/defensive end.
[su_spacer size=”40″] There were big plays on special teams and Colin Barber was strong kicking off. Though the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe were overmatched, there were still some positives that could clearly be taken from the contest.
[su_spacer size=”40″] As far as the quarterback situation, Greyson Lambert was solid. Brice Ramsey came in and showed a strong arm. Both will likely play against the Commodores.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Motivation shouldn’t lack considering the way the last trip to Nashville went. A trio of special teams disasters opened the door for Vandy to secure a monumental win and doom Georgia’s season to mediocrity.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Since that fateful Saturday, there has been a major overhaul on Mark Richt’s staff, with seven of nine assistants new to the program in 2014 and 2015. The Bulldogs have missed out on the SEC Championship the last two seasons, as Missouri has punched the ticket to Atlanta. Getting back to the Georgia Dome is a high priority for the Bulldogs, and Saturday marks the first opportunity to take a step in that direction.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The biggest match-up:
[su_spacer size=”20″] It’s the special teams. It could not have been worse for Georgia in 2013, with a fumbled punt, misconnection on a punt snap and a fake field goal for a touchdown. This was the low point of a kicking game that was downright awful.
[su_spacer size=”40″] With the infusion of new blood on the coaching staff, improvement on special teams was a must. Georgia got it a year ago. Though in the three losses there were breakdowns, the overall play and consistency was a stark improvement from 2013. The Bulldogs goal this year is continued improvement, and a solid kicking game every Saturday out.
[su_spacer size=”40″] What better team to use for a measuring stick to help gauge just how far the Bulldogs have come since that disaster of 2013.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Vanderbilt needs a repeat performance of that chilly Saturday. The commodores are overmatched defensively and on offense. Big plays in the kicking game, when possession and massive chunks of real estate are exchanged, and forcing the Bulldogs into mistakes are Vanderbilt’s formula to spring the upset.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Flashback 32 years – Terry Hoage
[su_spacer size=”20″] One of the greatest players in southeastern Conference history made one of his biggest plays in red and black, as Terry Hoage’s deflection of a third-down Kurt Page pass preserved a 20-13 lead and victory in a knee-knocking Nashville victory. On the ensuing play, Gary Moss clinched the game with an interception, but it was Hoage’s heroics that saved the night as Vanderbilt nearly pulled off an upset win over tie over the 5-0-1 three-time defending SEC champions.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Larry Munson was at his finest, as Hoage came out of nowhere to just get the pigskin which was spiraling towards peril: “Somebody got in the air with a great leap, Terry Hooooooaaaaaage got up in the air”
[su_spacer size=”40″] The season prior, Georgia scored the game’s final 17 points to remain undefeated en route to a perfect 11-0 regular season, defeating one of the best Vandy teams ever 27-13. Hoage was the hero with a school record-tying three interceptions.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bottom Line
[su_spacer size=”20″] Georgia handled the opener without much drama. There is clearly room for improvement, but every team can say that. Particularly after the first game.
[su_spacer size=”40″] [su_spacer size=”40″] For more articles like this, including player and fan photos as well as videos, check out Bulldawg Illustrated’s latest issue online:
[su_spacer size=”40″] Bulldawg Illustrated
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