74
As spread attacks
proliferate, the
Bulldogs buck the
trend, pounding
front sevens on the
ground—totaling
an SEC-high 3,343
yards last year—
to open up the
passing attack.
The blueprint
works because
coach Kirby Smart
has consistently
fielded superior
offensive lines, and
this year will be no
different. Beyond
potential 2020
first-round picks
in tackles Andre w
Thomas and Isaiah
Wilson, there is
Jamaree Salyer, a
325-pounder whom
Smart called “the
most improved
player” in the
spring. The former
five-star recruit
could jump from
reserve to starter
at right tackle, right
guard or center.
He’s one of the
keys to what could
be Smart’s best
offensive line yet.X-FACTOR
2019
SCHEDULE
THE BIG STORY Over the last
two seasons under coach
Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have
won 24 games, delivered an SEC
title and reached the national
championship game. The one
thing they haven’t done, of course,
is beat Alabama. What’s clear is
this: Georgia has closed the talent
gap. Smart has his second straight
top two recruiting class and will
field his most experienced team,
led by third-year QB Jake Fromm.
The two SEC powers don’t meet in
the regular season, but make no
mistake: Georgia and Bama are on
a collision course.CAN’T MISS Athens is the place
to find future NFL running
backs, with junior D’Andre Swif t
following in the footsteps of Nick
Chubb, Sony Michel and Todd
Gurley. The 5' 9", 215-pound Swift
racked up 1,049 yards and 10 TDs
while splitting time with the
now-departed Elijah Holyfield.KEY QUESTION Were the
Bulldogs’ defensive struggles
in a 28–21 Sugar Bowl loss to
Texas—in which two NFL-bound
players, CB Deandre Baker and
edge rusher D’Andre Walker, sat
out—a preview of things to come?
Georgia ranked 31st in the country
against the run, and a talent gap at
D-line between the Tide and the
Bulldogs remains. Freshman
Travon Walker, a five-star recruit,
needs to deliver mightily at tackle.KEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
SI RANKING
AUG. 31
@ VANDERBILT
SEPT. 7
MURRAY STATE
SEPT. 14
ARKANSAS STATE
SEPT. 21
NOTRE DAME (7)
OCT. 5
@ TENNESSEE
OCT. 12
SOUTH CAROLINA
OCT. 19
KENTUCKY
NOV. 2
FLORIDA
NOV. 9
MISSOURI
NOV. 16
@ AUBURN (17)
NOV. 23
TEXAS A&M (13)
NOV. 30
@ GEORGIA TECH
THE RUNDOWN
3
6
9
12
15
10
–^3
8 –
5
13
–^2
(S
EC
CH
AM
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)^
11 –
3
11 –
1
WINS
Entering Smart’s fourth
season in Athens, the
Bulldogs are firmly
established as one of the
country’s preeminent
programs. But they’re still
chasing their first national
YEAR 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* title since 1980.
*SI PROJECTION5 -YEAR TREND
10.5
The Bulldogs have a
much tougher path
to an undefeated regular season
than Alabama—in addition to
their clashes against Florida and
Texas A&M, they’ve got a date
with Notre Dame—but they’re also
loaded with just as much talent.FRO
M (^) L
EFT
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UR
A (^) H
EA
LD;
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THA
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ACH
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IMA
GES
Georgia