14-in-14 2023: Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia has built a formidable death machine, crushing anyone in its wake. Can the Dawgs ride that well-oiled machine to a three-peat in 2023?
By: Bossman Slim
Should we make this simple? This is a juggernaut. A well-oiled death machine that scoops up and spits out anything and everything in its path. Boom, 14-in-14 over.
In all seriousness, this Georgia program has already carved its name in college football history…and they don’t feel like they’re done yet. They want a dynasty like Alabama. Not one, not two, not three, not four as Lebron James famously said.
Georgia is looking for a three-peat in 2023, something that has never been done in the AP Poll era. The last team to three-peat in college football was Minnesota, and they did it before the Second World War. Babe Ruth, Allen Iverson, Dwayne Wade, Alex Rodriguez, the Holy Trinity. All greats who represented the #3, and Georgia is looking to join their ranks.
Can they do what no team has done in almost 100 years?
State of the Program is: 12/12 biscuits. Georgia is a perennial power occupying rare air. These are Grandma’s biscuits from a 100-year-old family recipe.
Kirby Smart has built an absolute machine in Athens, made in the (name) image (and likeness - heh, pun) of Nick Saban. Smart learned on the job from the GOAT for eight years and has put his own unique spin on “The Process” that has led Georgia to heights not seen since 1980. There are only a handful of teams each season that are in the national championship conversation from start to finish, and the Bulldogs are one of them.
Kirby’s well-oiled death machine marches into 2023. (B&S Graphics Dept.)
This year should be no different. The Dawgs saw 15 players drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft and 10 players drafted in 2023. No matter! Georgia returns over half their starters from last year's national championship team (13), and they have plenty of talent to fill the gaps. Next man up. There are questions at quarterback as we haven’t seen anyone but Stetson Bennett in 40 years. With Stetson gone to the NFL, it’s up to Carson Beck to take up the mantle. He has the talent and knowledge of the system, now it’s just time to put it all on the field. There are some questions in the running back room, but that’s mostly due to injuries - as long as the Dawgs have a few healthy backs, they’ll be fine. The offensive line will be stout yet again, with 3/5 returning starters. The wide receiver room lost AD Mitchell to Texas in the offseason but still upgraded through the portal by nabbing Dominic Lovett (Mizzou) and Rara Thomas (Mississippi State). The defense will be killer again and it’s tough to find holes. Realistically, Georgia is Georgia’s toughest opponent. Can they keep the ironclad mentality that it takes to stay at the top?
Have you ever seen a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime? The Rock? That’s a picture of the overall health of the Georgia program. They’re firing on all cylinders, slugging raw milk, and pumping da iron at a Mr. Universe level. They’re the healthiest program in the country, top to bottom. Kirby is going nowhere, signing an extension after last season worth $112.5 million which puts his buyout at $91.5 million. Athletic Director Josh Brooks signed a six-year extension in May. Jere Morehead has been Georgia’s president since 2013. UGA opened a new $80 million football facility in 2021, spent $90 million on Sanford Stadium and practice facility upgrades in 2017 and 2018, and is set to spend another $68.5 million on stadium upgrades in the next two years. Since Kirby Smart took over the program, Georgia has spent a whopping $243.5 million on football facilities. Great freakin’ Scott.
To achieve extraordinary results, all coaches will tell you it takes organizational alignment. Georgia has it in spades, setting them up for success for the next decade.
What went right in 2022
What didn’t go right in 2022? Georgia romped just about everyone on their schedule. Oregon? Sorry, Dan Lanning. South Carolina? Stomped. Kentucky? Suffocated. Tennessee, meet defense. Stetson Bennett has an electric year, throwing for 4,000+ yards and 27 TDs to go along with a 68% completion rate and 161 QBR on his way to a Heisman invite. Ridiculous. Brock Bowers shined again, making insane catches and posting 63 rec/942 yds/7 TDs. The stable of running backs rushed for over 2,600 yards. We haven’t even mentioned the defense yet, which was top five statistically in the country. They had dudes all over the field, especially Jalen Carter, Smael Mondon and Jamon Dumas-Johnson (both returning), Kelee Ringo, Malaki Starks, and the list goes on and on.
All those dudes brought the Dawgs their second straight national championship after the air told them they would go 7-5.
What went wrong in 2022
When a team runs the table to a conference title, playoff berth, and national title, you’ve got to nitpick. So that’s what we’re going to do here.
The Dawgs were almost upset in Columbia by a middling Mizzou team. Sometimes that’s how it goes in college football, you play down to an opponent and they play inspired football…and you are just happy to escape with a win. The defense played well, and offensively they put up numbers, but turnovers almost cost Georiga dearly. Against Kentucky, the offense had difficulty putting points on the board and had to grind out a win, relying on the defense to boa constrictor the Wildcats, who did not score until the fourth quarter.
Ohio State nearly clipped the Dawgs in the College Football Playoff semifinal, until the defense clamped down in the 4th quarter and the offense went to work. They could have played a better game, but it’s Ohio State, a program among the handful of elites that Georgia competes with for titles every year.
Like I said, tough to find much to complain about.
What the Dawgs need in 2023
This is a simple formula. The Dawgs have all the pieces in place to make another run to the College Football Playoff. They need a QB to emerge and those playmakers on the outside to step up. I’m not worried about the offensive line. I’m not worried about the front seven or the second level on defense. Georgia can compete with anyone in the country just by relying on their defense. With the Bulldogs 2023 schedule, it’s quite possible they won’t be challenged until October and possibly even November. Auburn, with a new offensive guru coach, on September 30th could be the Dawgs first real test, unless South Carolina on September 16th can put up a good showing with Spencer Rattler.
I am slightly worried about the running back room as they are dealing with the aforementioned injuries. It does seem that Kendall Milton is nearing 100% and Dijun Edwards is nearing a return as well. As long as they can round into form by South Carolina in Week 3, the Dawgs will have nothing to worry about behind the QB.
The Bulldogs need to keep that kill-or-be-killed mentality all season. If they can escape the season unscathed again, the biggest challenge will then come in the SEC Championship game and the CFP. Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan, etc. could be waiting in those games.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
There are no extra biscuits to earn, but as Kirby Smart will tell you, the most difficult task of any program is to maintain success. Can the Bulldogs keep their 12 biscuits or will they get complacent? Could they slip down to 11 biscuits? 10? Kirby Smart and the Dawgs want none of that. They want to keep their 12 biscuits to themselves. No sharing of Grandma’s secret recipe.
To do that, they’ll need Carson Beck to be the man (or Brock Vandagriff/Gunner Stockton if Beck can’t hack it). For any of those QBs, playmakers like Captain America Brock Bowers, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Ladd McConkey, Rara Thomas, and Dominic Lovett will need to step up to ease the transition. They’ll need stellar play from their running back room that needs to get healthy. Lastly, the defense will have to be as mean as ever. With 7/11 starters returning on that side of the ball, they should continue to strike fear into opposing offenses.
Georgia has the tools to three-peat and keep their status as the only team with 12 biscuits in our 14-in-14.
That doesn’t mean the road will be easy.
Next Up:
Tennessee
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