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Quentin Moses (94) Simon Bruty/SI

The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Mark Richt (6th season, 52-13) 2005 record: 10-3 (Lost to West Virginia in Sugar Bowl) SEC finish: 6-2 (1st East) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 43rd (162.2 ypg) Passing: 49th (229.0 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 52nd (143.9 ypg) Passing: 7th (169.6 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 Western Kentucky Sept. 9 at South Carolina Sept. 16 UAB Sept. 23 Colorado Sept. 30 at Ole Miss Oct. 7 Tennessee Oct. 14 Vanderbilt Oct. 21 Mississippi State Oct. 28 #Florida Nov. 4 at Kentucky Nov. 11 at Auburn Nov. 25 Georgia Tech #Jacksonville FL Depth Chart: Offense 4 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. SE 1 Mohamed Massaquoi So. 80 Mario Raley Sr. FL 88 Kenneth Harris So. 27 Mikey Henderson Jr. ST 79 Ken Shackleford Sr. 61 Michael Turner Sr. SG 75 Fernando Velasco Jr. 77 Zeb McKinzey Jr. C 70 Nick Jones Sr. 64 Ian Smith Fr. TG 67 Chester Adams Jr. 76 Seth Watts So. TT 72 Daniel Inman Sr. 61 Michael Turner Sr. TE 87 Martrez Milner Sr. 86 Tripp Chandler So. QB 13 Joe Tereshinski Sr. 7 Matthew Stafford Fr. FB 36 Brannan Southerland So. 35 Des Williams So. TB 20 Thomas Brown Jr. 6 Kregg Lumpkin Jr. Depth Chart: Defense 5 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 99 Charles Johnson Jr. 41 Roderick Battle Fr. DT 90 Ray Gant Sr. 54 Dale Dixson Sr. DT 95 Jeff Owens So. 91 Kade Weston Fr. DE 94 Quentin Moses Sr. 38 Marcus Howard Jr. SLB 12 Brandon Miller Jr. 42 Danny Verdun Wheeler Sr. MLB 45 Jarvis Jackson Sr. 44 Marcus Washington So. WLB 43 Tony Taylor Sr. 33 Dannell Ellerbe So. CB 8 Paul Oliver Jr. 11 Ramarcus Brown So. CB 29 Thomas Flowers Jr. 2 Asher Allen Fr. ROV 25 Tra Battle Sr. 5 C.J. Byrd So. FS 30 Kelin Johnson Jr. 10 Donavon Baldwin Fr. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 96 Brandon Coutu Jr. P 95 Gordon Ely-Kelso Sr. KR 11 Ramarcus Brown So. PR 29 Thomas Flowers Jr.

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Coming off its second SEC Championship and third title game appearance in four years, Georgia has made a legitimate claim that it should be considered the new Beast of the East.

However, that title won't do much good in 2006 if the Bulldogs can't find a quarterback. In his first five seasons in Athens, coach Mark Richt had the unflappable David Greene and the unshakable D.J. Shockley running the show. Heading into this season, he has four candidates to take over, and none of them is perfect.

"They just have to live through some experiences," Richt says. "They're going to make mistakes. We're going to have some things we're not going to like."

He's not just talking about in practice. Richt warned the Georgia fan base throughout spring practice that the quarterback competition probably will extend into the Sept. 2 season-opener against Western Kentucky.

"It's a lot easier to live with if it's just one guy who's better than everybody else, but I'm not going to sit here and say that we wouldn't play two guys," Richt says.

If the Bulldogs find the right man, they will compete for the Eastern Division title again. If not, they'll have to give back the crown.

OFFENSE

True freshman Matthew Stafford, who enrolled early, had the best spring game of the quarterback candidates, but fifth-year senior Joe Tereshinski remains on top of the depth chart heading into the fall. Stafford lacks Tereshinski's handle on the playbook, but his arm is unrivaled on the team, and he has the quarterback "it" factor. The darkhorses at this point are sophomore Blake Barnes and redshirt freshman Joe Cox, but Richt insists no one has been eliminated.

Whoever plays quarterback will need a playmaker at wide receiver. Sophomore Mohamed Massaquoi will be one of the premier possession receivers in the conference, but Georgia still needs a deep threat. Converted cornerback Mikey Henderson could be it.

At running back, Thomas Brown is beginning to emerge from the pack, ahead of talented juniors Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware.

DEFENSE

Opposing quarterbacks will have to pay close attention when they play the Bulldogs, who may have the best pair of defensive ends in the conference. Senior Quentin Moses is the headliner after spurning early entry into the NFL Draft last year, but junior Charles Johnson got all the spring buzz because he was virtually unblockable.

Defensive tackle, where starters Kedric Golston and Gerald Anderson are gone, will be a big question mark because Georgia's normally stellar run defense was porous last year (eighth in the SEC). Sophomore Jeff Owens, a budding star, and senior Ray Gant are expected to start there.

The Bulldogs' underachieving linebackers also have to take some responsibility for the run defense. Jarvis Jackson and Tony Taylor have swapped spots, putting Jackson back in the middle and Taylor on the weak side.

Three starters, including All-America safety Greg Blue, must be replaced in the secondary. Cornerback Paul Oliver is a potential star, but Georgia still needs a playmaker at safety in the line of Blue, Thomas Davis and Sean Jones.

SPECIALISTS

The Bulldogs may have the best set of kickers in the SEC and one of the best duos in the country. Junior Brandon Coutu walked on but earned a scholarship last year after being named first-team All-SEC for hitting 23-of-29 kicks, including three of more than 50 yards. Senior punter Gordon Ely-Kelso doesn't raise many eyebrows with his yardage average because of the Bulldogs' punting strategy, but he's got a ton of leg and rarely shanks one.

FINAL ANALYSIS

A few things have to go right for the Bulldogs, starting with the quarterback situation and ending with the run defense, but Richt has earned the benefit of the doubt. If Georgia finds the right signal-caller, it should be in every game it plays, and that means another SEC title isn't out of the question.

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