Georgia Football: The Decade That Was and The One That Can Be

The 2010s was a roller-coaster decade for Georgia Football. SI Bulldog Maven takes a look at the decade that was and compares it to what the next could be.

2010 through 2019 was an eventful decade for the Georgia Bulldog Football program. The past ten years have been full of memorable moments for the Dawgs faithful. 

Those whose blood runs Red & Black have seen some of the all-time great Bulldogs performances in between the hedges during this time. They both celebrated and lamented an embattled Mark Richt era that came to an end and the Kirby Smart era began. From the lows of the Liberty Bowl to the high of the Rose Bowl we would like to recap this decade and also take a peek at the next one to come for Georgia Football.

A Liberty Bowl Loss

A (6-7) season and a loss in the Liberty Bowl is disappointing for any program. For a program like Georgia, with a loyal and rabid fanbase that is so desperate to win another national championship, it's unacceptable. 10 years in, many people wanted to see the Mark Richt era come to an end on December 31, 2010, when Georgia walked off of the field in Memphis after having fallen to UCF, a Conference USA opponent. 

Yes, the self-proclaiming National Champion UCF, but well before they reached that level of notoriety or respect in the college football landscape. Despite the low point, President Michale Adams and then newly hired Atheltic Director Greg McGarity decided to stick with Richt and the next two seasons saw the fruit of that decision.

Back to Atlanta

In 2011 and 2012 the Dawgs would defeat all four major rivals in Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech and Tennesee by a combined score of 268 to 119. The Florida game in 2012 was action-packed at the end. Aaron Murray to Malcolm Mitchell on 3rd & 5 for a 45-yard TD and Jarvis Jone's game-sealing strip of Jordan Reed on the 4-yard line is a combination of exuberant moments that will be remembered for some time to come. 

Georgia would also find themselves in Atlanta for the SEC Championship each of those two seasons against LSU and Alabama respectively. The 2011 game was a blowout in favor of the Tigers, but the next season's last-second loss against the Crimson Tide will go down as one of the more controversial and heartbreaking in the history of the program.

Out of Time

The decision to not spike the ball after a 26-yard catch and run over the middle to tight end Arthur Lynch has been and will continue to be rehashed and debated for the rest of Dawg fan eternity. Choosing to run a quick play instead and try to capitalize on the momentum of the drive backfired after Chris Conley caught a tipped ball and the clock expired along with Georgia's greatest hope for a BCS or CFP title in the Richt era.

The subsequent three seasons would see Georgia fall back into the good but not great category. A combined record of (28-8) over the 2013 - 2015 campaigns lead the University of Georgia higher-ups to come to the decision that it was time for a change. On November 29, 2015, the reign of Richt had come to an end and exactly one week later, December 6, 2015, the Smart Era had begun.

The Kirby Era Begins

Kirby and company drew the ire of Richt loyalist in his inaugural season with a record of (8-5). Lack of offensive production in that first season lead to scoring outputs of 14, 16, 10, and 13 against Ole Miss (loss), Vanderbilt (loss), Florida (loss), and Auburn (win) respectively. 

Fast forward to September 9, 2017, and the calamitous cloud that seemed to be hovering over the program began to evaporate. A true Freshman that had never started a game in the Red & Black took the Dawgs into South Bend and defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the type of game that Georgia seemed to historically find a way to lose. 

In that game, a defensive unit with solid returning players like Roquan Smith, Davin Bellamy, and Lorenzo Carter would take a step toward becoming one of the more feared in the country and the players on it legendary.

A Different Type of Domination

The one-point victory would catapult Kirby's crew to demolishing victories over all their SEC East opponents, including trouncing Tennessee and Florida by a combined score of 83 to 7. The dream season for the Dawgs was almost derailed by a nightmare in Jordan Hare Stadium. The 40 to 17 trouncing at the hands of the Tigers cast doubt on if Georgia was truly ready for the big time and an opportunity to make a run into the College Football Playoff. 

However, a win over Kentucky clinched the Dawgs opportunity at redemption in the SEC Championship and after Auburn shocked #1 Alabama the following week, that opportunity would become even sweeter as the Tigers would be the opponent for the Dawgs in Atlanta.

SEC Champs

"Swift by the defense! 40! 30! They won't catch him! Go! Swift, into the endzone! Touchdown! The Freshman just ran it back to Philadelphia!" That was the radio call by Scott Howard as Jake Fromm handed the ball to D'Andre Swift who took the ball 64-yards to the GEORGIA painted endzone at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and put the final nail in the coffin of Auburn. 

Georgia was SEC Champions for the first time since 2005. Tears flowed, partying commenced and at that moment it seemed that Bulldogs might actually have arrived into "elite" status in college football.

College Football Playoff

The newest group of Bulldog heroes headed west to face Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl and played in one of the greatest bowl games in recent memory. 

The gut-wrenching disappointment of a start that looked like another big moment thrown to the wayside, only to be followed by the exhilaration and adrenaline of an improbable comeback led by two fiercely loved and celebrated running backs and a host of budding Bulldog greats. Finally, the agonizing and breath-taking anticipation of an Andrew Seibert 27-yard go-ahead field goal turned into a state of ecstasy thanks to the outstretched fingers of Lorenzo Carter. Sony Michel on a 25-yard 'Wild Dawg' scamper gave the 2018 Rose Bowl a fairytale ending and sent Dawg Nation into a state of euphoric pandemonium as Georgia would play for a National Championship for the first time since 1982.

Unfortunately, a play of equal finality and consequence would ultimately crown Alabama the 2017-2018 College Football Playoff Champions. On 2nd & 26 backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would find Devonta Smith on a Bulldog busted coverage and the dream season would end with the long-awaited return to the top of the mountain just out of reach.

Kirby Smart vowed after the game that Georgia was going to remain relevant and those planning on the Bulldogs disappearing from the National Title landscape were sadly mistaken. Kirby and the Dawgs have lived up to that promise now having played in three consecutive SEC Championship games for the first time in school history and having been ranked in the top 5 of the CFP Rankings 10 out of 12 possible weeks in the past two seasons.

HC, Kirby Smart

The Best is Yet to Come

Yes, the Dawgs and the Georgia faithful are still awaiting another coveted Championship, but I would argue that the decade to come may be the most promising in the history of Georgia football. 

There has never been a larger collection of talent in Athens, as top recruiting classes are becoming the norm. The University of Georgia is investing in coaches and facilities at an unprecedented clip and a slew of monumental, heavyweight match-ups are waiting throughout the 2020s.

Facing programs like Oregon, Oklahoma, Clemson, UCLA, Florida State, and Texas will only continue to expand the national brand recognition of Georgia Bulldog football. Playoff expansion is inevitable and the Dawgs are ahead of the curve in positioning themselves to have the type of schedule that - providing recruiting and performance remains steady - will have UGA in the hunt title runs year in and year out for the foreseeable future. 

The 20s should be roaring for the Dawgs and the reasons for optimism and hope should be as high as ever.