2015 Georgia Bulldogs football team
American college football season
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The 2015 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Sanford Stadium. They were members of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. This was head coach Mark Richt's 15th and final season leading the program. Richt was relieved of his duties at the end of the regular season. Richt was originally slated to remain head coach for the team's bowl game, but he was replaced after he reached an agreement to become head coach of the Miami Hurricanes football team. Wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon was named interim head coach for the TaxSlayer Bowl against Penn State.[1]
| 2015 Georgia Bulldogs football | |
|---|---|
| |
TaxSlayer Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Eastern Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 24 |
| Record | 10–3 (5–3 SEC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Brian Schottenheimer (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Jeremy Pruitt (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Sanford Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Florida x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 Tennessee | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 5 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri* | 1 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Alabama x$#^ | 7 | – | 1 | 14 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Ole Miss | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 LSU * | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 4 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 2 | – | 6 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Alabama 29, Florida 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After starting the season ranked in the top 10, the team completed a second straight 9–3 regular season, finishing third in the SEC East Division after losing to division rivals Florida and Tennessee, as well as a cross-division matchup with Alabama. After the Florida game, the team ended the regular season with a four-game win streak that included road wins over rivals Auburn and Georgia Tech, though it needed overtime to defeat Georgia Southern, a Sun Belt Conference team playing just its second season at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
Coaching changes
Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo left his position to accept the head coaching job at Colorado State at the end of the 2014 season. Offensive line coach Will Friend joined Bobo's Colorado State staff as offensive coordinator.
Bobo was replaced by Brian Schottenheimer, who was the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator the previous 3 seasons. Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets from 2006 to 2011 and also coached Quarterbacks for the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins. Schottenheimer started playing college football at Kansas before transferring to Florida to play for Steve Spurrier from 1993 to 1996. Rob Sale was hired to coach the offensive line. Sale came from McNeese State where he coached the offensive line the previous 3 seasons.
After wide receivers coach Tony Ball took a position with LSU, Thomas Brown was hired from Wisconsin. Brown, who played running back at Georgia and coached the position at Wisconsin, replaced Bryan McClendon as running backs coach, with McClendon moving to coach wide receivers, the same position he played at Georgia.
Personnel
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Seasons at Georgia | Alma mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Richt | Head coach | 15 | Miami (FL) (1982) |
| Brian Schottenheimer | Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks | 1 | Florida (1997) |
| Bryan McClendon | Wide receivers/Recruiting Coordinator/Passing Game Coordinator | 7 | Georgia (2005) |
| John Lilly | Tight ends/Offensive Special Teams Coordinator | 8 | Guilford College (1990) |
| Thomas Brown | Running backs | 1 | Georgia (2008) |
| Rob Sale | Offensive line/Running Game Coordinator | 1 | LSU (2003) |
| Jeremy Pruitt | Defensive coordinator/Secondary | 2 | West Alabama (1999) |
| Tracy Rocker | Defensive line/Will Linebackers | 2 | Auburn (1988) |
| Mike Ekeler | Inside Linebackers/Defensive Special Teams Coordinator | 2 | Kansas State (1994) |
| Kevin Sherrer | Sam Linebackers | 2 | Alabama (1996) |
| Buddy Collins | Special Teams Coordinator/Quality Control | 3 | MidAmerica Nazarene (2010) |
| Dan Inman | Offensive Graduate Assistant | 3 | UNC–Pembroke (2012) |
| Doug Saylor | Offensive Graduate Assistant | 3 | Georgia (2011) |
| Kelin Johnson | Defensive Graduate Assistant | 2 | Georgia (2007) |
| Reference:[2] | |||
Schedule
Georgia announced their 2015 football schedule on October 14, 2014. The 2015 schedule consisted of 7 home games, 4 away games and 1 neutral game in the regular season. The Bulldogs would host SEC foes Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, and South Carolina, and would travel to Auburn, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. Georgia would meet for the 93rd time with Florida in their annual neutral site rivalry game in Jacksonville, Florida.[3]
The Bulldogs would host three non–conference foes: Louisiana–Monroe, Southern, and in–state rival Georgia Southern. Finally, at the last game of the regular season the Bulldogs would travel to Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Louisiana–Monroe* | No. 9 | SECN | W 51–14 | 92,746 | |
| September 12 | 3:30 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | No. 10 | CBS | W 31–14 | 37,185 | |
| September 19 | 6:00 p.m. | South Carolina | No. 7 |
| ESPN | W 52–20 | 92,746 |
| September 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Southern* | No. 7 |
| SECN | W 48–6 | 92,746 |
| October 3 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 13 Alabama | No. 8 |
| CBS | L 10–38 | 92,746 |
| October 10 | 3:30 p.m. | at Tennessee | No. 19 | CBS | L 31–38 | 102,455 | |
| October 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Missouri |
| SECN | W 9–6 | 92,746 | |
| October 31 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Florida | CBS | L 3–27 | 84,628 | ||
| November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | Kentucky |
| SECN | W 27–3 | 92,746 | |
| November 14 | 12:00 p.m. | at Auburn | CBS | W 20–13 | 87,451 | ||
| November 21 | 7:15 p.m. | Georgia Southern* |
| ESPNU | W 23–17 OT | 92,746 | |
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | at Georgia Tech* | ESPN2 | W 13–7 | 55,000 | ||
| January 2, 2016 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Penn State* |
| ESPN | W 24–17 | 58,212 | |
| |||||||
- Schedule source:[4]
Game summaries
Louisiana–Monroe
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warhawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 51 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA
- Date: September 5, 2015
- Game time: 12:01 p.m. EDT
- Game attendance: 92,746
- Referee: Hubert Owens
- TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (Play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (Color) & Kayce Smith (Sideline)
- [5][6][7]
Vanderbilt
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| Commodores | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 14 |
at Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN
- Date: September 12, 2015
- Game time: 2:39 p.m. CDT
- Game attendance: 37,185
- Referee: David Smith
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play) & Gary Danielson (Color)
- [8][9][10]
South Carolina
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamecocks | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 52 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA
- Date: September 19, 2015
- Game time: 6:01 p.m. EDT
- Game attendance: 92,746
- Referee: Matt Austin
- TV announcers (ESPN): Brad Nessler (Play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (Color) & Holly Rowe (Sideline)
- [11][12][13]
Southern
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Bulldogs | 17 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 48 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA
- Date: September 26, 2015
- Game time: 12:01 p.m. EDT
- Game attendance: 92,746
- Referee: Brad Rogers
- TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (Play-by-play), Andre Ware (Color) & Laura Rutledge (Sideline)
- [14][15][16]
Alabama
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crimson Tide | 3 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA
- Date: October 3, 2015
- Game time: 3:39 p.m. EDT
- Game attendance: 92,746
- Referee: Hubert Owens
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline)
- [17][18][19]
Tennessee
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Volunteers | 3 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN
- Date: October 10, 2015
- Game time: 3:39 p.m. EDT
- Game attendance: 102,455
- Referee: Tom Ritter
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline)
- [20][21][22]
Missouri
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA
- Date: October 17, 2015
- Game time: 7:39 p.m. EDT
- Game attendance: 92,746
- Referee: John McDaid
- TV announcers (SECN): Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (Color) & Maria Taylor (Sideline)
- [23][24][25]
Florida (World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Gators | 6 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
at EverBank Field • Jacksonville, FL
- Date: October 31, 2015
- Game time: 3:39 EDT
- Game attendance: 84,628
- Referee: Tom Ritter
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline)
- [26]
Kentucky
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bulldogs | 10 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 27 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA
- Date: November 7, 2015
- Game attendance: 92,746
- TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (Play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (Color) & Kayce Smith (Sideline)
Auburn (Deep South's Oldest Rivalry)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
| Tigers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
at Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL
- Date: November 14, 2015
- Game attendance: 87,451
- Referee: John McDaid
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline)
- [27]
Georgia Southern
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA
- Date: November 21, 2015
- Game attendance: 92,746
- TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick; John Congemi
Georgia Tech (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Yellow Jackets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA
- Date: November 28, 2015
- Game attendance: 55,000
- TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins; Anthony Becht