August 28, 2019 · 6:41 AM

Great, but not great enough?

If you want to read a stat-laden piece about Georgia’s last two seasons, then, buddy, this FiveThirtyEight story is right up your alley.

There’s lots of interesting data to digest, but this in particular caught my eye:

Georgia does lose five starters apiece on offense and defense from last season, including cornerback Deandre Baker, who won 2018’s Jim Thorpe Award as the country’s top defensive back, and receivers Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley. But Fromm’s return negates one of the biggest factors in an offense’s demise: losing the starting quarterback.

According to data collected from the 2001 through 2017 seasons, a previously average offense that loses five starters including the QB would expect to be about 12 percent less efficient than before. However, if the team retains its signal-caller, it can basically expect to carry on without missing a beat — great news for an offense as strong as UGA’s last season. The same can be said for a defense that loses five starters between seasons; our research says that team can also expect no real drop-off in efficiency between seasons, generally speaking.

The tl;dr version of that:  Georgia is reloading, not rebuilding.  Hubba hubba.

Now, the Dawgs just need to go out and beat ‘Bama, which, unfortunately is doing the same, but at a higher level.

(h/t)

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14 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football, Stats Geek!

14 responses to “Great, but not great enough?”

  1. eethomaswfnc
    August 28, 2019 at 6:57 AM

    The way to 15-0 at this point is to win the first one. The season is here. Neither Bama nor Clemson is on the schedule. It’s time to quit worrying about them and focus on Vandy then 11 more. It’s a business trip to Nashville to get the first half of the Tennessee state championship taken care of. Attack the Day, Dawgs!

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  2. rabe76
    August 28, 2019 at 7:36 AM

    Marginally better. However, Rivers Cuomo gives us the edge on special teams. That will be the difference in Atlanta. Right? RIGHT?!

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  3. Bigshot
    August 28, 2019 at 8:11 AM

    We can all forget about Beating Bama. It ain’t happenin. History proves otherwise. Even though UGA gets better, so does Bama. Bama also plays an easier schedule, which leads to less injuries.

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  4. Charlottedawg
    August 28, 2019 at 8:42 AM

    My takeaway from that data is that fiveish programs (UGA, bama, and Clemson, maybe OSU and OU) are separating from the rest of the p5 on both on the field and on signing day and college football may be experiencing several “great” teams at the same time (as defined by a 2000+ score). Also parity is dead in CFB.

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  5. Cojones
    August 28, 2019 at 12:52 PM

    Didn’t many of us think in the same manner about Fromme returning? He knows all the playbook and can help mentor his O team to victory with that advantage. That’s quite an advantage over a newbie. He helps to attract mo-buttah O players and furnishes the D commits something to use in the iron-sharpens-iron practices that can elevate new D players to a more visible platform than most other teams afford their players. You have already read that from new players this year. Opportunities grow faster for those guys to excel and get ink when the team has the stability furnished by Fromme.

    Now, with all these pronouncements, the season is going to be racked with Nervous Nellies holding their breath every time Fromme plays. God help us from strokes and heart attacks if he goes down. I’m one of the NNs, but have faith that Stetson and others can pick up the chips or Smart wouldn’t have them on the team.

    Go Dawgs! Woof! Woof! Woof!

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