2015 Georgia Bulldogs football team

2015 Georgia Bulldogs football
2015 Georgia Bulldogs football
TaxSlayer Bowl champion
TaxSlayer Bowl, W 24–17 vs. Penn State
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 24
Record	10–3 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach	Mark Richt (15th season; regular season); Bryan McClendon (interim; bowl game);
Offensive coordinator	Brian Schottenheimer (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Jeremy Pruitt (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Sanford Stadium
	Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East 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
West 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
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * LSU and Missouri vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

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]

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	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	SECN	W 51–14	92,746
September 12	3:30 p.m.	at Vanderbilt	No. 10	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry / SEC Nation)	CBS	W 31–14	37,185
September 19	6:00 p.m.	South Carolina	No. 7	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	ESPN	W 52–20	92,746
September 26	12:00 p.m.	Southern*	No. 7	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	SECN	W 48–6	92,746
October 3	3:30 p.m.	No. 13 Alabama	No. 8	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry / SEC Nation)	CBS	L 10–38	92,746
October 10	3:30 p.m.	at Tennessee	No. 19	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry / SEC Nation)	CBS	L 31–38	102,455
October 17	7:30 p.m.	Missouri		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	SECN	W 9–6	92,746
October 31	3:30 p.m.	vs. No. 11 Florida		EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	L 3–27	84,628
November 7	12:00 p.m.	Kentucky		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	SECN	W 27–3	92,746
November 14	12:00 p.m.	at Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (Deep South's Oldest Rivalry)	CBS	W 20–13	87,451
November 21	7:15 p.m.	Georgia Southern*		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	ESPNU	W 23–17 ^OT	92,746
November 28	12:00 p.m.	at Georgia Tech*		Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate)	ESPN2	W 13–7	55,000
January 2, 2016	12:00 p.m.	vs. Penn State*		EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL (TaxSlayer Bowl)	ESPN	W 24–17	58,212
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Schedule Source:^[4]

Game summaries

Louisiana–Monroe

Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks vs Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary

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

Georgia Bulldogs vs Vanderbilt Commodores – Game summary

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

South Carolina Gamecocks at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary

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

Southern Jaguars at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary

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

Alabama Crimson Tide at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary

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

Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers – Game summary

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

Missouri Tigers at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary

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

Georgia Bulldogs vs Florida Gators – Game summary

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
TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline)
^[26]

Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary

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; Matt Stinchcomb

Auburn

Georgia Bulldogs at Auburn Tigers – Game summary

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
TV announcers (CBS): Gary;Verne

Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern Eagles at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary

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

Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Game summary

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

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	9	10	7	7	8	19	RV	RV	RV	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
Coaches	9	9	8	6	6	16	RV	25	23	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	24
CFP	Not released									—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

References

^ "Richt tells Georgia he won't coach bowl matchup". ESPN.com. December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
^ "Football – Coaching Staff". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
^ "Alabama, South Carolina and Missouri Headline 2015 Home Football Schedule" (Press release). University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 14, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
^ "2015 Georgia Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
^ "Georgia Hosts ULM Saturday". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 1, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Louisiana at Monroe vs Georgia (Sep 05, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Towers, Chip (September 5, 2015). "Bulldogs Provide Thunder in Lightning-Marred Win Over ULM". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Football Takes on Vanderbilt in Nashville". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Georgia vs Vanderbilt (Sep 12, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 12, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Towers, Chip (September 12, 2015). "Georgia Wins 31-14 in Another Maddening Visit to Vandy". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Bulldogs Battle Gamecocks". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 14, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "S. Carolina vs Georgia (Sep 19, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 19, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Tucker, Tim (September 19, 2015). "Georgia Routs South Carolina 52-20". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Georgia Bulldogs vs. Southern Jaguars". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 21, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Southern vs Georgia (Sep 26, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 26, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Johnston, Andy (September 26, 2015). "Georgia Defeats Southern 48-6". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Georgia and Alabama Square off Saturday". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 28, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Alabama vs Georgia (Oct 03, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Towers, Chip (October 3, 2015). "Deja Vu: Dogs Humbled at Home Again by Alabama, 38-10". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "UGA Heads To Rocky Top To Face Vols". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Georgia vs Tennessee (Oct 10, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Tucker, Tim (October 10, 2015). "Tennessee Upsets Georgia 38-31". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Missouri vs. Georgia". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 12, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "Missouri vs Georgia (Oct 17, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Towers, Chip (October 17, 2015). "Bulldogs Win 9-6 in 'Gut-Check' Game Against Missouri". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "UGA and UF Square Off in Jacksonville". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.