2015 Georgia Bulldogs football team

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
TaxSlayer Bowl, W 24–17 vs. Penn State
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 24
2015 record10–3 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBrian Schottenheimer (1st season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorJeremy Pruitt (2nd season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumSanford Stadium
(Capacity: 92,746)
2015 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
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
    1. – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

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.

Previous season

The 2014 Georgia Bulldogs football team finished the regular season 9–3, with losses to South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia Tech. Even defeating Missouri 34–0, Georgia did not receive a bid to the SEC Championship due to the two SEC losses (Florida and South Carolina). Instead, one loss Missouri went to the SEC championship game. The Bulldogs became bowl eligible after their win against Arkansas and were invited to play in the Belk Bowl against the Louisville Cardinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a game they won, 37-14 to complete a 10-3 season.[2]

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 2006-2011 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 1993-1996. 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
NamePositionSeasons at
Georgia		Alma Mater
Mark RichtHead coach15Miami (FL) (1982)
Brian SchottenheimerOffensive coordinator, Quarterbacks1Florida (1997)
Bryan McClendonWide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator/Passing Game Coordinator7Georgia (2005)
John LillyTight ends/Offensive Special Teams Coordinator8Guilford College (1990)
Thomas BrownRunning Backs1Georgia (2008)
Rob SaleOffensive line/Running Game Coordinator1LSU (2003)
Jeremy PruittDefensive coordinator/Secondary2West Alabama (1999)
Tracy RockerDefensive line/Will Linebackers2Auburn (1988)
Mike EkelerInside Linebackers/Defensive Special Teams Coordinator2Kansas State (1994)
Kevin SherrerSam Linebackers2Alabama (1996)
Buddy CollinsSpecial Teams Coordinator/Quality Control3MidAmerica Nazarene (2010)
Dan InmanOffensive Graduate Assistant3UNC–Pembroke (2012)
Doug SaylorOffensive Graduate Assistant3Georgia (2011)
Mike MacDonaldDefensive Graduate Assistant6Georgia (2010)
Kelin JohnsonDefensive Graduate Assistant2Georgia (2007)
Reference:[3]

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.[4]

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.

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 512:00 p.m.Louisiana–Monroe*No. 9
SECNW 51–1492,746
September 123:30 p.m.at VanderbiltNo. 10
CBSW 31–1437,185
September 196:00 p.m.South CarolinaNo. 7
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA (rivalry)
ESPNW 52–2092,746
September 2612:00 p.m.Southern*No. 7
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
SECNW 48–692,746
October 33:30 p.m.No. 13 AlabamaNo. 8
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA (rivalry)
CBSL 10–3892,746
October 103:30 p.m.at TennesseeNo. 19
CBSL 31–38102,455
October 177:30 p.m.Missouri
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
SECNW 9–692,746
October 313:30 p.m.vs. No. 11 Florida
CBSL 3–2784,628
November 712:00 p.m.Kentucky
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
SECNW 27–392,746
November 1412:00 p.m.at Auburn
CBSW 20–1387,451
November 217:15 p.m.Georgia Southern*
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
ESPNUW 23–17 OT92,746
November 2812:00 p.m.at Georgia Tech*
ESPN2W 13–755,000
January 2, 201612:00 p.m.vs. Penn State*
ESPNW 24–1758,212
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game
  • All times are in Eastern time
Schedule Source:[5]

Game summaries

Louisiana–Monroe
See also: 2015 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team
Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks vs Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Warhawks 0 7 7014
Bulldogs 14 21 9751

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA

Vanderbilt
See also: 2015 Vanderbilt Commodores football team and Georgia–Vanderbilt football rivalry
Georgia Bulldogs vs Vanderbilt Commodores – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 7 7 10731
Commodores 0 6 0814

at Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN

South Carolina
See also: 2015 South Carolina Gamecocks football team and Georgia–South Carolina football rivalry
South Carolina Gamecocks at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Gamecocks 3 10 0720
Bulldogs 3 21 21752

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA

Southern
See also: 2015 Southern Jaguars football team
Southern Jaguars at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 6 006
Bulldogs 17 3 28048

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA

Alabama
See also: 2015 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
Alabama Crimson Tide at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Crimson Tide 3 21 14038
Bulldogs 0 3 7010

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA

Tennessee
See also: 2015 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry
Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 7 17 0731
Volunteers 3 14 14738

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN

Missouri
See also: 2015 Missouri Tigers football team
Missouri Tigers at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Tigers 3 3 006
Bulldogs 0 3 339

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA

Florida
See also: 2015 Florida Gators football team and Florida–Georgia football rivalry
Georgia Bulldogs vs Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 0 0 303
Gators 6 14 0727

at EverBank Field • Jacksonville, FL

Kentucky
See also: 2015 Kentucky Wildcats football team
Kentucky Wildcats at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Wildcats 0 3 003
Bulldogs 10 0 14327

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA

  • Date: November 7, 2015
  • Game attendance: 92,746
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal; Matt Stinchcomb

Auburn
See also: 2015 Auburn Tigers football team and Deep South's Oldest Rivalry
Georgia Bulldogs at Auburn Tigers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 0 3 71020
Tigers 7 3 0313

at Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL

  • Date: November 14, 2015
  • Game attendance: 87,451
  • TV announcers (CBS): Gary;Verne

Georgia Southern
See also: 2015 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
Georgia Southern Eagles at Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34OTTotal
Eagles 0 7 73017
Bulldogs 7 0 73623

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA

  • Date: November 21, 2015
  • Game attendance: 92,746
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick; John Congemi

Georgia Tech
See also: 2015 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 7 0 3313
Yellow Jackets 0 0 077

at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA

  • Date: November 28, 2015
  • Game attendance: 55,000
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth mowins; Anthony Becht

Rankings
Further information: 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place 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 NR NR RV RV RV RV RV 
Coaches 9 9 8 6 6 16 RV 25 23 NR RV RV RV RV 25 24 
CFP Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR Not released

References
  1. "Richt tells Georgia he won't coach bowl matchup". ESPN.com. December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. Fornelli, Tom (December 30, 2014). "Bowl Bits: Georgia 37, Louisville 14 (Belk Bowl)". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  3. "Football – Coaching Staff". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  4. "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.
  5. "2015 Georgia Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  6. "Georgia Hosts ULM Saturday". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 1, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  7. "Louisiana at Monroe vs Georgia (Sep 05, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  8. Towers, Chip (September 5, 2015). "Bulldogs Provide Thunder in Lightning-Marred Win Over ULM". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  9. "Football Takes on Vanderbilt in Nashville". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  10. "Georgia vs Vanderbilt (Sep 12, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 12, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  11. Towers, Chip (September 12, 2015). "Georgia Wins 31-14 in Another Maddening Visit to Vandy". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  12. "Bulldogs Battle Gamecocks". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 14, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  13. "S. Carolina vs Georgia (Sep 19, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 19, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  14. Tucker, Tim (September 19, 2015). "Georgia Routs South Carolina 52-20". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  15. "Georgia Bulldogs vs. Southern Jaguars". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 21, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  16. "Southern vs Georgia (Sep 26, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 26, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  17. Johnston, Andy (September 26, 2015). "Georgia Defeats Southern 48-6". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  18. "Georgia and Alabama Square off Saturday". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. September 28, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  19. "Alabama vs Georgia (Oct 03, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  20. Towers, Chip (October 3, 2015). "Deja Vu: Dogs Humbled at Home Again by Alabama, 38-10". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  21. "UGA Heads To Rocky Top To Face Vols". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  22. "Georgia vs Tennessee (Oct 10, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  23. Tucker, Tim (October 10, 2015). "Tennessee Upsets Georgia 38-31". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  24. "Missouri vs. Georgia". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 12, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  25. "Missouri vs Georgia (Oct 17, 2015)". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  26. Towers, Chip (October 17, 2015). "Bulldogs Win 9-6 in 'Gut-Check' Game Against Missouri". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  27. "UGA and UF Square Off in Jacksonville". University of Georgia Department of Athletics. October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
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