Ranking the opponents: No.12: Murray State

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 7

2018 RECORD: (5-6, 5-3 in Ohio Valley Conference)

RETURNING STARTERS: Offense - 8 (WR LaMartez Brooks, WR Tyre Gray, WR/TE James Sappington, WR Jonathan Moss, OL Cam Carter, OL Jacob Vance, OL Levi Nesler, OL Christopher Georgia); Defense - 6 (LB Anthony Koclanakis, DB Don Parker, LB Kendrick Catis, DB Nigel Walton, DL Austin Hogancamp, DL Chris Stahl); Special Teams - 4 (K Gabriel Vicente, P Steve Dawson, KR Malik Honeycutt, LS Chandler Moody)

KEY LOSSES: QB Drew Anderson (Currently on roster with Cardinals, 2nd-team All-OVC); DE Kenney Wooten (Led OVC in sacks, 1st-team All-OVC); LB Quincy Williams - Highest ever draft pick, 3rd round by Jags, 1st-team All-OVC)

NOTE TO KNOW: Murray State finished with its best conference record since 2011

Murray State started the season by winning its first four conference games, before dropping three of its final four.

But despite the slide, head coach Mitch Stewart was awarded a new three-year deal as the Racers actually were picked in preseason to finish last in the Ohio Valley Conference.

No stranger to FBS foes, Murray State played in-state rival Kentucky, dropping a 48-10 decision to the Wildcats in Lexington. The Racers closed out their season with a 48-23 loss to Austin Peay, whom Georgia beat 45-0 in last year’s season opener.

Job 1 for Murray State will be finding a starting quarterback.

Sophomore Preston Rice appears ready to step into the role, but he’s yet to start a game in his career, which won’t bode well in Week 2 against the Bulldogs.

There is experience elsewhere. The Racers return four starters off its offensive line, along with a deep pool of wide receivers, led by seniors Malik Honeycutt and Jonathan Moss, along with former Florida wideout DaQuon Green.

The Racers are strong on special teams, with kicker Gabriel Vicente and punter Steve Dawson both earning first-team OVC honors a season ago.

This will be one of those games that will see Georgia come in as a 40-plus favorite, and barring something totally unforeseen, a 40-plus victory is exactly what Bulldog fans can expect.

The game against the Racers will stand as the first of three straight home games by the Bulldogs, followed by Arkansas State and the highly anticipated contest against Notre Dame.

Kirby Smart can be expected to empty his bench against Murray State, gaining his younger athletes some of their first collegiate experience.

Of course, the Bulldogs will need to avoid any serious injuries in a game which, with apologies to the Racers, should be a walk in the park.

What will Murray State’s strengths and weaknesses be this year?

Bernier: "The greatest strength is the special teams group and I realize that could be seen as a joke but Gabriel Vincente is a high level kicker who was 15-19 last year including a long of 50. Heading into his third year he continues to be a player the coaching staff can count on and gives the Racers a chance to score from range. Plus the punter, Steve Dawson was All-OVC first team in his freshman year with an average distance of 42 yards and a long of 66. He found a way to flip the field position for the Racers several times and showed touch with 16 kicks downed inside the 20.

"I believe another strength of this team should be their WR group with Green and Honeycutt set to have a big year together, but that leads into the perceived weakness of this team at quarterback. Nobody outside of the coaching staff are certain what will happen at that position this year with Preston Rice as the projected starter. There’s a chance he could be just as good as Anderson but with all of the unknowns it’s hard to make any judgment on him.

"The defense will be solid this year too. Plenty of depth across the board and they are building something special on that side of the ball with a couple of guys that were drafted or signed to an NFL team. The Racers are looking to continue that trend this year with Kendrick Catis."

What are some of the key position battles for the Racers come fall camp?

Bernier: "The running back position could be wide open with the starter from last year not returning. There could be some movement at right tackle as well with the other four spots locked in. Overall this team is pretty set as far as who will start and they are just looking to improve day-to-day."

What kind of impact is former Florida wide receiver DaQuon Green expected to make?

"He should see plenty of time on the field but he won’t be force fed. That’s the Racer way. No matter the talent level at the position the Racers find a way to spread it around. It’s been a successful offensive scheme and I think he fits right in but I don’t see him getting 15+ targets per game. He will get a chance to make some big plays within the scheme and the hope is that he can add that extra fear to the defense that he could take the top off at any time."