GEORGIA PASS OFFENSE vs TEXAS PASS DEFENSE
Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm doesn’t necessarily get the national recognition that he deserves, but he’s playing at an incredibly high level and is one of the best passers in college football. The biggest thing that enables Fromm to be successful is that he’s very intelligent and knows the offense very well. He was an early enrollee last year and in about a week’s time, players were already raving about how prepared he was. Fromm’s a film rat and his work before the game are a reason he’s so efficient. There was talk that five-star freshman Justin Fields would challenge Fromm, which made Fromm that much more determined. Fromm doesn’t necessarily have a huge arm, but he can make all the throws asked of him and late in the season made some tough throws in tough spots. Georgia spreads the ball around quite a bit so there’s not really one true go-to receiver. Riley Ridley leads team in catches. Jermiah Holloman is a big receiver with good speed who has come on of late. They throw a lot to the tight end, Isaac Nauta, who is a good red zone target. Fromme is at his best when Georgia goes up tempo.
Advantage – Georgia **
GEORGIA RUN OFFENSE vs TEXAS RUN DEFENSE
D’Andre Swift isn’t the biggest guy (5-9, 215 pounds) but he has lot of speed. He has been hurt for about half the year with a groin issue and foot issue, but has been at 100 percent the last few games and played some of his best football. Elijah Holyfeld is a bigger back, (5-11, 215 pounds) but he’s a better runner than people give him credit for. People think of him as an inside guy, but has speed and can make some plays to the outside as well. Has a chance to join Swift and go over 1,000 yards if he goes for 44 yards in this one.
Advantage – Georgia **
GEORGIA OFFENSIVE LINE vs TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE
Georgia is pretty young but the Bulldogs are massing along the line with their starters averaging 327 pounds. Lamont Gaillard at center, a former defensive lineman they moved over, is one of the best in the SEC. Right tackle Isaiah Wilson is a former five-star guy. He’s a redshirt freshman and goes 6-7, 340. Georgia has had some injuries at right guard. Cade Mays is another five-star player who can play at either guard spot, and Trey Hill is a freshman who has played well. Solomon Kindley at left guard is the least heralded, but he’s one of most improved linemen Georgia has. Left tackle Andrew Thomas, a sophomore, has started every game since he’s been at Georgia. Some feel this Georgia line has as much talent and depth as the UGA program has had in the last 20 years.
Advantage – Georgia ***
GEORGIA PASS DEFENSE vs TEXAS PASS OFFENSE
This should be where Texas will be able to attack, with top corner Deandre Baker electing to skip the bowl game. Tyson Campbell will probably replace Baker. A freshman, Campbell is another five-star player. He started the first 10 games of the year but was eventually replaced by Eric Stokes. Those two will be in charge of slowing down Texas’ passing game. UGA has faced some tall receivers this year against and had some success, but a lot of that was due to Baker. It’ll be interesting to see if Stokes and Campbell can match up with Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Collin Johnson. Overall, the secondary has been very effective but it takes a huge hit without its best player.
Advantage – Texas **
GEORGIA RUN DEFENSE vs TEXAS RUN OFFENSE
Georgia’s run defense has been mostly good this year, but a few physical teams like Alabama have been able to run on them. The UGA defense does have good speed and is able to pursue plays laterally, so Texas will need to try to do its damage between the tackles and run north/south. This will likely be a game in which Texas will need Ehlinger to be effective with his legs – Georgia has had some troubles with mobile quarterbacks in the past.
Advantage – Georgia *
GEORGIA DEFENSIVE LINE vs TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE
Jonathan Ledbetter, a senior, is the best defensive lineman Georgia has. They put in true freshman at nose guard, Jordan Davis, and he’s really exploded on the scene. Davis goes 6-6, 320 and anchors them when they’re in their 3-4. Overall, the line has done a good job controlling the line of scrimmage and allowing the linebackers to make plays. Georgia will rotate 10 or 11 guys along its defensive line. This isn’t a group that racks up a lot of sacks.
Advantage – Georgia *
SPECIAL TEAMS
Rodrigo Blankenship is one of SEC’s better kickers, has good range and is pretty much automatic on touchbacks. The UGA punting game has been kind of shaky. Georgia is very good in the return game with Mecole Hardman, who is a threat to take it to the house when he gets his hands on the ball. He averages more than 20 yards per punt return.
Advantage – Georgia *
