Austin is THE place to be this weekend.
“It’s a different kind of electricity in the air,” said Texas tight end Gunnar Helm.
Texas vs. Georgia.
This is a sexy matchup. College Football Gameday will be on campus to watch the bluest of blue bloods battling it out for only the sixth time in their storied history (UT is 4-1 all time vs. UGA – but that one loss cost the Longhorns a national title).
It’s the kind of matchup that makes fans of college football, like Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, almost drool with excitement and anticipation.
“College football is at an all time high,” Sarkisian said. “You know, the style of play, the excitement of the game, the exposure that college football is getting right now, the flare for the dramatic, it just seems like it's heightened even more. We’re lucky man.”
There will be a lot of attention on the two quarterbacks. Carson Beck with Georgia and Quinn Ewers with Texas are both national stars. They’re both expected to be first round NFL draft picks in the spring. They even kind of play like each other.
“I think the comparisons between (Ewers) and Carson (Beck) are so similar in terms of the kind of quarterbacks they are,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. “They’re both better athletes than people think. They both have awareness of coverage and they’re really good in the pocket.”
But while all eyes are on the QB play – and for good reason – this game will likely be won on the ground.
GROUND AND POUND
Both Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and Georgia’s Kirby Smart like to build their teams in the same way. They both want to be a physical offense that can run the ball even when a team knows the run is coming.
The Bulldogs used that formula to rack up a couple of national championships.
But that was then and this is now.
Georgia has been uncharacteristically shaky on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs are3 10th in the SEC in run defense giving up 120 yards per game and 13th in the conference in run offense gaining 134 yards per game.
“We haven’t played a great game of football offensively yet,” said Georgia running back Trevor Etienne. “That’s something we’ve got to keep working at and get better at throughout the season. Eliminating turnovers, executing; starting faster, attacking early. Small things, really,”
Some of that is a result of not being out in front throughout the season. The Bulldogs had to pass a lot during the Bama game after falling behind 28-0. The Kentucky game was a nail-biter until the end.
Last week, Georgia did go up 34-10 in the third quarter but their inability to run the ball allowed Mississippi State to claw their way back into the game before losing 41-31. Georgia ran the ball only 29 times compared to 48 pass attempts.
To that point, Georgia is 112th in the country in the percentage of plays that are a run vs. pass – rushing the ball 44 percent of the time.
Maybe this is a situation where the run muscle has atrophied?
Or maybe they’re running it less because the Bulldogs are so explosive in the pass game? UGA is third in the nation in pass plays of 20-plus and 30-plus yards.
Either way, Georgia has yet to show they can consistently run the ball and that could prove to be a problem if Texas holds true to form and prevents Georgia for making the big play through the air. The Bulldogs are going to need to sustain drives to consistently score against this defense.
Meanwhile Texas is 5th in the league in rushing offense with 189 yards per game while yielding only 103 yards per game on defense, good for 4th in the SEC.
Smart says Texas’ run game scheme can pose some problem for Georgia.
“They have a unique run game in that they run a little more of outside zones, than some teams we’ve played, and they’re really good at it,” Smart said. “I mean, they did it when Sark was at Alabama. They’ve done it successfully at Texas. They do a nice job averaging a lot of yards a carry for SEC plays.
“It’s just different angles, and the back’s got a different angle. It’s got different pressure points. We’ve had problems with certain runs in the last couple weeks. Well, they run those runs, but they also run outside zone as well.”
Those are the exact same style of runs in which sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner excels.
Wisner is coming off his star-making turn in the Red River Shootout where he ran for a career-high 118 yards against OU.
“I'm not surprised,” Sarkisian said. “What I'm learning more and more about him is he has a real natural running ability.”
Sark didn’t have to dig deep to find a comparison for Wisner’s running style.
“He kind of reminds me of Jonathon (Brooks) at times,” he said. “You don't get wowed by the size. I don't know if you get wowed by the outright speed, but there's just a natural feel that he finds his way through holes. He's tough to get on the ground. He's physical when he has to be physical. He has speed and he has real toughness, which are kind of prerequisites at the position.”
Wisner’s dedication to his craft has caught the attention of both the coaches, and his teammates.
“His want to be coached is special,” Helm said. “Tre wants to be coached. If he has a 20-yard run and he comes over to the sideline and (Texas RB Coach Tashard Choice) is coaching him, he’s locked into Coach Choice. He’s not focused on what he did or what it could have been, he’s locked in on Coach Choice.
“He’s a perfectionist too, in all aspects. He wants to be perfect in all aspects. Whether that’s pass protection, the run game, receiving game. He wants to be perfect.”
Wisner’s emergence has only added another layer to Texas’ offense. That gives Georgia just another element to be concerned about defending.
“Their backfield does an unbelievable job,” Smart said when asked about Wisner. “I thought he had one of his best games most recently, they ran the ball really well.”
Of course any time a team can successfully run the ball, credit has to start with the offensive line.
“It starts up front in our conference and they are able to run the ball and protect the quarterback,” Smart said. “They’ve got offensive linemen that are big and their scheme suits that with what they run.”
Complicating issues for Georgia is the fact that they are struggling to stay healthy along the defensive line.
“Still coming, I mean, we’re not complete. We’re not injury free, Warren (Brinson – DT) has battling injury, Jordan (Hall – DT) has been battling injury, Mykel (Williams -DE) has been battling injury, and Christen (Miller – DT) has been battling injury. I mean, he’s not able to complete the work week every week, in and week out, but he’s able to go out and play.
“So there’s not really a guy that hasn’t missed time in that position. We’ve been really fortunate to have the numbers we have, even though it’s not necessarily the experience we need. It is a lot of big frames and big body types who are doing better.”
On top of the d-line injuries, 2nd team All-SEC linebacker Smael Mondon will be out as well with a foot injury.
Add it all up and it is looking more and more like the run game will be a decided advantage for Texas in the run game and that – maybe even more than what we see from the cover boy QB’s – could help determine who comes out on top this Saturday.
AROUND THE SEC:
The Texas/Georgia game will go a long way toward determining who is playing for the SEC championship in December. But there are some other key matchups this week that will help determine the matchup as well.
ALABAMA @ TENNESSEE
The last time Alabama faced off against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, the fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts after the Vols beat Bama 52-49.
Apparently, any time a team from Tennessee beats Bama, it’s mandatory that the goal posts come down. The goal post baptismal is optional.
Both teams have one loss in conference play and a second loss could derail their hopes of making the SEC championship game.
Just don’t expect this year’s score to come close to that 52-49 barnburner from two years ago.
LSU @ ARKANSAS
These are two of the more explosive offenses in the country. But believe it or not, Arkansas has the edge on defense.
The Hogs are fresh off their upset of Tennessee and are now looking to do the same to the Tigers.
Meanwhile, LSU put together a comeback at home to knock off Ole Miss last week.
The winner will legitimize themselves in the eyes of the country while the loser of this game will slide towards the middle.
TEXAS A&M @ MISSISSIPPI STATE
There is just too damn much maroon in this game. It’s going to look more like a scrimmage than an actual game.
The reason to tune in to this one is to see exactly how far A&M has progressed this season. I mean, they are first in the conference standings – for now.
The Aggies had a big win against a very suspect Missouri team the last time out. Did that 41-10 win have more to do with A&M or does it say more about Missouri? We should find out more this week.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State appears to be finding its footing under first year head coach Jeff Lebby. The Bulldogs played tougher than expected against both Texas and Georgia in back-to-back weeks.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
Take this for what it’s worth … but Georgia’s inconsistent play this season has their fans feeling not so fresh about their chances in this week’s game.
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Gunnar Helm has turned into one heck of a tight end. He is probably having the biggest impact on a Texas offense since David Thomas.
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Gunnar Helm’s play this year is catching the attention of both draft professionals and football pundits alike.
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It is somewhat ironic that it’s Georgia coming to town the same weekend as the F-1 race.
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