Nicholls at No. 9 Georgia
WHERE: Sanford Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, 12:05 p.m.
TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Matt Stinchcomb, Olivia Harlan); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Chuck Dowdle); SIRIUS/XM: 113/190
About the Game
Let the Jacob Eason era begin. Well, actually, it began last week against North Carolina with the freshman completing 8 of 12 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, but Saturday at Sanford Stadium, he’ll make his long-awaited first start, something Bulldog fans have been pining for since he first stepped foot on campus as an early enrollee back in January. Nick Chubb probably won’t play a ton in this one, but not before he puts up some more yards, if anything to keep his name in the forefront as far as the Heiman Trophy is concerned. Otherwise, Georgia’s goal for this game is to clean up some of the mistakes it made last week against the Tar Heels before kicking off SEC play next week at Missouri. Look for head coach Kirby Smart to ultimately empty his bench against the Colonels, with a few more true freshmen – including Elijah Holyfield and Mecole Hardman – likely getting an opportunity to debut.
Georgia Offense vs Nicholls Defense
Most of Nicholls returning experience is on the defensive side, including All-Southland safety B.T. Sanders who helped the Colonels finish 17th in the FCS in passing yards allowed (178.2 per game). But of course, none of that is expected to matter against the Bulldogs, who will want to make sure Eason gets a lot out of his first start by allowing him to build more timing with his receivers in a real-game environment, which should help his confidence going into back-to-back road games at Missouri and Ole Miss. Chubb will once again lead Georgia’s running game, but look for Brian Herrien, Brendan Douglas and Elijah Holyfield to put up some strong numbers as well. Heck, we may even see Tae Crowder in a game which should allow for a lot of stat-padding two games into the 2016 campaign.
Back to Eason for second, one thing to look for with the freshman is how quickly he gets the offense in and out of the huddle. That was one of Smart’s main criticisms of him last week, and in my opinion was probably the biggest reason he did not start last week’s game against the Tar Heels.
Georgia Defense vs. Nichols Offense
Nichols quarterback Tuskani Figaro’s ability to run as well as pass will give the Bulldog defense some good practice for what lies ahead the rest of the year. Figaro has rushed for over 100 yards seven times in his career, which is one short of a school record.
As for Georgia, although the Bulldogs only recorded one sack against the Tar Heels, the team actually got some pretty decent pressure against Mitch Tribusky, forcing him to make some uncomfortable throws. Look for the Dawgs’ sack totals to increase dramatically on Saturday. But there is work to be done. Especially in the secondary. Both Maurice Smith and Malkom Parrish said they were none too happy with fact North Carolina were able to get deep as much as they did, where only some great individual plays kept the Tar Heels from putting more points on the board.
Five keys for Georgia
• Throw the ball: Ok, Eason is starting, now give him the opportunity to make some throws. Georgia probably won’t get a better opportunity to ironing out any passing kinks so look for the Bulldogs to pass early and often to get Eason some confidence.
• Just don’t be stupid: This is a game Georgia should win easy, but the Dawgs will still need to show the same focus and energy as they did against North Carolina. Knowing Smart, that won’t be a problem.
• Let Chubb get his yards: No, I don’t expect Nick Chubb to have to play the whole game, but Georgia still needs to let the junior get his yards if anything to keep his name at the forefront when it comes to the Heisman Trophy. I know, I know … big team, little me and Chubb will be the first to tell you the Heisman talk doesn’t matter. My take, considering what the young man as done to get back to his point, let him get his yards. Hopefully, he will have enough by halftime.
• Improve special team: It was definitely frustrating for Smart and fans that not one of Rodrigo Blankenship’s six kickoffs made it to the end zone. Let’s see if that can change. And oh yeah, cover kicks better.
• Stay healthy: Sure, that goes without saying every week, but it would be especially a shame to have something happen to a player in a non-conference game against an FCS opponent. Georgia’s season in a nutshell will be determined these next three weeks.
Injury Update
Sony Michel we’ve been told has been cleared to play, although it remains unclear whether or not coaches will give him one more week of practice before letting him go against Missouri next week.
Otherwise, the Bulldogs are believed to be relatively healthy. Left guard Isaiah Wynn (shoulder), linebacker Chuks Amaechi (ankle) and tight end Charlie Woerner (ankle) are all expected to play.
Nickel Rico McGraw (shoulder) is also expected to play after dealing with a shoulder subluxation last week.
Prediction
In games like this, it's basically fruitless to even predict the score. Georgia's going to win and it's going to win big. So let's take a different approach.
As Kirby Smart has so deftly pointed out, there's a lot of improvement that needs to made from last week's win over North Carolina. Defensively, the Bulldogs need to do a better job on contain, something the Tar Heels were able to exploit a couple of times while the secondary needs to avoid letting receivers slip deep as much as they did. Special team - we all know what needs improving there. Offensively, there's a lot that still needs to be ironed out there as well. Particularly in the passing game. One thing to watch with Jacob Eason is how much better he does getting the Bulldogs in and out of the huddle. Once this aspect of his game improves, in my opinion the job is his fulltime. Personally, I'd use this game as an opportunity to throw the ball as much as I could to iron those types of kinks out. Prediction: Georgia 56, Nicholls 6.
