Georgia Bulldogs
The top ranked preseason team, it took Georgia only one week to lose their first pre-season No. 1 ranking. Despite beating in-state rival Georgia Southern 45-21, UGA fell to the second spot and then the third spot the following week after beating South Carolina on the road in week three, 14-7. Georgia, playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules, played Arizona State the following week on the road and won 27-10.
The following week was the start of one of the toughest stretches of football in the country. The Georgia athletic staff called for a blackout, the first one since last year’s rout of Auburn. It backfired, however, as Georgia spotted Alabama a 31-0 lead in the first half before falling 41-30 to the Crimson Tide.
The Dogs would go on a three-game win streak, beating Tennessee, Vanderbilt and LSU—their best win to date. Georgia could not get out of their own way, as mistakes and poor defense led to a 49-10 loss at the hands of the Florida Gators.
Georgia needed a last minute interception from defensive lineman DeMarcus Dobbs to seal a 42-38 win over Kentucky in Lexington. Their most recent game, a 17-13 win over Auburn, led some to question the caliber of this Bulldogs team.
Georgia has won seven straight in the series, and a win this year will tie the longest streak in the Governor’s Cup; Bobby Dodd had eight straight victories from 1946-1954.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Tech is two games removed from their loss against North Carolina and a Thursday night game against Miami. Tech will play their second opponent with two weeks to prepare. Tech ran for 326 yards against UNC, but played inconsistently. The Jackets best drive took them to the Carolina 29-yard line before a personal foul penalty and holding call put them in a first-and-31 situation. The Jackets next play was a sack that took them back to a second-and-36. Tech would recover 25 yards, but was forced to punt.
Tech would stop Carolina but fumbled the ensuing punt-catch. The turnover led to a Carolina touchdown that sealed the game early in the fourth quarter. The Jackets still lead the league in scoring defense and rushing offense.
The Jackets have improved in the punt return department as well, moving up from second to last to eighth in the ACC. Jonathan Dwyer leads the conference in rushing by 10-yards per game. Derrick Morgan ranks fourth and Michael Johnson fifth in the conference in sacks, while Johnson is also fifth in tackles for loss.
This group of Jackets has never defeated Georgia and Mark Richt has never lost to Tech. Still, first year Head Coach Paul Johnson has had success in rivalry games. Johnson was 11-1 against Navy rivals Air Force and Army during his tenure at the Naval Academy.
Prediction: Tech 28 – UGA 24