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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Five burning questions about Georgia-Florida
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As we head out of town towards Jacksonville, here are five burning questions about Saturday’s Georgia-Florida game. What are yours?
1. Will Georgia kick the ball to Brandon James?: Invariably a game as big as this one will come down to turnovers and a big play/mistake in the kicking game. I know that Georgia has an outstanding punter in Brian Mimbs (43.8 avg.) so the temptation is to let him boom kicks all over the place. But if Florida’s Brandon James touches the ball four or five times on punts he is probably going to take one to the house. He already has punt returns of 74 yards (against Hawaii) and 78 yards (against Tennessee) for touchdowns. He is averaging 20.2 yards on punt returns and 28.8 yards on kickoff returns. This guy can change the face of an entire game in just a few seconds. In case you’re keeping score at home, Georgia has not given up a punt return for a touchdown since 2001 (Marvin Jackson of Arkansas), Mark Richt’s first year as head coach. Georgia leads the SEC in net punting (38.4 ypr) which means the Bulldogs cover well.
2. How much does a healthy Tim Tebow mean to Florida?: Tebow was really banged up (non-throwing shoulder) for last year’s game with the Bulldogs and, because so much of the offense went through him, the Gators struggled. Tebow, who carried the ball 210 times last season, has only run the ball 82 times in seven games this season. But Tebow has used his break from running the ball to become a pretty efficient passer. He has completed 63.4 percent of his passes, which is the best among starting quarterbacks in the SEC. He has thrown only two interceptions (and 12 touchdowns) in 164 passing attempts. Georgia has to get some pressure on Tebow and make him uncomfortable and out of his rhythm while throwing the football. The teams that have had success against Florida the past two seasons have tended to be very physical with Tebow.
3. Will Georgia keep a watchful eye on Jeff Demps and Florida’s “block party?” It’s pretty obvious what Demps, the true freshman, can do when he gets his hands on the ball. He only has 30 carries on the season but has averaged 11.9 yards per carry. Despite carrying the ball only 30 times, he is in the SEC’s Top 10 for rushing yards per game (51.0 avg.) The average length on his four touchdown runs is 47 yards. But he is also very dangerous as the outside rusher on the punt block team. Demps blocked a punt against Kentucky, his second this season. Florida blocked a total of three kicks (2 punts, one FG) against the Wildcats. Georgia’s Mimbs has had only one punt blocked in the past two years, that coming against Tennessee in 2007.
4. Will Knowshon Moreno rush for over 100 yards?: If he does, the odds say that Georgia will win. Moreno has posted 10 games over 100 yards or more at Georgia and the Bulldogs are 10-0 in those games. Florida is third in the SEC in rushing defense (behind Alabama and Georgia) giving up 102.7 yards per game and 3.4 yards per attempt. Only one back (Michael Smith of Arkansas) has rushed for over 100 yards against the Florida defense this season. Only three of Florida’s seven opponents have rushed for over 100 yards: Ole Miss (163), Arkansas (144), Kentucky (141). Another note on Moreno: Only one back in Georgia history (Herschel Walker) has rushed for over 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. With 76 yards on Saturday Moreno will become the second.
5. Who will commit the fewest penalties?: Georgia still has the dubious honor of leading the nation in penalties per game with an average of 9.5 (76 penalties in eight games). But Florida is not far behind as the Gators have committed 57 penalties in seven games (8.14 average). The number of penalties is important in this respect: If you’re committing almost 10 penalties a game, chances are one is going to be called at a crucial moment that wipes out a big play on offense or defense. After last season’s end zone celebration by Georgia, the SEC officials will be calling it pretty tight early on in an effort to keep control of the game. Expect the officials to call some ticky-tack stuff, especially in the first half. The team that can adjust to the officials will have a distinct advantage.
