Three storylines
Taste of victory. Georgia seeks its first victory of the season. Yes, Coastal Carolina is only an FCS (formerly Division I-AA) opponent. But there is no substitute for winning, and the Bulldogs need some positive reinforcement for all the hard work they've put in since January.
Working out kinks. The Bulldogs will seek to play a perfect game. That means no turnovers, no penalties, 100 percent in the red zone on offense and defense, making every kick, etc. Georgia has averaged 404 yards offense against a pair of top-10 opponents and played well overall on defense. But it also has had four turnovers, missed field goals and special-teams breakdowns and has committed three more penalties than its opponents. The Dogs have to tighten up if they're going to run the table, which is their stated goal.
Backing the Bulldogs. It's a 1:07 p.m. kickoff against an FCS school. Technically it's a sellout, but traditionally there are a lot of no-shows for games against teams from outside the BCS automatic-qualifier conferences. UGA President Michael Adams has urged Georgia fans to unite in support of the team and quit grousing over the performance of the team the past two years under coach Mark Richt.
A Georgia win would ...
- Be its first in 10 months and its 15th in the past 29 games.
- Do nothing to quiet critics.
A Coastal Carolina win would ...
- Shock the world
- Be its first against an opponent from a BCS automatic-qualifier conference
Keep an eye on ...
For Georgia: Shawn Williams. The junior from Damascus is expected to get the first action of his collegiate career at inside linebacker. He started the first two games at strong safety and is one of the Bulldogs' better tacklers. Last weekend, he inserted himself into the game on a kickoff return and executed the block that nearly sprang Brandon Boykin for another touchdown.
For Coastal Carolina: Aramis Hillary. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior is the Chanticleers' primary quarterback and is a dual threat as a runner and a passer. He has completed 70 percent of his passes for 350 yards and one touchdown but has scored three rushing touchdowns. Jamie Childers (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) also gets snaps at quarterback.
The numbers game
2 Games it took for Isaiah Crowell to record a 100-yard rushing game. He tied Herschel Walker and Knowshon Moreno, who also did it in their second game.
5 Georgia record for TD passes in a game, which Aaron Murray will be eyeing.
The history book
Series record: This is the first meeting.
The bottom line
Georgia needs to dominate this game like no other and shore up in areas of deficiency such as turnovers, penalties and red-zone defense.
