GATOR BOWL PREVIEW

Speculation that Pelini’s job might be in jeopardy ramped up after the Cornhuskers’ blowout loss to Iowa to end the season Nov. 26. In that game, Pelini was assessed a personal-foul penalty after his jettisoned hat nearly hit a referee. In the postgame news conference he said it was a “chicken (expletive) call.”

In the same presser Pelini really went off again when asked about the rumors that had been swirling that he may have coached his last season in Lincoln.

“It’s hurt our football team,” Pelini snapped. “… If they want to fire me, go ahead. I believe in what I’ve done. I don’t apologize for what I’ve done. I don’t apologize to you. I don’t apologize to anybody. Our record since I’ve been here speaks for itself.”

For the record, Pelini’s record is pretty good. He’s 57-24 (.704) in six seasons with the Cornhuskers, including five seasons with nine or more victories. He’ll try to make that six in a row Wednesday.

Pelini’s record is better than his predecessor Bill Callahan (.551), but not as good as the coach before that. Nebraska fired Frank Solich at the end of his sixth season, with a 58-19 mark for the Cornhuskers.

In any case, it appears that Pelini survived his dare to Nebraska’s administration. Shortly after his comments circulated, athletic director Shawn Eichorst issued a vote of confidence in a statement released by the school.

“Given the volume of unfounded speculation and conjecture about our head football coach, I want to reaffirm what I have said many times since I have arrived at the University of Nebraska: that I positively respect, appreciate and support our football student-athletes, coaches and staff, as we do everyone in the Husker family. We very much look forward to our upcoming bowl game and coach Pelini continuing to lead our program in the future.”

Pelini has remained calm all week in Jacksonville.

ABDULLAH BUTCHERS DEFENSES

Georgia fans know the Bulldogs have one of the better backs in the country in tailback Todd Gurley. Despite missing four games with a sprained ankle, the 6-foot-1, 232-pound sophomore needs 97 yards to become the third back in UGA history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.

But the Cornhuskers have a good one, too. Junior I-back Ameer Abdullah has rushed for 1,568 yards this season, which is the fifth best in Nebraska history and 10th best in the nation this season. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound speedster gained 1,000 yards by the eighth game, the first Nebraska player to do that since Ahman Green in 1997.

“We have a lot of respect for Gurley. He’s one heck of a football player,” Nebraska coach Bo Pellini said. “He has great strength and can do a lot of things both in the running and passing game. But I’ve said it all year, I wouldn’t trade Ameer for any back in the country. I’m obviously a little bit partial, but I think he’s as good as there is in the country.”

Abdullah is particularly good at picking up yards after contact, so the Bulldogs spent nearly all of their bowl practices in full pads and working on wrapping up on tackles.

“I told these guys you can’t knock down a good back, you have to tackle him,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “You’ve got to wrap him up. That’s why we were tackling (every day in bowl practices), to get the sensation of wrapping a guy up and getting him on the ground.”

Georgia has been decent against the run. It ranks 43rd in the nation in rushing defense (148.5) and 28th in yards allowed per carry (3.74).

QUARTERBACK QUESTIONS

It’s uncertain who might start at quarterback for Nebraska, and Georgia knows Hutson Mason will be at the controls for the Bulldogs. But in either case, relatively unproven quarterbacks will be on display.

Mason took over for record-setting four-year starter Aaron Murray when he went down with a season-ending knee injury halfway through the Kentucky game on Nov. 23. He since has led the Bulldogs to a comeback victory over Georgia Tech (41-34 in two overtimes) and completed 35 of 55 passes (.636) for 488 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

“Both teams can testify to it, but you prepare for a team for four weeks, much longer than any other team that you prepare for besides the first game of the year, so you wonder if they’re going to do the same stuff that you prepare for on film the whole time,” Mason said Tuesday. “Those are things you’ve just got to be ready for. You have to take your instincts and the things you’ve learned for four years and play off them.”

Nebraska lost its foil to Aaron Murray — fifth-year senior and four-year starter Taylor Martinez — in the fourth game of the season because of foot, shoulder and hip injuries. Redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong Jr. started every game thereafter until the last one, when senior Ron Kellogg got the nod.

Armstrong won his first five starts, but Kellogg threw the winning Hail Mary pass at the end of the Northwestern game and played nearly the entire game against Penn State, which the Cornhuskers won in overtime. Their stats coming in: Armstrong — 53 percent passing, 803 yards, seven touchdowns, seven interceptions, 176 yards rushing; Kellogg — 60.6 percent, 919 yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions, minus-11 rushing.

More than likely the Bulldogs will see both players.

“Whatever quarterback is in the game, we’ll be ready for them,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

BOWL CALL

Both these teams have played in a lot of bowl games. In fact, only Alabama (60) and Texas (52) have played in more bowl games than Nebraska, which will play in its 50th Wednesday.

The Bulldogs aren’t far behind, however. They will play in their 49th bowl, which will tie them with Tennessee for fourth on the all-time list. Georgia is 27-18-3 in its bowls, and Nebraska is 24-25. The Bulldogs will play in a bowl for their consecutive season, all under coach Mark Richt. They’re 8-4 in those games.

Georgia and Nebraska will meet in a bowl game for a second consecutive year. The Bulldogs won 45-31 last season in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla. It will be the first time UGA has met the same bowl opponent in back-to-back years. Nebraska did that two other times, facing Alabama in Orange and Sugar in 1966-67 and FSU in the Orange Bowl in 1993-94.

Traditionally the Cornhuskers have done well against SEC teams — until lately. They’re 12-7 overall, but have lost the past four against SEC opponents. They last beat Tennessee 31-21 in the 2000 Fiesta Bowl.

It will be the Bulldogs’ fourth appearance in the Gator Bowl but first since 1989. That was the site of the last game of Vince Dooley’s coaching career, as Georgia beat Michigan State 34-27. The Bulldogs are 2-0-1 overall.

It’s just the second appearance for Nebraska in the Gator. The Cornhuskers defeated Clemson 26-21 here in 2009.

Georgia is 1-1 against Nebraska in bowl games. The unranked Bulldogs lost to the 14th-ranked Cornhuskers 45-6 in the 1969 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Georgia’s Aaron Murray-led offense simply overwhelmed a strong Nebraska 45-31. The victory gave the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs a 12-1 final record.

Murray threw for 427 yards and five touchdowns, including an 87-yarder to Chris Conley and a 75-yarder to Tavarres King. Georgia also got 125 yards rushing and a touchdown from tailback Todd Gurley.

There were a lot of fireworks in the first half as the Cornhuskers forged a 24-23 lead. The teams combined for 30 points in the first quarter alone as each team scored two touchdowns and the Bulldogs recorded a safety. One of Nebraska’s scores came on a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown by Will Compton.

The Cornhuskers would expand its lead to eight points on a Rex Birkhead touchdown run early in the third quarter. But Murray hit Conley on a 49-yard touchdown pass, and Rhett McGowan hauled in another pass for a two-point conversion to tie the score at 31 midway through the third quarter.

Georgia would score twice in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter on a 24-yard pass to Keith Marshall, followed by Conley’s record-setting 87-yarder. Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones had two sacks for the Bulldogs to give him the single-season record for sacks (14.5) and tackles for loss (24.5). David Pollack previously owned the records.

“It’s really fun to win one of these,” Mark Richt said after the game. “We had lost our last two bowl games, so we were getting kind of tired of that. … This year we had another really good season winning the SEC East. Now we wanted to win this bowl and maybe prove to ourselves that we’re one of the better teams in the country.”

GEORGIA

2013 results

Aug. 31, at Clemson, L, 38-35

Sept. 7, vs. South Carolina, W, 41-30

Sept. 21, vs. North Texas, W, 45-21

Sept. 28, vs. LSU, W, 44-41

Oct. 5, at Tennessee, W, 34-31 OT

Oct. 12, vs. Missouri, L, 41-26

Oct. 19, at Vanderbilt, L, 31-27

Nov. 2, vs. Florida, W, 23-20

Nov. 9, vs. Appalachian State, W, 45-6

Nov. 16, at Auburn, L, 43-38

Nov. 23, vs. Kentucky, W, 59-17

Nov. 30, at Georgia Tech, W, 41-34 (2OT)

2014 schedule

Aug. 30, vs. Clemson

Sept. 6, off

Sept. 13, at South Carolina

Sept. 20, vs. Troy

Sept. 27, vs. Tennessee

Oct. 4, vs. Vanderbilt

Oct. 11, at Missouri

Oct. 18, vs. Arkansas (at Little Rock)

Oct. 25, off

Nov. 1, vs. Florida (at Jacksonville)

Nov. 8, at Kentucky

Nov. 15, vs. Auburn

Nov. 22, vs Charleston Southern

Nov. 29, vs. Georgia Tech

NEBRASKA

2013 results

Aug. 31, vs. Wyoming, W, 37-34

Sept. 7, vs. Southern Miss, W, 56-13

Sept. 14, vs. UCLA, L, 41-21

Sept. 21, vs. South Dakota State, W, 59-20

Oct. 5, vs. Illinois, W, 39-19

Oct. 12, at Purdue, W, 44-7

Oct. 26, at Minnesota, L, 34-23

Nov. 2, vs. Northwestern, W, 27-24

Nov. 9, at Michigan, W, 17-13

Nov. 16, vs. Michigan State, L, 41-28

Nov. 23, at Penn State, W, 23-20 OT

Nov. 29, vs. Iowa, L, 38-17

2014 schedule

Aug. 30, vs. Florida Atlantic

Sept. 6, vs. McNeese State

Sept. 13, at Fresno State

Sept. 20, vs. Miami

Sept. 27, vs. Illinois

Oct. 4, at Michigan State

Oct. 11, off

Oct. 18, at Northwestern

Oct. 25, vs. Rutgers

Nov. 1, vs. Purdue

Nov. 8, off

Nov. 15, at Wisconsin

Nov. 22, vs. Minnesota

Nov. 28, at Iowa