I bet you saw the first three words and thought I was going to discuss the Falcons. Okay, I keed, I keed.
Anyway, who the hell really knows what to expect today? Do we get the Nicholls version of Georgia, or the North Carolina one? Is there an accumulated hangover from the losses to Ole Miss and Tennessee? Does Nick Chubb get more than one carry? Does Blankenship get to try an attempt outside the 20-yard line? Do Boom and Roper recreate the magic that carried them to an unexpected, lopsided win at the 2014 Cocktail Party?
And that’s all before you even get to the game being played a day later than anyone expected just a week ago. Or whether the wind might have an impact today.
Advanced stats would suggest Georgia is worth the consideration of being more than a touchdown favorite this afternoon. S&P+ has the Dawgs at 58th and the ‘Cocks at 88th, with the matchups being what you’d expect:
- Georgia offense (60th) vs. South Carolina defense (32nd)
- Georgia defense (41st) vs. South Carolina offense (121st)
As for the other part of the game…
- Georgia special teams: 125th
- South Carolina special teams: 51st
Yecch.
If I have my hopes today, they’re that (1) Eason and the other true freshmen continue to grow; (2) Chaney continues to be open-minded with the offensive game plan; (3) the defense shows that its problems through the first third of the season were due in large part to the quality of the offenses it’s faced; and (4) special teams don’t soil themselves.
I feel okay about the first two, maybe not so much about the third and totally despondent about the fourth, so if you put a gun to my head, I’d say Georgia wins, but doesn’t cover.
Feel free to respond in the comments.
