An intriguing matchup awaits the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs as they travel out west to face the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday night. Georgia is going to play a regular-season game in the Pacific time zone for the first time in nearly 50 years. On top of their travel, the opponent awaiting them is a quality team. The Sun Devils are coming off of a 10-3 year and were ranked as high as 13th in the country before falling to 24th in the USA Today Coaches’ poll and dropping out of the AP after their loss last week to UNLV. If the Bulldogs (3-0) are going to feel at home out in Tempe, Ariz., they will have to do something that eluded them last week in their 14-7 win over South Carolina: convert plays in the passing game when the opportunity presents itself. “To really be good, you’ve got to throw and catch well,” Georgia head coach Mark Richt said. “Or you’re going to sputter. You’ll be operating at less than your full potential.”
While it was not exactly a sputter, drops and missed open receivers limited the Bulldogs to their 14 points against the Gamecocks. An interesting stat from that game is that of the five third downs Georgia converted, two were converted through the air. Not surprisingly, the Bulldogs scored on both of those possessions. A couple of drops prevented them from converting more of their 13 third downs for the game.
“If you’re going to drop a ball, make sure it’s first or second down, don’t drop it on third down,” Richt joked about this week’s game against Arizona State. “I don’t think there’s really any excuse for us not to throw and catch the ball well, provided the protection is [good].”
The origin of that protection became a little cloudier this week when the Georgia coaches opened up competition for starting spots on the offensive line after the unit’s performance against South Carolina. “We were kind of settling into a lineup, but we’re not as settled,” Richt said. “We’re just giving guys an opportunity to start that were not starting.”
To add to the possible changes along the O-line, left tackle Kiante Tripp tweaked his ankle in practice. Though Richt said he would probably play, whether or not he will start is a different story. Josh Davis and Vince Vance have continued to get reps at left tackle and one of them will start if Tripp does not. If Davis or Tripp starts, Vance will be the left guard with Chris Davis playing center. If Vance starts at left tackle, Chris Davis will be the left guard and freshman Ben Jones will get the start at center. Over on the right side of the line, Clint Boling will start at either guard or tackle, with Cordy Glenn starting at guard if Boling does not, and Justin Anderson starting at tackle if Boling does not start there.
No matter who starts, Georgia expects their backup linemen to play. One Sun Devil those linemen will have to contain is defensive end Dexter Davis. Davis had a 10.5-sack campaign last year and already has four this season. “I think any of our guys will need help versus Dexter Davis,” Richt said. “He’s going to be a handful.”
That help will come by Georgia having a tight end or running back helping to block Davis. If the Bulldogs successfully keep Davis out of their backfield that will give Matthew Stafford and his receivers a chance to convert on those crucial plays. In between, the Georgia offensive line will try to bully the interior of an Arizona State defensive line that is smaller than some of the units the Bulldogs normally play. As always, the ability for Knowshon Moreno to run the ball consistently will set the tone and dictate how many opportunities Georgia will have in the passing game.
When Arizona State has the ball, they will look to make big plays in the passing game as well. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter is generally regarded as one of the better signal callers in college football. The senior has thrown 71 touchdown passes thus far in his career. “He is a very smart passer,” Bulldog cornerback Bryan Evans said. “He runs that offense pretty well.”
A big part of that offense Carpenter runs is his receiving corps, led by the 6-foot-4 Michael Jones. “If we limit the big plays and make tackles we should be alright,” Evans said.
Georgia will hope to experience another rarity as far as this season is concerned. They will look for their defensive ends to pressure the quarterback. The defensive ends come into the game against the Sun Devils with just 1.5 sacks. Rod Battle, who is responsible for a half a sack in that total, will not play Saturday because of sore neck. “It’s early still, three games don’t make a season,” said defensive end coach Jon Fabris. “But we expect more of ourselves than what we have done.”
The Bulldogs are looking forward to their trip not just because it is a rare opportunity to play out West, but also it gives them a chance to impress voters. “We’re going to try to go out and make a statement,” Evans said. “Just because we haven’t been blowing teams out that does not mean we’re not one of the best teams in the country.”
Georgia also has conference and region pride on the line. “I’m sensing it,” Richt said. “They want to do well for the South.”
Arizona State and the circumstances surrounding the game present a different challenge than what the Bulldogs are used to, but if Georgia can play a crisp game and make plays passing when they are available, they will score more than their 14 points of a week ago and win the game. That is provided that they pressure Carpenter enough so that they can keep the Sun Devil offense from having a big day.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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