When Georgia met Alabama back in September, the Crimson Tide’s size and experience along the lines of scrimmage was too much for Georgia at the time. The Tide rolled to a 41-30 victory that saw them holding a 31-0 halftime lead. Saturday’s game at LSU (5-1, 3-1) represents a similar type of test, but this time the Bulldogs hope to come out of the gate much better. “I think just going through that game would make them even more aware for how important it is for them to start fast,” said Bulldog head coach Mark Richt about his team.
Georgia (6-1, 3-1) comes into the game ranked No. 7 in the BCS standings, while LSU is ranked 13th. Both teams have one loss and the winner will stay in the mix for a possible shot at a BCS Title, while the loser will likely be eliminated from such discussion. Since suffering the defeat to Alabama, Georgia has gotten wins over a struggling Tennessee team and a highly competitive Vanderbilt squad. Those games not only helped the Bulldogs gain some of their confidence back, but also gave them the opportunity to work on some the areas that had plagued them not only against the Crimson Tide, but for much of the season.
One such area has been the defense’s inability to generate a pass rush without blitzing. Linebacker Rennie Curran leads Georgia with three sacks, while defensive tackle Corvey Irvin is second with two. Demarcus Dobbs leads the defensive ends with 1.5 sacks. The Bulldogs had two sacks against Tennessee, with one coming from the defensive line, but did not get a sack against Vanderbilt, though they did pressure Commodore pass attempts on numerous occasions. “We do have to bring the pressure. We do have to work harder,” said Georgia defensive end Jarius Wynn. “That will come, we’ve just got to buy into it, keep working, and everything will fall into place.”
Georgia ranks eighth in the SEC with 13 sacks and will have to face an LSU offensive line that resembles the Crimson Tide’s. “The tackles are big like the tackles from Alabama, so I’ll put them [on the same level],” Wynn said.
LSU’s tackles are big, with Ciron Black and Joseph Barksdale both standing over 6-foot-5 and weighing around 315 pounds. But left guard Herman Johnson (6-7, 386) dwarfs even them. The unit has helped running back Charles Scott average 6.4 yards a carry and rush for eight touchdowns. Keiland Williams and Richard Murphy are also capable ball carries, while Trindon Holliday is a weapon as a rusher and return specialist.
If the Bulldogs can pressure LSU, that will make life easier on the defensive backs. A lack of a pass rush helped Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson complete 13 of 16 passes against the Georgia secondary, as the Crimson Tide was able to threaten Georgia with the pass, making it easier for them to run. Since then, the Bulldog pass defense has held Tennessee and Vanderbilt to a combined 47-percent completion percentage. “We gave up more yards than we wanted to against Alabama both passing and rushing,” said Georgia cornerback Bryan Evans. “Once we [corrected that], we knew we were going to be alright as a defense.”
LSU offers similar offensive balance to the Crimson Tide, ranking third in the conference in rushing and fourth in passing, so the Bulldog defense will have to have a clear plan for stopping the Tigers. Overplaying the run is dangerous, as two of the SEC’s top 10 receivers suit up for LSU. Brandon LaFell is second in the conference in receiving yards with 462 and Demetrius Byrd is 10th in receiving yards per game at 48.5. “Both of them are big receivers. They’re physical and both can run,” Evans said. “I think these might be two of the best receivers we will play this year.”
Getting the ball to LaFell and Byrd will be, for the most part, the job of quarterback Jarrett Lee. The redshirt freshman has improved greatly as the season has gone along. “He’s seems like he’s more comfortable in the pocket. He doesn’t rush his passes as much as he did earlier in the season,” Evans said. “Hopefully if we can cause pressure, we can make him make wrong decisions.”
Backup Andrew Hatch provides a running threat from the quarterback position when he is inserted into the game. Darryl Gamble will likely start at middle linebacker for Georgia, but Dannell Ellerbe, who missed the last two games with an injured knee, may see some action. “He’s going to take the trip and pad up,” Richt said. “We think he’ll play.”
Since the Alabama game, the Bulldog offense has churned out 458 and 425 yards against the Volunteers and Commodores and has appeared to mature on the offensive line despite the season-ending injury to Vince Vance. “The offensive players especially have grown, because young guys just gain more ground than veterans do,” said Richt. “Veterans are closer to their potential than the rookies are and the rookies just tend to get better faster. So, I’m hoping that’s true.”
Knowshon Moreno is the conference’s second-leading rusher at 109 yards per game and is averaging 6 yards per carry, as he has continued to excel with the young offensive line in front of him. He and the Georgia offense will face an LSU defense that may be without one of its better run-stuffers in Ricky Jean-Francois, who has missed the Tigers’ last two games with a groin injury. However, with Jean-Francois out against South Carolina, the Tigers unveiled the “express” defensive package that saw defensive ends Tyson Jackson, Kirston Pittman, Rahim Alem and Tremaine Johnson on the field at the same time. The grouping got 4.5 of LSU’s six sacks against the Gamecocks. “They do have four ends that are talented enough to get them all in the game at the same time and get some mismatches on your guards and still hold up against the run,” Richt said. “I’ve not seen anything like that before. Hopefully we won’t get in many situations where they’ll do that.”
That may mean Georgia will manage the game with the running of Moreno to stay out of third-and-longs, but Richt is not ready to back down to the challenges LSU presents. “You don’t won’t to spend the whole day doing that. I think you have to establish the fact that you can and will go deep. I think that’s important. If a [defensive back] or a defense in general has no fear of you breaking clean on them deep, they do tend to just swallow you up,” Richt said. “I think it’s important to let every defense know that you’re capable of going deep on them and sometimes it’s at the risk of being in second-and-10.”
A.J. Green, the SEC’s leader in receiving yards, has been the Bulldogs’ main weapon when they’ve dialed up the long ball, averaging nearly 16 yards on 36 catches this season. “I’m just going to got out there, play my game and be aggressive like I always am,” Green said.
He also likes the way the offense has developed. “I think we’re clicking pretty well. We’ve got a young offensive line and a lot of people have moved around,” Green said. “[The only thing] we can do is get better each day.”
Stephenson High School products Perry Riley and Kelvin Sheppard lead a speedy Tiger linebacking corps that has a healthy Darry Beckwith back in the middle, and safety Harry Coleman is the leading tackler for a fast, but sizeable defense. “Their DB’s look like linebackers, their linebackers look like defensive ends and their defensive ends look like defensive tackles, just as far as how big they are,” Richt said. “When they roll out in pregame warm-up, I’m sure my eyes will pop a little bit.”
The Bulldogs may be in a quandary at tight end, as Aron White is out with a sprained shoulder and Tripp Chandler is questionable to return from a shoulder injury of his own. Offensive lineman Kiante Tripp may see some time at the position.
Just like the Alabama game, the outcome of Georgia’s matchup with LSU will go along way in determining its role in college football’s national landscape. Unlike the meeting with the Crimson Tide, this game is on the road, but that might be a plus for the Bulldogs as the pressure of the game might make for a more focused team. Since 2003, Georgia has lost just nine games away from Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs will be honed in, but it remains to be seen if they are good enough to beat the Tigers. LSU presents serious challenges along the lines of scrimmage, but if Georgia can hold its own in those battles, they have enough skill players to get the win.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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