NO. 7 GEORGIA (10-1) AT GEORGIA TECH (5-5)
Noon › Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta ABC & 102.3 FM
THE MATCHUP
Stopping Georgia Tech’s triple-option plays is always the name of the game for any opponent of the Yellow Jackets, and it’s no different today. Tech ranks fourth nationally in rushing with an average of 319.3 yards a game this season, and junior quarterback TaQuon Marshall (1,074) and sophomore B-back KirVonte Benson (1,009) already have eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark. The Bulldogs have been impressive against the run, having allowed just 105.6 yards per contest to rank sixth nationally, but there is always the unique factor in this one. “It’s why they’re really effective offensively, because they’re not the norm anymore,” second-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “People don’t prepare to play that. It used to be that people ran the triple in high school offenses, and a lot of the most successful programs in this state had been a part of that. Now, it’s almost like a dinosaur, and people don’t know how to defend it. The kids on your defense didn’t come from high school programs that had to play against it, so that’s the game within the game.” The Bulldogs “held” the Jackets to 226 rushing yards in last year’s meeting inside Sanford Stadium, but Justin Thomas had six completions go for 164 yards in Tech’s 28-27 comeback triumph.
ONE TO WATCH
Thomas led Tech to a pair of wins in Athens during his career, but now the job belongs to Marshall, a 5-foot-10, 185-pounder who has averaged 4.7 yards per carry and tallied 17 rushing touchdowns this season. Marshall was brilliant in defeat in the opener against Tennessee on Labor Day night in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and he has guided the Jackets to a 5-0 record this year in Bobby Dodd Stadium. Smart believes Thomas and Marshall have similarities but differences as well. “I would say that TaQuon likes to run the ball a little more,” Smart said. “He enjoys keeping it, and he’s a tough guy. He’s a really good passer. I thought Justin was a good passer, but TaQuon is a really good passer. I have known TaQuon for a really long time. He came to camp at Alabama for four straight years — coming over as an eighth-grader, ninth-grader, 10th-grader. He came, and he worked so hard. I’ve always thought he was a special athlete, but I didn’t know he had the toughness he had until this year. He’s taken a lot of shots, and he runs that ball with a purpose.”
IN THE END
With Georgia having won the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division title for the first time since 2012, no current Bulldogs players have dealt with playing for a state title before going for the league title. They insist it won’t be a problem, given that Tech prevailed the last time they met. “This is what a lot of guys came back for,” senior defensive tackle John Atkins said. “We’re not really thinking about the SEC championship game. We just have to go out there and play hard. It’s all about how you attack the week.” Georgia has a veteran defense that has met every challenge this season with the exception of the 40-17 loss at Auburn two weeks ago, and this could be the first of multiple big-game opportunities to atone for that.