The Georgia Football season kicks off in 3 days against App State. Here’s what you need to know about the Mountaineers.
Related Story: Off-season preview of App. State.
It is FINALLY game week and everyone is getting excited in Dawgnation. Don’t be fooled at all by this group of 5 team coming to Athens because they are not going to be a cake walk, just ask Tennessee last year. The team that’s coming is the Sun Belt’s own Appalachian State Mountaineers. They are certainly going to be more of a test for the Georgia Football team than some think. Kirby Smart and his coaches will no doubt be prepared for a battle.
App State has made a great transition into the Sun Belt Conference and is heavy favorites to win that conference this season. This will be a tougher game than some people think, so let’s breakdown the matchup.
What can we expect from App State?
They have a simple philosophy. Run, run, and run some more. App State will be returning a very experienced offensive line along with two explosive running backs. One of those backs is last year’s Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Jalin Moore, who rushed for over 1400 yards last year. He will be reunited with Terrence Upshaw who missed last season with academic issues.
Defensively, they might struggle. They lost 5 starters from last years team and lack the size that Georgia will see from SEC defenses this year. That being said, they are very fast. Kirby Smart said that they might be the fastest team UGA plays all year. They will hope that their closing speed will help negate any big plays from Georgia’s offense.
What Georgia likes to do?
Practically the same thing. Georgia is going to want to utilize Senior running backs, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, as much as possible. The return of these two has dawg fans hyped about the upcoming season. Plus Georgia should want to get as many reps as possible for the offensive line which was a weak point last season.
Georgia also wants to be a better passing team than it was last year. If Jacob Eason can be more accurate and find his weapons down the field, the running game should open up more. Defensively, Georgia always tries to stop the run first so that will be goal #1. The front 7 is the biggest strength of the Georgia side so look for them to cause havoc when lining up on defense all day.
The X-Factors
For App State, this is without a doubt quarterback Taylor Lamb. Lamb is a cool, calm, and collective quarterback. He has been in many pressure situations and is very experienced. He is the leader of that App State offense. Georgia has had a good defense the past few years and if they successfully stop the Mountaineer run game, it could be up to Lamb to make big plays to give App State a chance to win.
For Georgia, it’s linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith was great last season and has become one of the best linebackers in the country. He will be responsible for putting the defense in the correct place to fill the gaps and stop the run. Georgia has the talent in the front 7 to stop the run and if they can, they should be able to shut down App State.
What Georgia Freshman to keep your eye on
Offensive lineman Andrew Thomas. Thomas wears number 71 and has made a lot of noise of late. Thomas has been taking a lot of first team reps at right tackle. He is expected to hold that position for this game and he could be crucial if Georgia is going to run on this App State team. He’s going to need to dominate at the point of attack to help get UGA’s running backs room as well as buy Jacob Eason some time to find his receivers. Look for him to get a lot of reps and continue to grow as the season goes.
Next: A bit more about Taylor Lamb.
Chances of a UGA win?
Pretty high. This is the type of game Georgia should clearly win. App. State are one of the best teams in the Sun Belt conference, but something has gone very wrong is UGA lose this game. It won’t be a cakewalk but expect the dawgs to come out on top by around 10 points.