Georgia Football: Can the Dawgs cover the spread against Notre Dame?
In what could end up being Georgia football’s biggest game of the regular season in 2019, the Dawgs are favored by two touchdowns over Notre Dame. Can the Dawgs cover the spread?
Most match-ups between top-10 teams in college football don’t have point spreads as wide as 14 points.
However, that’s precisely how many points Georgia football is favored over Notre Dame for the highly anticipated showdown between the two squads in Athens on Saturday night.
Some may be wondering why Georgia is being favored by two touchdowns over another undefeated top-10 team.
The answer is simple: Georgia is paying the price for being an elite football program. When your program is elite, you’re not only expected to win big games, but you’re supposed to win them comfortably.
Luckily, Georgia has a very good shot at covering the spread in this game if a few key things happen.
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First, the Dawgs have to pressure Irish quarterback Ian Book. The last time Georgia played Notre Dame, the Irish had Brandon Wimbush at quarterback who wasn’t a legitimate threat at throwing the football.
Book is a much better passer than Wimbush was and is more mobile than most people think. The Dawgs need to rattle him early to get the game under control.
Second, Georgia has to win the turnover battle. For the most part, the Dawgs have been pretty good at taking care of the football this season.
There have been a couple of issues with ball security from the running back group, but I expect that much practice time has been devoted to erasing those mistakes.
Big games are often decided on turnovers, and this game against Notre Dame will be no different. Jake Fromm and co. have to take care of the football.
Finally, and forgive me if you have heard this before, Georgia has to run the football effectively in this game.
The winning formula for the Dawgs since the Kirby Smart era began has been very simple. When Georgia runs the ball well, the Dawgs win. When Georgia doesn’t run the ball well, they lose.
Notre Dame’s run defense has been atrocious this season and Georgia once again has one of the best backfields in college football. Establishing the run game in this match-up will be critical to a Georgia victory.
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Can Georgia beat Notre Dame by two touchdowns? It’s certainly possible. And if Georgia can run the football effectively against the Fighting Irish, it will be a long plane ride back to South Bend after Saturday night.