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Taking a position-by-position look at Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate this week as Georgia travels to Bobby Dodd Stadium to play Georgia Tech.
QUARTERBACKS — Georgia: Plenty of uncertainty marks this position as Yellow Jackets QB Justin Thomas is recovering from an upper body injury suffered last week at Miami. Thomas is the key in Tech’s option offense and is second on the team with 491 rushing yards, and also has 1,263 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s 69-for-162 passing.
If Thomas doesn’t play, it would be his first game missed since he won the job to start last season. Redshirt freshman Matthew Jordan would be the quarterback if Thomas can’t go. Jordan accounted for two TDs, a fumble and interception against Miami. He had 28 rushes for 60 yards. He was 4-for-6 passing for 59 yards.
Former Virginia QB Greyson Lambert will get another crack at the Jackets following a 35-10 loss last season where he threw a touchdown and two interceptions. He was 19-of-32 for 320 yards. This week, Lambert will look to get the Bulldogs’ passing offense back to levels it hasn’t seen since the Tennessee game. Georgia passed for 183 yards last week in the overtime win against Georgia Southern — the most since Tennessee.
RUNNING BACKS — Tech: Sony Michel saved Georgia in overtime last week with a 25-yard game-winning TD run to cap a game where he rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries. It’s been an eventful season for Michel who has replaced the injured Nick Chubb as the feature back in Georgia’s offense. And he started that responsibility with a broken hand. Michel is 73 rushing yards from 1,000, which puts him ninth in the SEC. Keith Marshall, who recently announced he would leave for the NFL Draft, and Brendan Douglas should also get carries on The Flats.
Tech’s rushing offense is tops in the ACC and seventh nationally with 2,880 yards and 30 TDs. Freshman Marcus Marshall (Keith’s brother) leads the team with 609 rushing yards at a 7.91-yards-per-carry clip with four TDs. But the option offense also boasts three other backs with at least 363 rushing yards and four TDs. Patrick Stov and Thomas lead the team with 12 rushing TDs.
WIDE RECEIVERS, TIGHT END — Georgia: WR Terry Godwin has emerged as a threat in the Georgia passing offense, and that was before the spectacular catch last week. Godwin, who’s second on the team with 23 catches, and Michel, who has 22, are each far behind WR Malcom Mitchell, who leads Bulldogs receivers with 50 catches for 710 yards and four TDs. Deep threat WR Reggie Davis and TE Jeb Blazevich have showed flashes of being involved in the offense, but may be called upon for a big catch on third down or late in the game. Each have 12 catches.
Tech’s main receiving threat is Ricky Jeune who has 21 catches for 480 yards and three TDs, while Clinton Lynch also has three scores on 10 catches. Tech’s passing game has struggled at times because of poor protection — nine sacks in seven games — and having to rally late in games.
OFFENSIVE LINE — Tech: The Jackets return four of five starters from last year’s team that set school records for rushing yards, rushing yards per game and yards per carry. But the line hasn’t lived up to expectations, and against Clemson, Tech had only 71 yards on 42 carries, the worst performance for a Paul Johnson Tech team.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have juggled their OL alignment at least twice because of sub-par play and injuries. For all the movement, Georgia remains second-best in the SEC in sacks allowed at 12, and fifth in rushing at 195 yards per game. Tech, meanwhile, is second in the ACC in sacks allowed at 13.
DEFENSIVE LINE — Georgia: Tech leaves much to be desired on the defensive front as it’s last in sacks and tackles for loss in the ACC. The team’s leader, Adam Gotsis, has just three, and he suffered a season-ending knee injury nearly a month ago. KeShun Freeman has stepped in to lead the group with two sacks and four tackles for a loss.
For the Bulldogs, star freshman Trenton Thompson is recovering from two sprained ankles. Other Bulldogs to watch along the line are Sterling Bailey, Chris Mayes and James DeLoach.
LINEBACKERS — Georgia: In the red and black, Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins have 4.5 and four sacks, respectively. They each have 10.5 tackles for a loss. Floyd is a Butkus Award finalist, has 12 QB hurries, and set a career-high Saturday with 12 tackles against Georgia Southern.
P.J. Davis leads the Jackets with 73 tackles and 6.5 tackles for a loss
SECONDARY — Georgia: Georgia is second in the nation in pass yards allowed, a stat Tech sits at 40th. Senior D.J. White has two interceptions and 10 passes defended, but Tech is middle of the pack in terms of pass defense in the ACC. Dominick Sanders has four picks and nine passes defended to lead the Bulldogs.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
