Welcome to the Morning Five, where we use numbers to bring some clarity to Georgia’s upcoming matchup, and sometimes to bring color to your nightmares.
Today’s installment looks at what’s ahead tonight when the Bulldogs take on the #1 team in the nation, the Texas Longhorns. I’m sure there’s reason for optimism to be found somewhere regarding this game. But it isn’t in these numbers.
#1…..43.2. That’s how many points per game Texas is averaging, tops in the SEC and seventh nationally. That’s not what you want if you’re a Bulldog defense that just gave up 31 points to the likes of Mississippi State.
#2….1. That’s Texas’s rank nationally in total defense. Tops in the country at a stingy 229.7 yards of total offense per game. For a Bulldog team whose offense has gone comatose too often this season, that is supremely worrying.
#3…..4. Okay, there’s a ray of filtered sunshine with this one. Texas is only ranked 4th in the SEC in rushing defense. So there’s some reason to believe the Bulldogs may be able to run the ball a little. It looked against Mississippi State as if things have begun to gel up front in the absence of Tate Ratledge, we’ll see today if that was genuine or if the Bizarro Bulldogs were just that bad defensively.
#4…..278. That’s how many rushing yards the Burnt Orange’s leading rusher, Quintrevion Wisner has on the season. It’s the 15th highest total in the SEC, which is sort of good news. The bad news is that Wisner is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. While Texas is a pass first attack, they’ve been generally efficient at using that passing to set up the run and vice versa.
#5…..8:50. Not so much a number as a state of mind. In the 1984 Cotton Bowl the #7 Bulldogs upset #2 Texas 10-9 thanks to a muffed punt return at the Texas 24. The Red and Back scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 17 yard run by quarterback John Lastinger with under four minutes to go. It’s been so long since Georgia was an underdog that it feels like many in Bulldog Nation need to be reminded that the underdog, especially a pretty good underdog, sometimes wins.
I can easily see a world where Georgia comes out and falls on its face this evening. I can also see a world where a Texas team that’s just now feeling the weight of expectations has to find out if they can play from behind and still stay loose. If they can’t, it could end up being a fun little night in Austin. Until later…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!