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SEC Kickoff: Everything you need to know about Vanderbilt at Georgia
By Jason Hall
Published:
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s showdown between Vanderbilt and Georgia.
When: Saturday
Where: Athens, Georgia
Game Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Current Line: Georgia (-32.5)
Game Buzz: The Vanderbilt Commodores (1-4) travel to Athens, Ga., for their annual SEC East matchup against the No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs (3-1). The Commodores are coming off a sluggish loss to Kentucky and are huge underdogs between the hedges as it takes on an inconsistent Georgia team.
SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS
- Week 6 Win Probability: Vanderbilt
- Week 6 Win Probability: Georgia
- 5 Georgia players Vanderbilt fans need to know
- Vanderbilt Pre-Game Pulse: Week 6
- Matchup Breakdown: Todd Gurley vs. Vanderbilt defense
- Georgia Pre-Game Pulse: Week 6
- 5 Vanderbilt players Georgia fans need to know
- Matchup Breakdown: Vanderbilt defense vs. Georgia offense
Vanderbilt Commodores
Players to Watch:
- QB Wade Freebeck
- RB Ralph Webb
- WR Steven Scheu
- LB Nigel Bowden
Keys for Vanderbilt:
- Feed Ralph Webb. Ralph Webb is Vanderbilt’s leading rusher and only consistent offensive option. However, the past two weeks have seen him receive less carries facing early deficits. To stay in contention, Vanderbilt must feed the redshirt freshman to move a struggling offense.
- Contain Todd Gurley. Easier said than done. Todd Gurley will be nearly impossible to stop and should see a huge performance against a struggling Commodores defense. But Vanderbilt’s best bet is to force Hutson Mason to make throws on third down and limit Gurley’s impact on the game.
- Darrius Sims must make an impact. Darrius Sims has kept Vanderbilt close in its past two games. Against South Carolina, Sims had two kick returns for touchdowns before the Gamecocks went on a rout late in the third. Last week, Sims scored on a pick six that gave the Commodores their only touchdown of the game.
Vanderbilt’s glaring weakness to watch: Everything except Ralph Webb and Darrius Sims. From top to bottom, Vanderbilt has struggled to produce points and play efficient football.
Most interesting part of the game: Can Ralph Webb provide a solid performance in a tough road environment?
Team buzz: Vanderbilt is a total mess. There are so many different areas in which the Commodores need to improve before facing a tough matchup such as Saturday’s. Head coach Derek Mason has been on the hot seat since week one and its only his first season. This game should be ugly.
Georgia Bulldogs
Players to watch:
- RB Todd Gurley
- RB Nick Chubb
- QB Hutson Mason
- WR Malcolm Mitchell
- WR Justin Scott-Wesley
- LB Leonard Floyd
- LB Jordan Jenkins
Keys for Georgia
- Run the ball. Vanderbilt’s run defense leaves a lot to be desired and the Bulldogs should be able to have a lot of success on the ground today. With Sony Michel out for an extended period of time, look for Gurley, Chubb and possibly even Brendan Douglas to get a lot of touches this afternoon.
- Get the passing game going. The returns of Mitchell and Scott-Wesley have long been anticipated in Athens and both Mark Richt and Mason have said this week he needs to have fun and sling it. If Georgia can get the passing game going, that offense can be lethal.
- Shore up some defensive questions. There will be a clear discrepancy in the level of talent on the field on Saturday afternoon. Georgia has a prime opportunity to fix some things on the defensive side of the football before the Bulldogs travel to Missouri next weekend in a matchup that likely will decide the SEC East.
Georgia’s glaring weakness to watch: Passing game. The struggles through the air for the Bulldogs have been well-documented, but the ‘Dawgs get a couple key playmakers on the outside back. Georgia’s championship hopes rest on the success of Mason’s ability to throw the football.
Most interesting part of this game: How often does Richt keep his first-teamers in? The game should be decided early in the second half so it’ll be interesting to watch deep into his bench Richt goes ahead of next week’s contest with Mizzou.
Team Buzz: Georgia has been thoroughly one-dimensional through its first four games and has yet to really put together a complete game against a quality opponent. They should have the ability to play well today and focus on correcting mistakes.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky