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[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bulldogs get on the busses and take a little trip up to the ATL to take on the Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd for this year’s Clean Old Fashioned Hate. Will they avenge last year’s loss, Mark Richt’s second only loss to the Jackets, or will Tech get their first back-to-back wins versus the Dogs since 2000? What are the big five – Georgia?
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1. Score with Patience
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia is going to have to score consistently to win. To do that, the Bulldogs must remain patient offensively. Get that fullback in the game, rely on the rushing attack – even if behind in the game – and distribute the football to the players that evoke fear and worry for the Tech defense. In four games away from home this year, the Bulldogs offense has scored just five touchdowns. Obviously, against Tech’s high powered rushing attack, it is going to take a great deal more productivity when the Bulldogs have the ball. Moving those chains and the clock is a must to keep that Tech offense off the field. If Georgia coaches and calls plays in the same manner of the third and fourth quarters in the last road game at Auburn, the Bulldogs will be in good shape. That means run the ball, play the score, time, down and distance and put the pressure on the defense.
[su_spacer size=”40″] 2. Get physical with Thomas
[su_spacer size=”40″] One of the greatest high school football coaches and Georgia athletes ever, the iconic Billy Henderson, “The Macon Meteor,” used to tell his charges at Clarke Central High School, “don’t make it an option, hit the quarterback every time.” The Bulldogs have to take the fight to Justin Thomas. He is a tremendous weapon for Tech, the Yellow Jackets best skill player since the days of Johnathan Dwyer, Josh Nesbit and Demarryus Thomas in 2008 and 2009. Thomas was a difference-maker in Athens a year ago and Tech will seek to match its success on the ground again this season. If the Dogs are on their heels against Thomas running that option, Saturday will be bleak for the red and black. If that defense takes the fight to Tech, starting with the defensive line getting penetration, and punishes Thomas when the pigskin is in his hands, Georgia’s stop-unit will have a chance for a successful Saturday.
[su_spacer size=”40”] 3. Stop the fullback
[su_spacer size=”40″] In the Yellow Jackets offense, the fullback goes by the terminology of “B-Back.” Any way you slice it, the first step towards slowing down one of the country’s most potent running attacks, and any triple option attack, is stuffing the fullback. Marcus Marshall and Patrick Skov are both tough runners between the tackles. The Yellow Jackets offensive line specializes in cut blocks and the quick hitter with the fullback. When that is cooking, Justin Thomas is doubly dangerous on the outside with the run, the pitch or a deep pass.
[su_spacer size=”40”] The interior of the defensive line, led by Chris Mayes and Trenton Thompson will be called on to set the tone for Georgia, and that means getting penetration and popping the “B-Back.”
[su_spacer size=”40”] 4. Win the kicking game
[su_spacer size=”40″] For the majority of this season, Georgia’s kicking game has been a tremendous disappointment. Major special teams breakdowns proved costly in the October losses to Alabama, Tennessee and Florida. Whether it’s a blocked punt, a fumble on a kickoff or a fumble on a punt return for a touchdown, Georgia’s kicking game woes have surfaced in a major way this year. The last time the Dogs were on the road, the special teams saved the day in a 20-13 victory at Auburn. Major kicking game woes plagued the Bulldogs in the loss to Tech a year ago. Georgia can’t afford serious breakdowns and hope to win. The Bulldogs need to win this phase to win the game, and that means avoiding the major mistake, while turning in a couple of big plays.
[su_spacer size=”40″] 5. Fight with vengeance
[su_spacer size=”40″] Tech was so hungry for the win a year ago and the Yellow Jackets celebrated the win in Athens with a slew of photographs and keepsakes – including numerous pieces of the hedges. The Yellow Jackets now want two in a row, and their first win over the Bulldogs in Atlanta since 1999. Georgia needs to play angry and with a purpose, to get this heated rivalry headed back in the right way. Tech will miss a bowl this year for the first time since 1996, and the last couple of weeks, all the focus has been on Georgia. The Bulldogs have to match that and then some. Who wants it more?
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[su_spacer size=”40″] Make sure to check out Bulldawg Illustrated’s latest print edition: Get the Cup Back, digital issue available for free online. CLICK HERE.
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