Kentucky Wildcat Football – Know Your Enemy: Georgia Bulldogs
By Jason Marcum
NOVEMBER 19, 2011 – 12:21 PM
SANFORD STADIUM – ATHENS, GA
#13 GEORGIA BULLDOGS 8-2 (6-1)
TV – SEC NETWORK
SERIES HISTORY
GEORGIA LEADS 50-12-2
RECENT MEETINGS:
10/23/2010: Georgia 44 KENTUCKY 31
11/21/2009: KENTUCKY 34 Georgia 27
11/8/2008: Georgia 42 KENTUCKY 38
11/17/2007: Georgia 24 KENTUCKY 13
11/4/2006: KENTUCKY 24 Georgia 20
Its do-or-die time for the Kentucky Wildcats if they are to extend their school-record five straight bowl appearances as they take on the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens this Saturday at noon. The Cats sit at 4-6 on the year and a loss would end any hope of making a bowl game. Georgia comes into the game on fire, having won eight straight games after an 0-2 start, and a win against UK would give the Bulldogs the Eastern Division crown and clinch a berth in the SEC Championship. Here is what to watch for from Georgia:
The Bulldogs have well-balanced offense that is geared toward running the ball. They rank fourth in the SEC and 33rd nationally in rushing offense this season, averaging 188.4 yards per game.
As a unit, they are scoring 35.8 ppg, 20th best in the nation
Their defense has been rock solid, ranking seventh in the nation in yards allowed at 267 ypg and rank 12th in points allowed at 18.6 ppg.
Their rush defense ranks 5th nationally, allowing only 87 ypg.
Kentucky is 12-50-2 all-time versus the Bulldogs, including 4-24-2 at Sanford Stadium
The Cats won the last game in Athens in 2009, 34-27.
Offense:
RB Isaiah Crowell
The true freshman leads the team with 821 yards and also has five TD’s this season. UK will get a strong dose of Crowell, as he’s averaging 20 carries per game against SEC competition. He’s very speedy and elusive, so UK will have to control the line-of-scrimmage to prevent him from getting out into open space where he is most deadly. He’s not much of a receiving threat, as he only has six catches on the year.
QB Aaron Murray
The sophomore QB has shredded defenses all year, throwing a school-record 27 touchdown passes with only eight interceptions. The he is mobile, Murray rarely looks to run, as he only has 88 yards rushing on the year. He has been prone to turn the ball over when faced with consistent pressure, so it will be up to UK’s pass-rushers to keep Murray out of rhythm.
Defense
LB Jarvis Jones
Jones has been a terror off the edge all year, and leads the SEC with 10 sacks. No offensive tackle has been able to block him consistently. If UK wants to keep him off true freshman Max Smith, they should look to double team the talented linebacker.
DB Bacarri Rambo
The safety is second in the nation with seven interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown against Auburn. He plays the running game well, accounting for 39 tackles and two tackles-for-loss on the year.
The Cat’s will come ready to play and keep their postseason hopes alive. The problem is, the team they are playing is much more talented and have more depth than them at nearly every position on the field. And its senior day for Georgia, so they’ll be fired up, ready to send their seniors out on a winning note while clinching the SEC Eastern division. This will get ugly by half-time, as Georgia’s balanced offense will be too much for a banged up UK defense to handle, and Max Smith will have pressure in his face all game, forcing the true freshman into several turnovers.
Dawgs win 33-10