Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, Saturday, Nov. 27, at Atlanta, Ga.
Both Georgia and Georgia Tech had hoped to end up in a Bowl Championship Series game
but will fall a little short of their goal. But both teams are bowl-bound, and a win in
this game and another in a bowl game would make for a highly successful season. The
featured players on both teams are the quarterbacks and receivers. Georgia Tech’s Joe
Hamilton is an All-America quarterback who has an outside chance to win the Heisman
Trophy. Georgia’s Quincy Carter is a tremendous talent who had a great freshman
season but has tailed off a little this year. Hamilton has two great, big-play receivers
to throw to in junior Dez White and sophomore Kelly Campbell, while Georgia has the best
freshman receiver in the country in Terrence Edwards. Both teams have above-average
offensive lines. Georgia’s big edge is on defense. The Bulldogs have four potential
big-timers in their front seven, and none are seniors. Georgia Tech, on the other hand,
gives up way too many points and big plays.
Quarterbacks — Hamilton is a cross between Doug Flutie and
Charlie Ward. Hamilton has superior instincts and intangibles, throws a nice ball and is a
terrific improvisor, a great clutch player and a team leader. Carter is a former pro
baseball player who originally agreed to go to Tech before opting for the minor leagues.
He has all the physical tools and is both an option and drop-back passer. But he has had
an up-and-down year and was at his worst against Florida in Georgia’s biggest game of
the year. Edge: Georgia Tech.
Running backs — Tech lost its top back, Joe Burns, early in the
season and has had numerous injuries at the position. But that has allowed sophomore Sean
Gregory to get his feet wet, and he has shown more than a few flashes of brilliance. Tech
has one of the better fullbacks in the country in big Ed Wilder, but he has had some
injury problems this year. Georgia’s Jasper Sanks has also had some injury problems,
but he is starting to live up to his high-school press clippings now that he has lost some
weight. Edge: Georgia.
Receivers — Georgia Tech’s White and Campbell have
exceptional speed and athletic ability and don’t let their pads slow them down. White
is the bigger, more physical player and is excellent after the catch. Campbell feeds off
White. Both are really helped by Hamilton’s ability to scramble and buy time for them
to get open. Georgia’s Edwards may have had a greater impact on the Southeastern
Conference than any freshman receiver in the past decade. He has made the same sort of
instant impact that his brother, Robert, made when he moved from cornerback to running
back for the Bulldogs a few years ago. Edge: Georgia Tech.
Offensive linemen — Georgia’s line was holding its own in
recent weeks and showing signs of recovering from the losses of Matt Stinchcomb and Chris
Terry to the NFL until OLT Jonas Jennings had to leave the Florida game. He should be
healthy and ready to go for this game. Jennings is the best player on the Bulldogs’
line, which also includes Stinchcomb’s younger brother, Jon, at right tackle. Tech
has a veteran line that features OTs Jon Carman and Chris Brown. Brown is the best of the
starters. Scouts have to like Carman’s size and effort, but he is not very quick or
athletic. For the Yellow Jackets, every starter and the top backups at most positions are
seniors or fourth-year juniors. Edge: Georgia.
Defensive linemen — This was supposed to be the year that former
pass rusher Felipe Claybrooks developed into an All-America-caliber defensive right end
for the Yellow Jackets. Instead, he has been up and down and at one point was benched. The
strength of Georgia’s line is at defensive tackle, where juniors Richard Seymour and
Marcus Stroud line up. When they dominate inside, they open up the blitzing lanes and
allow the linebackers to go unblocked. Then the Bulldogs’ defense is really tough. Edge:
Georgia.
Linebackers — Georgia Tech has played most of the year without
its toughest ’backer, Matt Uremovich. He will miss this game. Freshman Recardo
Wimbush has a bright future but weighs only about 215 pounds. Senior OLB Chris Edwards
lost his starting job as a result of a recurring shoulder problem and a lack of
production. Edwards is tall and can really run, but his instincts are very ordinary, and
with the bad shoulder, he lost his aggressiveness. Third-year sophomores Nick Rogers and
Ross Mitchell will probably start. Each looks the part. The Bulldogs have two exceptional
talents in Champ Bailey’s big little brother, Boss, and Kendrell Bell. Orantes Grant
is an active, aggressive, undersized senior who provides leadership and intangibles. Edge:
Georgia.
Defensive backs — Travares Tillman is Georgia Tech’s best
and most durable defensive back when he plays inside, but he has been lining up on the
corner in recent games while sophomore Chris Young and true freshman Jeremy Muyres start
inside. Marvious Hester, a redshirt freshman, is the other corner. The Yellow
Jackets’ lack of experience in this area has killed them. Georgia has not replaced
Champ Bailey because he is a once-in-a-lifetime player, so the Bulldogs are also somewhat
vulnerable in this area. Thus, this game could turn into a shootout. Senior Bulldogs RCB
Jeff Harris has his moments and is a pretty good cover man, but he is not much of a
tackler or hitter and will have some lapses in concentration. Edge: Georgia.
Special teams — This is another area where Georgia really misses
Bailey, although Edwards has stepped up and filled some of the void. Tech will use White
to return kickoffs. The Bulldogs have the more experienced kickers, which could give them
an edge in the pressure of a big rivalry game. Edge: Georgia.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 38, Georgia 35 |
