Nebraska and Georgia Set to Battle

The Nebraska Cornhuskers face the Georgia Bulldogs in the Capital One Bowl that is set for a 12:00 p.m. (CST) kickoff  January 1, 2013 televised nationally by ABC.

Georgia is 11-2 on the season with losses to South Carolina and Alabama, while Nebraska is 10-3 with losses to UCLA, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Bulldogs are coached by Omaha native Mark Richt who is 118-40 in his 12th season at Georgia. His team is solid and the Bulldogs are definitely well coached.

The offense is led by quarterback Aaron Murray (6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Junior). He is a very accurate quarterback, completing 65.4 percent (231 of 353) of his passes with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Bulldogs average just over 274 yards passing per game. Murray is not much of a runner but he is a very good decision maker. The Huskers will need to disguise their matchup zone defense very well in order to have an opportunity to win the game.

Georgia runs the ball very well. Two backs lead the way for the Bulldogs. Todd Gurley (6-1, 218, Fr.) will get the start at tailback.on the season he has rushed for 1,288 yards (96.9 yards per game) with 16 touchdowns. He is solid running inside or outside. Keith Marshall (5-11, 216, Fr.) will also see a lot of action. He has rushed for 743 yards this season (55.6 yards per game) with eight touchdowns. The Big Red must be fundamentally sound and play their responsibilities well or Georgia will break several big plays. Nebraska will have to watch out for the speed of Marshall running behind a very talented offensive line.

The offensive line has professional size and talent. From tackle to tackle the Bulldogs average just under 6-4 and nearly 309 pounds per man. The leader is left tackle Kenarious Gates (6-5, 318. Jr.). As a group they block well for both the running and passing game. Nebraska needs to stay fresh and use the speed of players like Eric Martin to make big plays on defense.

The receivers have big play ability. Five receivers have at least 21 catches for Georgia this season.  Malcolm Mitchell is the team leader with 40 catches on the season. He has 572 yards receiving and four touchdowns this season. At the other wide receiver spot Tavarres King (6-1, 200, Sr.) has 39 catches but he leads the team with 846 yards receiving (21.7 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns. King is the deep threat in the Georgia passing game. Murray will spread the ball around and the Husker defense needs to be ready for deep play action passes early in the game.

Defensively Georgia has a great deal of talent. The defense has struggled at times against good running teams like Alabama and South Carolina. The Bulldogs allow 178 yards per game on the ground and 174 yards per game through the air. Georgia has tremendous size up front. Kwame Geathers (6-6, 355, Jr.) is a huge run stopper. Alec Ogletree (6-3, 232, Jr.) will make plays all over the field from his linebacker spot.  Freshman Jordan Jenkins  (6-3, 257) is a very solid pass rusher as an outside linebacker as is junior Jarvis Jones (6-3, 241). The secondary is ranked as one of the best in the nation and will make things challenging for the Husker passing game. Defensive back Sanders Commings (6-2, 216, Sr.) has good size and will match up well with Quincy Enunwa while safety Shawn Williams (6-1, 217, Sr.) is the best tackler in the secondary. This unit is very solid.

On special teams, Mitchell and Gurley are the main men in the return game. Gurley has the quickness to pop a big play and the coverage teams  on both kickoffs and punts must stay under control. Kicker Marshall Morgan (6-3, 201, Fr.) is only 8 of 13 (61 percent) on field goals and punter Collin Barber (6-2, 200, Fr.) averages 41.6 yards per punt. These two freshmen  may be a weak spot for the Georgia squad. The Bulldogs have blocked five kicks this season so the Huskers must stay very sound on the fundamentals in the kicking game.

Nebraska and Georgia both come in after tough losses in big games. The team that is more mentally focused and commits fewer mistakes will win the game. The Bulldogs have more depth on both sides of the line that I think will wear on Nebraska in the second half. I will pick Georgia by a score of 41-30 in the Capital One Bowl. Thanks for reading Going Deep With Doze.