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Georgia Bulldogs v. Georgia Tech Yellowjackets: In-State Football Bragging Rights On The Line

by Josh Cagliani
11/22/2007

When the Southeastern Conference season finishes this weekend, the sixth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs hope the Kentucky Wildcats are deserving of a late Thanksgiving turkey.

The Bulldogs (9-2, 6-2 SEC) will need the Wildcats to pull out the upset over the Tennessee Volunteers if the Bulldogs want to have any chance of making it to the Georgia Dome for the SEC Championship Game against No.1 LSU.

Georgia almost got its wish last weekend when a last second field goal by Vanderbilt went off the upright to give Tennessee a 25-24 win.

Even though the Tennessee game will be out of Georgia’s hands, the Bulldogs know they still have a game in front of them and will be ready to play, no matter what the outcome of the Tennessee game.

When the Bulldogs enter Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-4, 4-4 ACC), the Bulldogs will not need any extra motivation to take home the Governor’s Cup Trophy.

“What can you say, it’s Georgia vs. Georgia Tech,” Georgia head coach Mark Richt said. “It’s a game everyone gets excited about, I’m sure both teams are getting fired up and ready. I know our guys are getting excited about the opportunity to play.”

Georgia comes into the game having won the previous six games against the Yellow Jackets. The last six games have all come under head coach Mark Richt, who has never lost to Georgia Tech.

The winner of this game will most likely be the team that can stop the run. Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice leads the ACC and ranks 20th nationally in rushing. Choice is averaging 117.6 rushing yards per game.

“No doubt Tashard Choice is the man, he is the one they want to get the ball to,” Richt said. “He is the type of back who will pound you until you give in.”

For the Bulldogs, Knowshon Moreno is the person that makes everything work. When Moreno is running the ball well, the Bulldogs have almost been unstoppable. Since becoming the starter against Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs have gone undefeated.

Moreno has averaged 111.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks second nationally among freshmen behind Pittsburgh’s LeSean McCoy at 112.5 yards per game. Moreno is the first Georgia running back since Herschel Walker in 1982 to rush for more than 100 yards in five straight games.

Georgia’s young offensive line will have their work cut out for them this weekend. They will be facing a Yellow Jacket defense that ranks first in the country in sacks. The offensive line has done a good job so far this season, allowing only 14 sacks against Matthew Stafford.

“They have a lot of confidence, they work so hard, and they’re just playing together right now so that just boosts their confidence up a little bit,” redshirt freshman tailback Knowshon Moreno said.

Stafford has improved his play since Georgia Tech saw him in Athens last year. Stafford has thrown for 2,134 yards and 17 touchdowns, while only throwing nine interceptions this season.

“He's playing extremely well and leading his team to victory,” Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey said. “That's the name of the game for a quarterback."

Georgia can thank Georgia Tech’s former quarterback Reggie Ball for giving the Bulldogs last year’s game. Ball completed just 6-of-22 passes for 42 yards with two interceptions. Ball also fumbled on a third-and-15 play, which resulted in a fumble recovery and a touchdown for Georgia.

This year the Yellow Jackets will have a new quarterback to lead the team. Taylor Bennett, who has never played in this rivalry game before, will attempt to reverse the recent trend of losing to the Bulldogs. He will have to face a Georgia defense that ranks second in the SEC with 29 sacks, including 17 in its last four games.

“We’ve been in some big ballgames, but one with the emotion like this – he [Bennett] hasn't been in that one yet," Gailey said.

When the Bulldogs leave Atlanta, they hope it will be with their 10th win of the season. For Coach Richt, that would mark the fifth time in seven seasons Georgia has finished with double-digit wins.

This game will be the 100th meeting between Georgia and Georgia Tech since 1883. The Bulldogs lead the series 58-36-5.

Georgia will be playing on ABC for the first time since the 2005 game against Georgia Tech, which Georgia won 14-7. The Bulldogs own a 39-24-2 record on games broadcasted by ABC. The game will start at 3:30 p.m.