Georgia Host Vandy For Homecoming  

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Saturday, October 18th, 12:30 p.m. (et)

By Pat Taggart, Associate College Football Editor

GAME NOTES: Fresh off their first loss of the season, the 22nd-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores are clearly underdogs in Saturday's SEC clash with the 10th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

Vanderbilt hasn't won six games in a season since the decade of the 80s, and a victory on Saturday afternoon would allow the program to accomplish that feat and earn bowl eligibility. The Commodores surprised everyone with their 5-0 start, including a 3-0 mark to open SEC play. Unfortunately, the team simply couldn't handle the pressure and fell to a mediocre Mississippi State team last weekend by a 17-14 final.

Georgia also needs just one more win to qualify for the postseason, but the team still has its sights set on the SEC title and possible national championship. The Bulldogs, who are 2-1 in league play, suffered their only loss to date to Alabama, currently ranked second nationally. Last week, the 'Dawgs took care of business at home with a 26-14 victory over Tennessee.

Georgia owns a commanding 48-18-2 series lead over Vanderbilt, and the Bulldogs beat the Commodores by a 20-10 final last season.

Vanderbilt put forth a miserable offensive showing against Mississippi State last weekend, as the Commodores finished the tilt with just seven first downs and 107 total yards. They averaged 1.7 yards per rushing attempt, finding little room to roam. Both Chris Nickson and Mackenzi Adams saw time under center for Vandy, and neither was overly impressive. Both were intercepted, and while Adams was the more accurate of the two, Nickson did a better job of avoiding the rush. "That is going to be a decision we will be making here on who to start," said coach Bobby Johnson after the game when asked about the quarterback position. "We make those decisions with the best information that we have and we hope to stick with them."

Overall this season, the Commodores are averaging a solid 24.5 ppg despite moving the ball for only 250.2 ypg. They are among the nation's worst passing teams, throwing for a mere 90.3 ypg. Of the 17 touchdowns the offense has scored, 12 have come on the ground.

"We did not play well enough to win the game," said Vanderbilt linebacker Patrick Benoist after last weekend's loss. "We did not underestimate Mississippi State. They just played hard." The Commodores only surrendered 247 total yards and 17 points, so it is hard to say that they played poorly on defense. After all, one of MSU's two touchdown drives started at the Vandy seven-yard line. Still, there is some room for improvement, as the Commodores failed to register a single takeaway and permitted the Bulldogs to hold the ball for over 36 minutes.

Opponents are only scoring 16.3 ppg against Vanderbilt, which is permitting 318.7 total ypg. They have been strong against the run, surrendering a modest 3.5 ypc. While opposing quarterbacks have made some big plays through the air, the Commodores have registered 11 interceptions.

Georgia is averaging 33.0 ppg and 430.3 total ypg, impressive numbers for a club loaded with offensive talent. The Bulldogs possess arguably the nation's top tailback in Knowshon Moreno, whose combination of speed and power makes him a big-time NFL prospect. Moreno has rushed for 590 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 ypc, and he is more than capable of handling a larger workload than the 17.5 carries he is averaging per contest at the moment.

Georgia is extremely balanced offensively, thanks to the ability of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Gifted with tremendous arm strength, Stafford is completing 61.7 percent of his throws for 1,503 yards and eight touchdowns against three interceptions. A.J. Green leads the receivers with 29 catches for 441 yards and three touchdowns.

Moreno ran for 101 yards on 27 carries against Tennessee last weekend, showing a great deal of toughness by putting his head down and pounding away at a strong defensive front. Stafford threw for 310 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted twice. "We kept this game a little closer than it could have been with the field goals instead of touchdowns," said Georgia head coach Mark Richt. "We left some points out on the field. We've got to do a better job of taking advantage of opportunities when we have them."

Opponents are scoring just 18.3 ppg against Georgia, which is allowing only 273.8 total ypg. The strength of the defense is clearly its effort against the run, as the Bulldogs are yielding a low 52.2 ypg on 2.1 ypc to rank among the national leaders. There is room for improvement against the pass, but it should be pointed out that many opponents have been forced to abandon the run in the second half and attempt a high number of throws against the Bulldogs.

Georgia was completely dominant against the run in the win over Tennessee, as the Vols finished with one net rushing yard on 15 attempts. The Bulldogs only yielded 10 first downs and 209 total yards in the clash. Sure, it is a bit concerning that Tennessee averaged 16 yards per pass completion, but the Vols only completed 13-of-30 attempts.

This weekend is Homecoming for Georgia, and the team will take care of business against Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs are simply a better team and will prove it on Saturday.

Predicted Outcome: Georgia 27, Vanderbilt 13

Web Producer- Brett Haas

Copyright 2008 WAAYTV.com, The Sports Network contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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