Breaking Down Penn State’s TaxSlayer Bowl Opponent: Georgia Bulldogs
By Marty Leap
We found out last night that the Penn State Nittany Lions (7-5) will clash with the Georgia Bulldogs (9-3) in the TaxSlayer Bowl on January 2. The TaxSlayer Bowl, formerly known as the Gator Bowl, is played at Jacksonville’s EverBank Field and is one of the best non-New Years Six destinations for a Big Ten team in bowl season. The game will kick off at noon and be televised by ESPN.
Below we take a quick look at Penn State’s opponent.
COACHING
Georgia head coach Mark Richt resigned last week and has since been named the head coach at Miami. There are also rumors swirling that defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt will be leaving Georgia to take a job elsewhere. Bryan McClendon has been named the interim head coach for the bowl game. McCledon is the fourth interim head coach Penn State will have faced this season. The Nittany Lions are 3-0 (Rutgers, Maryland, and Illinois) in those first three games against interim head coaches.
In his career as a head coach James Franklin is 3-1 in bowl games, including guiding the Nittany Lions to a 31-30 victory over Boston College in last year’s Pinstripe Bowl. Also, while at Vanderbilt, Franklin went 1-2 against Georgia. After losing to the Bulldogs in 2011 and 2012, he led the Commodores to an upset of the 15th ranked Bulldogs in the 2013 season.
It will be Penn State’s first game without offensive coordinator John Donovan who was fired last Sunday. Quarterback coach Ricky Rahne will call the plays in the TaxSlayer Bowl, and this excites me. Many people in coaching circles believe Rahne has a bright offensive mind and a bright future as an offensive coach. We will get to see that theory tested on January 2.
OFFENSE
As for the game itself, Georgia is a very good matchup for Penn State. Much like the Nittany Lions, Georgia struggles immensely on offense while playing strong defense. This season the Bulldogs ranked 85th nationally in points per game (26 points per game), 77th nationally in total offense (381 yards per game), and 103rd nationally in passing offense (187.1 yards per game).
A lot of the Bulldog struggles on offense is due to poor quarterback play. Georgia has used three quarterbacks this season, and they have combined for a 61.5 completion rate and a touchdown to interception ratio of just 12 to 8.
Junior Greyson Lambert has settled in as the Bulldogs’ top quarterback, having played in 11 of their 12 games. On the season Lambert has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,844 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. So while Lambert has been able to avoid turnovers, the Bulldog passing attack has still struggled immensely.
The Bulldog rushing attack is led by sophomore Sonny Michel who rushed for 1,076 yards and 7 touchdowns this season. Senior Keith Marshall (288 yards, 3 touchdowns) will also see some carries. The Bulldogs rushing offense ranks 36th nationally (194.3 yards per game), but it dearly misses sophomore running back Nick Chubb.
Nick Chubb is arguably the best running back in college football, but he suffered a season ending knee injury against Tennessee in their sixth game of the season. Before Chubb’s injury Georgia was averaging 244.8 rushing yards per game, and since his injury that number has dropped to 158.3 yards per game.
I do not believe that Greyson Lambert is capable of beating the Nittany Lions with his arm. Due to this, it is vital Penn State slows down Michel and the rushing attack, forcing Georgia to have to throw the ball to win.
Having five weeks off between Penn State’s last game and the bowl game should be very beneficial for a Nittany Lion defense that was very injury-riddled by season’s end. Players such as Carl Nassib, Garrett Sickels, Marcus Allen, and Brandon Bell who have been battling injuries all year should really benefit from the time off. It will be vital to have the stout Nittany Lion defensive line healthy and ready to control the line of scrimmage to stop the rushing attack, while also pressuring Lambert, if they are going to defeat Georgia.
DEFENSE
Defensively, the Georgia Bulldogs will pose one of the toughest tests that the much maligned Penn State offense has faced all season. The Bulldog defense is allowing just 146.1 passing yards per game, which is the best in the country, and their 103 opposing passer ratings ranks eighth nationally. This will be one of the best secondaries Christian Hackenberg has faced in his college career. They also rank fifth nationally in total defense (298 yards per game), ninth in scoring defense (16.9 points per game), and 45th in rushing defense (151.9 yards per game).
In my opinion, if Penn State is going to be successful on offense in this game they have to get Saquon Barkley and the rushing attack going. Georgia’s secondary is one of the absolute best in the country, and Penn State has a very hard time protecting Christian Hackenberg, but the Bulldogs have at times been vulnerable against the run. It will be vital to get Barkley and the rushing game going, not only to move the ball but also to help take some pressure off Hackenberg and the passing attack.
One weakness with Georgia’s defense is one that Nittany Lion fans know all too well. At times this year the Bulldog tackling has been porous. Missed tackles played a big role in Georgia allowing 38 points in a loss to Tennessee back in October. Saquon Barkley and Chris Godwin have both shown the ability to break tackles this year, so this is something to keep an eye on.
Georgia’s defense has a fantastic linebacking crew of Leonard Floyd, Jake Ganus, and Jordan Jenkins. On the season Floyd has recorded a career-high 66 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. Jenkins has 55 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, and four sacks on the season and he has done it in just 10 games. Ganus, who transferred to Georgia from UAB, has a whopping 95 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
Both Floyd and Jenkins have the potential to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft and are two players the Penn State offensive line must account for throughout this game. If they do not these two players could cause some serious havoc in the Taxslayer Bowl.
Georgia will also use Lorenzo Carter off the bench in pass rush situations. Carter, who’s just a sophomore, is shaping up to be one of the top pass rush prospects in the NFL Draft in another year or two.
Georgia’s secondary is led by a pair of outstanding safeties in junior Quincy Mauger and sophomore Dominick Sanders. This season Mauger has 52 tackles and 5 passes defended, while Sanders has racked up 45 tackles, a team high 4 interceptions, and 5 passes defended. Sanders also had a pick-six in Georiga’s win over Vanderbilt. These are two players that Christian Hackenberg must account for when he looks to air it out.