Belk Bowl
Louisville (9-3) vs. Georgia (9-3)
Charlotte, N.C.
Dec. 30, 2014
Did you know Todd Grantham is getting to face his former team?
If you've been paying attention to college football this season, you probably knew that. Grantham, Louisville's defensive coordinator, was Georgia's defensive coordinator in 2013 and joined Bobby Petrino's staff with the Cardinals in January.
Grantham was at Georgia for four years, so it figures that he'll have a good idea of what the Bulldogs would want to do on offense. However, any advantage from that possibility could be muted with the departure of Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to Colorado State. Tight ends coach John Lilly will call the plays for Georgia, and while there will likely be some distinct similarities to Georgia's offense under Bobo, he could introduce some unexpected wrinkles.
One of those similarities will likely be a heavy dose of freshman RB Nick Chubb, who stepped into the feature back role in Todd Gurley's absence. Chubb was a first-team all-SEC selection with 1,281 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014. He had over 20 carries in a game four times in 2014. There's a very good chance the Belk Bowl will be game No. 5.
For Louisville's offense, the question is at quarterback. Petrino has left his options open between Kyle Bolin and Reggie Bonnafon after Will Gardner's season-ending knee injury. Bonnafon started the final game of the season against Kentucky but he too was sidelined with a knee injury. Bolin stepped in and was 21-31 for 381 yards and three scores.
No matter who starts, it's a good bet that both will see time.
Vegas odds: Georgia (-6.5)
FUN FACT
Chubb's going to have to pull a Melvin Gordon or Samaje Perine if he's going to break Herschel Walker's Georgia freshman rushing record. As a freshman in 1980, Walker had 1,616 yards. Chubb needs 336 yards to break it.
PREDICTIONS
Graham: This is a tough one because while I believe in Chubb, I'm not sure he's going to find a lot of success against this Louisville defense. And I simply don't trust Hutson Mason to win this one for the Bulldogs. I'm going to go against conventional wisdom and take the Birds. Louisville 27, Georgia 24.
Nick: Is an average quarterback in Hutson Mason better than indecision between two? Georgia's the pick here, but this game doesn't seem like it will have an outcome that would be surprising. Georgia 30, Louisville 24.
Sam: Belk: You know Louisville's defense is gearing up for Nick Chubb and daring senior Hutson Mason to win the game for Georgia. Mason may not make all the throws, but he generally doesn't make mistakes either. Mason gets the job done in his final game. Georgia 27, Louisville 26.
For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.
For more Louisville news, visit CardinalSports.com.
- - - - - - -
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Belk Bowl: Also known as the Grantham Bowl
No comments:
Post a Comment