Week 1 Preview:  Georgia vs. Boise St.

Venue:  Georgia Dome

Time:  8 pm EST

 

Outlook:  The Georgia Bulldogs come into this game with high expectations despite finishing the 2010 season on a sour note.  After the ‘Dogs lost to Central Florida 10-6 in the 2010 Liberty Bowl, many expected there to be a lot of noise in Athens.  The coaching staff, however, has maintained a belief that this could be a breakout year. 

Boise State is out to prove that the last two years have not been a misnomer.  In fact, during that span, the Broncos have gone 27-1 with back-to-back bowl victories. Defensively, this could be one of the Broncos’ best units during HC Chris Peterson’s tenure.  They are led by senior DT Billy Winn, who’s one of the more underrated interior defensive linemen in the country. 

Special teams will be a big factor.  Georgia has elite return units and the best duo of kickers in the country. Boise State lost senior PK Kyle Brotzman, but do return junior WR/PR Chris Potter.  Potter averaged over 13 yds/PR in 2010.    

Saturday’s primetime matchup will have an indirect effect on the entire landscape of college football for 2011.  DraftNasty takes a look at ‘Who could get Nasty’ this weekend in Atlanta. 

 

 

Boise State Offense                        vs.            Georgia Defense

 

Boise State LT #73 Nate Potter vs. Georgia DEs, OLBs

 

Left tackle Nate Potter has played OG and OT for the Broncos in his three years.   He is the Broncos’ best offensive line prospect since former Denver Broncos’ first round draft pick Ryan Clady.  Physically, he’s probably more similar to former Boise State standout Daryn Colledge, who’s spent time tutoring Potter in the past.  Georgia needs one of its OLBs to challenge Potter on Moore’s frontside.  Cornelius Washington is likely to be the main candidate to make up for the edge pressure provided by former OLB Justin Houston.  Washington has the coaches excited about his potential to get to the QB.  He needs to get going this weekend. 

 

Boise State RB #22 Doug Martin vs. Georgia LBs

 

Although they have a prolific quarterback back in the fold in Kellen Moore, the return of superstar RB Doug Martin could once again make the Broncos’ offense lethal.  His combination of lower body strength and 4.48 speed will be tough for the Bulldogs to contain. 

So can the Bulldogs matchup? 

Certainly, and the Broncos have to be aware of  ILB #45 Christian Robinson causing havoc in the A and B gaps to get penetration.  It will be interesting to see if he can handle the lower body strength of Martin inside, due to his subtle jump cutting skill.  What may be more interesting is the addition of #9 Alec Ogletree to the starting lineup.  He was one of the talented safety prospects in the nation upon exiting the prep level, but he has defined himself as a potentially explosive linebacker.  The team needs him to turn potential into production early and often. 

 

What WR will step up for Boise State?

 

While Moore lost his two stellar All-WAC receivers in Titus Young and Austin Pettis, he does have one underrated receiver to watch out for.  Senior WR Tyler Shoemaker may be 213 pounds, but he used his 4.4 speed to average 18.2 yds/catch in the team’s 3^rd WR role a year ago.  The Broncos may elect to use him in the slot to isolate his speed vs. the Bulldogs’ LBs. 

Moore won’t necessarily be able to attack the Bulldogs’ corners due to the fact that both Branden Smith and Brandon Boykin have the ability to cover one-on-one.  The one thing that could entice Moore is the fact that the Bulldogs often move Boykin to the inside nickel position in obvious passing situations. 

 

Georgia (DEF) Keys:

 

This season the Bulldogs don’t have the 4.35 speed of the since departed Vance Cuff to take up the slack if Boykin moves inside to the nickel position.   Moore doesn’t throw a lot of interceptions, but three Bulldog secondary defenders (Commings, Boykin and Rambo) combined for nine pass thefts in 2010.   Early in the game, one of the young Georgia corners will get tested.  Don’t be surprised if sophomore #82 Geraldo Hiwat (6’4, 200, Soph) attacks down the field early in the game.    He’s a 4.4 speedster with good length and he offers a size mismatch. 

 

Boise State Defense                        vs.             Georgia Offense 

 

Boise State DT #90 Billy Winn vs. Georgia’s Interior OL

 

Last season, Winn was absolutely dominant in the team’s opening game victory over Virginia Tech.  He plays with an energy level that makes him tough to contain when slanting gaps or stacking and shedding blockers.  His quickness off the snap could be tough to contain for a very young Georgia interior line.  Center Ben Jones will need to be definitive and decisive on when and where to give help when he’s uncovered.  He’s very experienced and has faced a lot of tough matchups since beginning his career as a starter in his true freshman year. 

 

Georgia LT #71 Cordy Glenn vs. Boise State DE #92 Shea McClellin

 

This is a good matchup and one that everyone should look forward to watching on Saturday.  Glenn is a mammoth OT who’s spent the majority of his career playing inside at offensive guard with mixed results.  The team feels good enough about his athleticism to give him the keys to QB Aaron Murray’s backside.  While he doesn’t possess elite quickness, he has long arms.  This could give the ever-energetic McClellin problems when trying to turn the corner.   Even if his initial pass rush is thwarted, however, McClellin will continue to work.  Glenn can’t be satisfied with just stopping the Boise State senior’s initial move.  He will not stop until the whistle blows. 

 

Special Teams

 

Georgia P #13 Drew Butler and PK #57 Blair Walsh vs.

Boise State special teams

 

#13 P Drew Butler (6’2 210, SR) may be the nation’s most explosive punter, and he will only be aided by the Georgia Dome’s 72 degree temperature.  Don’t be a bit surprised if he gets some punts in the 4.5-5.0 second hang time range.  If he does, it will thwart the return capability of Potter.  The biggest concern for the Bulldogs will be the Broncos’ punt block capability.  The team blocked a key punt vs. Virginia Tech in last year’s opening game and they always have a solid special teams unit.  Butler didn’t have a kick blocked last year and generally gets the ball off fairly quickly.

If the game comes down to a field goal, give the advantage to the Bulldogs.  Senior #57 Blair Walsh (5’10, 183) has range outside of 50 yards, but he does serve up returnable kickoffs.  Who will return kickoffs for the Broncos?  The team lost Titus Young, their most explosive return threat.  Junior WR #20 Mitch Burroughs, who averaged 15.9 yds/PR a year ago, could be a prime candidate.

The Broncos have a good kickoff specialist in Trevor Harman, and they have already been challenged by Georgia CB/KR Brandon Boykin.  The team wasn’t strong in this department a year ago, and Boykin will make house calls.  He’s returned multiple kickoffs (4) for TDs and is already the school’s all-time leading kickoff returner. 

 

Prediction:

 

There really isn’t any category where you can say the Bulldogs are outmatched by the Broncos.  While we give the advantage by a slight margin to the Boise State defensive line, we don’t feel they have the athletes on the perimeter to challenge a team that should be at least a decent SEC East contender.  On top of that, Mark Richt can’t afford to lose essentially a home game at the Georgia Dome to a Mountain West team on the opening night of college football.  If so, some bells will begin whistling in Athens. 

Score:

Georgia 31 Boise State 21