Saturday at Noon will be the 109th edition of the rivalry between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Georgia Bulldogs. This rivalry appropriately named “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate” is the 19th most played rivalry in the nation.
Leading up to the big rivalry game we here at Yellow Jacked Up felt like it would be a good idea to get some insight from the UGA perspective. So we asked Michael Collins who is the editor of Dawn of the Dawg on the Fansided Network a few questions.
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Q. Does the coaching staff truly believe they can effectively and aggressively pass the ball with Hutson Mason if they go down by a big margin?
A.Yes, offensive coordinator (and quarterbacks coach) Mike Bobo has complete faith that Mason can move the ball through the air if needed. He proved that against Georgia Tech last season with the Bulldogs down by 20. With his full compliment of receivers back, and a renewed confidence, the Georgia passing attack is not scrutinized nearly as much as it was a month ago.
Q. What has made Nick Chubb such an effective runner so quickly?
A. The only real explanation for Nick Chubb’s success is his natural gift and abilities. He already shows great patience when looking for holes, and runs with a low center of gravity, making it more difficult to wrap him up in a tackle. He’s got incredible strength, especially in his lower body, and as he’s shown, he can turn on the jets when he gets into the second level of a defense.
Q. What about this year’s Yellow Jackets football do you see being problematic for the Bulldogs?
A. It’s always going to be the same problem when you face a Paul Johnson coached team…how do you slow down the option? Georgia has shown they can be exploited on the flanks and edges, and their linebackers are going to really have to show some discipline in making sure their gaps are covered rather than just flowing to the ball as they normally would. Defensively the Bulldogs match up well with Tech, but that was supposed to be true about the Florida Gators too.
Q. Defensively what does Jeremy Pruitt bring that Todd Grantham did not last year for UGA and how do you think his defensive philosophy may or may not make a difference going into Saturday’s game?
A. Pruitt brings everything that Grantham didn’t have. Pruitt makes his players accountable, and makes sure assignments are not blown. There is a lot of preparation and detail that goes into his plan with the players, but its also more simplified with less off-the-cuff improvisation done as there was with Grantham. It was almost immediately seen that Pruitt commands the respect of his players without screaming at them and degrading them.
Q. Of course you think UGA is going to win but what are the keys to victory?
A. Keys to victory for Georgia are to control the ball and the clock. The option can’t gain tons of yards and points standing on the sideline. They also need to make sure that Tech is forced into long down-and-distance situations as often as possible, forcing throwing situations and increasing the likelihood for turnovers, which Georgia is among tops in the nation at doing this season. Don’t give up big chunks of yards on first and second down, and make Justin Thomas beat you with his arm.
This was a very informative Q&A and we want to thank Michael Collins for taking the time to give us his opinion on the game.
This game can be seen on SEC Network and also heard on the radio locally in the Atlanta area on 680 AM and 93.7 FM as well as satellite radio on XM 190 and Sirius 113.