So_co

Rumors swirling that UGA standout CB D. Baker may reverse his previous decision to play in the Sugar Bowl. Sounds like he got a very high draft evaluation and may be re-evaluating the risks and benefits. Personally I can't fault the kid. His heart wants to play, but the logic here almost certainly dictates that the risk isn't anywhere close to the reward. The guy most likely to replace him in the game, is former 5 star Tyson Campbell. He started earlier in the year opposite Baker, but got benched due to poor play.

To be fair to the players, not that it means anything more than a hill of beans right now, but there are 3 five star guys at WR for UGA right now. Demetris Robertson as a WR (transfer from Cal; hasn't seen much time yet) Hardman as an ATH Godwin as an ATH With that being said, stars don't mean #$% once on campus.

He's more of a step up in the pocket or slide to the side a step or two. If that doesn't work, he'll get rid of it or take the sack. Won't see him move much more than that especially with an iffy backup situation.

That's certainly possible. I brought it up more for the schematic details than the actual outcome. UGA's defense this year isn't nearly as dynamic as last years was, but UT's offense isn't on the same level as OU with Baker either. Still brings up interesting schematic details that certainly could be relevant on Jan 1st.

Yeah, UGA has one of those guys too in former 5-star transfer from Cal, Demetris Robertson. He's a burner and was on the all FR PAC-12 team at Cal, but ended up transferring to UGA, and can't see the field because he's behind WRs that are bringing the physicality to the game that he just isn't ready to deliver on. Mecole still does need some polish, but you can't teach a guy to run a 4.32 40.

I certainly agree that the edge for UGAs offense is more in the run game than the pass game. UGA runs the ball to open up the pass, so if they are having success on the ground, the passing game will open up. As you said, the key to UTs success in this game is stopping the UGA run game. I know that Herman and Texas are working toward building a physical football team, and it looks like he's made strides in doing so. That's good. I love a physical brand of football. This will be a real measuring stick for how far along in that process you are, as UGA is undoubtedly one of the most physical teams in all of college ball. If Texas can out-physical UGA, then you have really come a long way.

If there is one thing that the UGA WRs do well, and as well as any group in the nation, it's play a physical brand of football. Don't worry, they'll hit back.

Thought this fit in this thread well. It's an article focused on the defensive adjustments UGA made in the second half of the Rose Bowl last year to stop the bleeding from the amazing first half the OU offense had (31 first half points vs. 7 second half points). The TL;DR of the article is the first half UGA came out in a 2 deep safety looks with very little to no blitzing and got shredded to the tune of ~9 yds per play. Went back to the drawing board at the half and starting playing glue coverage with lots of pressure looks coming from different angles. After four TDs and one FG on the Sooners six drives of the first half, OU's first five drives of the second half resulted in 20 plays, 37 yards, 2 first downs, zero points. The success continued with allowing only one offensive TD in the second half and then only a FG in 2 OT possessions. https://www.dawgnation.com/football/team-news/film-room-defensive-tweak-shaped-historic-rose-bowl-win Conclusion: Who knows exactly how the UT vs. UGA match-ups will play out, but I expect both staffs are hinging a lot of the game plan on how well or not-so-well things worked out in the Rose Bowl last year.

Don't forget about possibly the fastest man on the field in #4 Mecole Hardman! This gif was from the national title game last year on a third and long where Mecole had a few steps on Bama's fastest player (NCAA 10.12 100 m time).

119 is bad even compared to other Big 12 defenses. Will be interesting to see how it translates in the bowl game.

Hmmm..... Opponent 3rd Down Conversion Rate Conference Opponents Only: UGA is 25th in the nation at 34.5% Texas is 119th in the nation at 48.0% Can we rename it "Third and Orlando"? Source: http://www.cfbstats.com/2018/leader/national/team/defense/split07/category25/sort01.html

Good assessment. While it's true that the sack numbers don't reflect it, the Dawgs have certainly made quite a few QBs very uncomfortable during games this year. As you noted, they aren't an aggressive, attacking defense, but they do a good job of collapsing the pocket while maintaining a disciplined lane, thereby speeding up the QBs internal clock. Will be fun to see how the matchup plays out.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.onlineathens.com/sports/20181205/projected-nfl-first-round-pick-deandre-baker-says-he-plans-to-play-in-sugar-bowl%3ftemplate=ampart "I'm playing in the Sugar Bowl," Baker said Wednesday night at the College Football Hall of Fame where he was available to reporters ahead of Thursday night's College Football Awards. "I just wanted to finish it right with my teammates that's all. I want to finish with a W with my team for my last game as a Bulldog."