On January 1st the #7 ranked Georgia Bulldogs match up against the #16 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. Georgia’s previous meeting with a Big Ten opponent resulted in a 33-30 loss in last year’s Outback Bowl against Michigan St. This year Georgia goes up against a completely different team lead by the dual threat quarterback in Taylor Martinez.
In past years, Taylor Martinez was heavily criticized on his throwing ability, it was rumored that in the
off season he flew to California to work with a quarterback guru. It must have worked because the first
two games of the 2012 season Martinez threw for over 300 yards. Flashes of Martinez’s old throwing habits started to show once entering Big Ten play. Martinez threw for less than 150 yards and had a completion rate below 50% against some of the better defenses in Big Ten including Northwestern, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, and of course Michigan.
The Georgia defense lead by USC transfer Jarvis Jones will be eager to prove the rumors false. Georgia’s secondary is one of the best in the nation, only allowing two teams to pass for more than 250 yards. It seems as if they will be able to handle the passing attack from Nebraska; but unfortunately for Georgia, Martinez is a dual threat quarterback – meaning he can hurt you with his feet as well. In the 2012 season Georgia hasn’t encountered quarterback like Martinez. The closest comparison Georgia has seen is from their in-state rival Georgia Tech, whose offense consists of mainly options and involving very little throwing.
Even though Georgia’s defense has yet to see a quarterback like Martinez, their defense is ranked 17th overall in the nation. The Bulldog defense has the upper hand and in order for Nebraska to assert an offensive presence they must establish the run. The most important player for Cornhuskers in this game is not Martinez, instead it’s Ameer Abdullah. Nebraska is ranked 8th in the nation in rushing, and Ameer is the main contributor with 1089 yards in the season. If Ameer is able to effectively move the ball, then it will force the Georgia defense to cheat the safety into the box, allowing for other players like Kenny Bell and Quincy Enunwa to make some key plays in the passing game.
The Nebraska defense will have their hand full with Aaron Murray and the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia’s offense is ranked 19th in the nation and scores on average 37.2 points in a game. Luckily for Nebraska, their pass defense isn’t their weak spot. Only three teams have passed for over 200 yards. The problem with the Cornhusker defense is they cannot stop anybody from running the ball. In the 2012 season the defense gave up over 200 yards in 9 out of the 12 teams they played. Wisconsin truly exposed the soft spot in Nebraska’s defense by rushing for an astonishing 524 yards in the Big Ten Championship game. If I was the coach I would not even bring receivers on the field. Instead I’d beef up on extra lineman and pound the ball every play. The simple key to success for the Georgia Bulldog offense can be summed up in three words – Run the Ball.
- Troy Woolfolk
@twoolf29
