Game Breakdown: Central Michigan vs. Georgia
Offense Edge: Georgia
The addition of Clint Boling to the offensive line coming off a suspension gives Georgia a rotation up front that could include eight players. The Bulldogs rolled up 535 yards against Georgia Southern last week. Freshmen Caleb King and Richard Samuel combined to rush for 127 yards and Knowshon Moreno had 112 total yards and three rushing touchdowns. Central Michigan averaged nearly 35 points per game last year but was held to a touchdown against Kansas and 14 against Clemson and North Dakota State.
Defense Edge: Georgia
Central Michigan allowed 36.9 points per game last year. The Bulldogs didn't give up more than 35 points in any game last season. The Bulldogs worked on holding up in the heat during practice this week by working on the FieldTurf surface and putting in extra conditioning. Maybe that will help the cramping that some players had and help the Bulldogs finish stronger than they did in their opener. With Jeff Owens' season-ending knee injury, Brandon Wood and DeAngelo Tyson become backups at the position.
Coaching Edge: Georgia
Georgia coach Mark Richt, who improved to 73-19 with the Bulldogs' 45-21 win last week against Georgia Southern, has never lost a regular- season game against a nonconference opponent. Butch Jones, 9-6 at Central Michigan, is a former West Virginia assistant coach who interviewed for the head coaching opening last year there. He is one of nine coaches in MAC history to guide his team to the conference title in his first season.
Intangibles Edge: Georgia
Winning by 24 points against Georgia Southern wasn't enough for Georgia to carry its first preseason No. 1 ranking in program history to the second week of the season. That could provide the Bulldogs with some measure of incentive today. Central Michigan can play loose since nobody will give them much of a chance in this one.
Special teams Edge: Even
Central Michigan's Antonio Brown is a dangerous return man. He had a 90-yard kickoff return for touchdown against Northern Illinois las t season and had three punt returns for 64 yards last week against Eastern Illinois. Kicker Andrew Aguila is 10 of 15 on field goals for his career. Georgia's Blair Walsh booted a 52-yard field goal last week, but Georgia gave up too much kickoff return yardage. Asher Allen averaged 18 yards on three punt returns. Ramarcus Brown averaged 16.3 yards on three kickoff returns
Overall Edge: Georgia
Central Michigan hasn't faced a ranked opponent since it lost 41-17 to No. 10 Michigan on Sept. 9, 2006. This doesn't seem like the time to sneak up and pull the stunner. Georgia fared pretty well against Florida's Tim Tebow last season even though he was playing with a banged up shoulder. Dan LeFevour brings similar attributes to the quarterback position as a big, running quarterback. The problem is CMU's defense hasn't shown it can be expected to stop anybody.
