Midweek Numbers and Thoughts

Just some numbers on the Georgia-Tennessee series:
- Phil Fulmer is 9-5 agaist Georgia as a head coach. 4 of those loses have come to Georgia teams coached by Mark Richt.
- Coach Richt is yet to lose in Knoxville and is 4-1 overall against the Vols with the lone loss coming in 2004.
-Prior to 2000, Georgia had lost 9 straight to the Vols.
-Under Coach Richt Georgia has lost only 2 games on an opponents campus(LSU 2003, Auburn 2004). 4 loses have come at home.
- Georgia is 2-2 in Home night games in the Richt era with both victories coming in the 2002 SEC Championship season. On the Road Georgia is 5-1 in night games with the only loss coming in Jacksonville in 2002. 1-0 at Night vs. the Vols.

Key Players:
Tennessee:
Erik Ainge #10 QB- Leading passer in the SEC
Arron Sears #76 OT- Banged up recently but considered one of the premier O-Lineman in the country.
Meachem/Swain #3/1 WR's- Duo leads country in combined receiving yards.
Marvin Mitchell #40 LB- Leads SEC in tackles per game.
Britton Colquitt #47 P- Averaging 47. 1 yards per kick.
Georgia:
Kregg Lumpkin #6 TB- Georgia's leading rusher.
Quinton Moses#94 DE- Pre-season All-American who projects high for the 2007 draft.
Jarvis Jackson #45 LB- Significant run stopper in the middle.
Paul Oliver #8 CB- Best cover corner with solid tackleing ablility.
Brandon Coutu #96 PK- All-American candidate who is 7-8 on the year.

If Georgia is to Win:

Defense: Georgia has got to stop the run first. Georgia was gutted pretty bad by a struggleing Ole Miss running game. If the Volunteer offense is able to run the ball than that will be all she wrote. They are going to make their plays in the passing game but it is crucial to make them as one dementional as possible. The interior Defensive Lineman have got to play better. Getting Jarvis Jackson back will help but it will be interesting to see how he holds up with his injured foot. If the inside can do their job then the outside can do more of what they do best and thats rush the passer. Georgia has to stop the run to give our outstanding DE's a chance to be game changers and free up our safetys to help with pass defense.(Players needed to step up= Owens, Weston, Gant)

Offense: Georgia will have to be able to pound the ball straight ahead. Most of our success last week came from tough running football. With the Qb and Receiver situation questionable at best, the Vols are likely to put 8 in the box. Still, Georgia MUST establish the run game and when they take to the air need to go big. The screen package will no doubt be a huge part of the game plan and is important to make some plays in the open field. The O-line is key no matter what approach we take and Mr. Lumpkin needs to have the game of his life.(Players needed to step up= Inman,Velasco, Adams, Shackleford.)

Special Teams: Have to be perfect. Field position will be key in a game where Georgia is expected to struggle with the ball. Coutu has not made a Field Goal since UAB but must score on every opportunity. Kickoff coverage has been up and down since Coutu reliquished the job. And the punt team showed tremendous vulnerability in Oxford and I expect to see Tennessee take a few shots.(Player needed to step up= Ely-Kelso)

* If Georgia is to win I firmly believe that either the Defense, Special Teams, or both will need to score in some fashion. If the Dawgs get behind significantly I wouldn't be surprised to see more of Stafford than expected. Joe T is yet to prove himself but can lead us to a win if he can manage the offense and make a couple of big throws when called apon. Georgia is the lesser team right now but have been in almost every single game since Richt's arival. I expect the Dawgs to play sky high and will need to put forth their best effort of the year to have a chance.