GAME DAY: No. 10 Texas @ No. 5 Georgia

A top-10 matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs gets underway tonight at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, in what amounts to a must-win for both programs. While a loss doesn’t eliminate either team from a College Football Playoff appearance, it carries tremendous weight relative to the jockeying for standing in the SEC. Both teams hold a conference loss, with Texas losing to Florida in Gainesville, and Georgia losing to Alabama in Athens. A loss on Saturday eliminates one of these teams from a berth in the SEC championship game, barring a collapse by Texas A&M or Alabama down the stretch.

Today’s matchup serves as the eighth all-time between these two programs, and the third since Texas joined the Southeastern Conference last season. The Longhorns hold a 4-3 edge over the Bulldogs, who have won the last two meetings.

Our Keys to the Game

Texas Longhorns Keys to Victory

• Establish a Balanced Ground Attack: Texas must find a way to run the ball against Georgia’s rush defense, which is ranked 12th nationally at 100.2 yards allowed per game. Arch Manning seems to have found an offensive rhythm, but will face a Georgia defense that tackles extremely well in open space.​
• Contain Georgia’s Balanced Offense: The Longhorns’ defense, 11th in points allowed at 16.4 per game, needs to limit quarterback Gunner Stockton while managing the hostile Sanford Stadium crowd after road losses to Ohio State and Florida this season.​
• Protect the Ball and Exploit Early Opportunities: With Georgia’s secondary disrupting horizontal passes reliant on yards after catch, Manning must avoid turnovers against a defense that has forced 15 this year, starting fast to counter the Bulldogs’ tendency to trail at halftime in close home games.​

Georgia Bulldogs Keys to Victory

• Leverage the Rushing Attack: Georgia also needs to find a way to run the ball. Texas’s second-ranked run defense is stout, but experienced trouble against the run in several games. Gunner Stockton needs time to throw the ball and against the Texas front and assembling a ground game will do wonders.​
• Generate Pressure on Manning: Despite missing nose tackle Jordan Hall, the Bulldogs’ front seven, which notched three sacks last week, must disrupt Manning’s rhythm. Texas struggles in red zone efficiency and third and long situations, and Georgia needs to find ways to take advantage of these issues.​

Relevant Information