Atlanta Texas quickly established itself in the powerful Southeastern Conference.
The No. 2 Longhorns had the best regular-season record in their first season in the elite league, earning a trip to the SEC championship game on Saturday.
According to Texas running back Jaydon Blue, “not many teams can enter a league their first year, especially the SEC, and get a chance to play for the championship.”
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Texas (11-1, 7-1 SEC, No. 2 College Football Playoff) will play No. 5 Georgia (10-2, 6-2, No. 5 CFP) in an exciting showdown between the brazen rookie and a standout member of the old guard.
Under coach Kirby Smart, who has won two national titles and made Georgia the dynasty that everyone else is vying for, the Bulldogs are participating in the championship game for the seventh time in nine seasons.
To make matters worse, the Dawgs crushed Austin 30–15 in mid-October, handing Texas their lone regular-season defeat.
“Georgia and Kirby have been the standard in college football,” stated Steve Sarkisian, coach of the Longhorns. As you can see repeatedly, Georgia has the heart of a champion.
Both teams will advance to the College Football Playoff regardless of the A-T-L outcome.
However, the winner will receive a ticket directly to the Sugar Bowl for the national quarterfinals on New Year’s Day, in addition to the coveted SEC championship.
The loser will have to play an additional playoff game, most likely on December 20 or 21 in the first round.
“It s an opportunity to rest and recover while others are playing formidable opponents,” Smart stated. It takes you out of that.
Longhorns vs. Dawgs, Part II
Texas wants to make amends for its lone defeat of the season, which came against Georgia when the Longhorns were ranked first.
“We’re going to have to play a better version of football than the first time around,” Sarkisian stated. “We were out of character, out of sorts.”
It was a No. 1 team’s most lopsided home defeat in forty-two years.
“They deserve to get our best shot,” Sarkisian stated. We’ll get their best shot, I’m sure of it.”
Quarterback duel
Both starting quarterbacks will be hoping to outperform their first-game efforts.
Quinn Ewers of Texas had two fumbles and a pick, while Carson Beck of Georgia had three interceptions and won.
Additionally, pay attention to Texas backup Arch Manning, who entered the game last week and ran for a touchdown on fourth down in the victory over Texas A&M. Given that Ewers is still recovering from a sprained ankle, Manning’s arm and legs could offer an interesting change of pace.
“He’s the hardest guy to defend because he’s a really good athlete who can run at any time,” Smart said. “I’d much rather have a guy that only runs than a guy that does both.”
Injury report
Although Trevor Etienne ran for three touchdowns in the first meeting with Texas, he was labeled as questionable for Saturday’s game and has missed three games in a row due to a rib ailment.
Christen Miller, a defensive lineman for Georgia, has also been sidelined due to a shoulder injury. The Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech in eight overtimes despite giving up a season-high 260 running yards without Miller.
Kelvin Banks Jr., a contender for the Outland Trophy, may be out for Texas after suffering a leg injury last week after just seven plays.
If Banks is unable to play, Trevor Goosby, a rookie, would start at the critical left tackle position. The Georgia defense harassed the Longhorns for seven sacks in October, including two that led to fumbles.
Run, Texas, run
The Longhorns’ run attack has been outstanding lately, but Texas only managed 29 yards rushing against Georgia in their most recent outing.
With 344 yards over the last two games and an average of 5.8 yards per carry, Quintrevion Wisner has become the go-to back.
According to Smart, “there is a great commitment to the run when you have 30-40 carries in multiple games.” Their offensive line is enormous, they have excellent backs, they are very physically strong, and the quarterback does a fantastic job of placing them in the correct runs.
Georgia in the A-T-L
The Bulldogs have a significant advantage while competing for the SEC championship, even though Mercedes-Benz Stadium is just roughly 75 miles away from the Georgia campus, making it their de facto home game.
In addition to losing to Alabama in overtime in the national championship game at the end of the 2017 season, the Bulldogs are just 2-4 in conference championship games played at the Benz.
The Bulldogs are only 4-7 in Atlanta with the conference title at stake, reminiscent of the years when the Georgia Dome hosted the SEC championship.
“We’re essentially playing a road game,” Sarkisian stated. “But I do expect a good amount of burnt orange to be there.”
This report was written by Jim Vertuno, an AP Sports Writer from Austin, Texas.
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