The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current, October 22, 2010, Page 10, Image 10

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Newspaper Page Text10 Friday, October as, aoio | The Red * Black _ GAME BREAKDOWN: Georgia vs. Kentucky iwjy 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium ™ mmm offense Georgia’s offense has proven especially prolific since the return of aj. Green, putting up 474.5 yards per game In the last two wins. But the Kentucky offense has put up points In bundles this season, averaging 35.3 points per game. The Wildcats are led by piaymak ers Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke, who are Nos. 2 and 3 in the conference In all-pur pose yards. Cobb is the team's leading receiver (466 yards, five touchdowns) but is also dangerous running the ball from Kentucky’s "Wild Cobb" formation (195 yards, three touchdowns on the ground). Locke has proven especially dangerous this season with 574 yards rushing and seven touchdowns already. However, Locke is questionable for Saturday's game, so Kentucky's offense could be missing one of its primary options. SLIGHT EDGE: KENTUCKY i m GREEN DEFENSE As lethal as Kentucky's offense has been, the Wildcat defense has been equally impo tent. giving up 29.9 points per game. Linebacker Danny Trevathan and the defense has proven especially vulnerable on the ground ranking 11th in the conference. In front of only Vanderbilt —with opponents averaging 176 yards per game. To the contrary, Demarcus Dobbs and the Georgia defense has slowly risen to 14th nationally in scoring defense (17.4 points per game) and is coming off its two best performances of the sea son. But the Bulldog defense has yet to put it together on the road, and facing the Kentucky offense on the road may be Georgia's toughest test all season defensively. EDGE: GEORGIA n DOBBS SPECIAL TEAMS Locke and Cobb are dangerous on punt and 'kick returns, but Georgia has the confer ence's top kickoff coverage unit and second-ranked punting unit 40.2 yards net punt ing average. Georgia should have the decisive advantage in the punting and kicking game, where Blair Walsh (13-15 on field goals) should have the advantage over Craig Mclntosh (7-9 on field goals). Green has returned three punts over the last two games in an effort to get him the ball in anyway possible, and Georgia has recovered three fumbies on spe cial teams this season. Kentucky has been in shootouts the last three weeks, and a big special teams play couid decide the game. EDGE: GEORGIA ftj V • ■■ v.jp f- 4 wpSl WALSH COACHING Mark Richt's determination to bring the physicality back to Georgia has resulted in two wins, and Georgia's playing its best defense and offense of the season. But Coach Phillips seems to have sparked a 4-3 Kentucky team fresh off the biggest win of the Phillips era. a huge second half 31-28 comeback over then-No. 10 South Carolina. Kentucky executed a similar comeback last season, except it came against Georgia in Sanford Stadium, rallying from a 20-6 halftime deficit to win 34-27 leaving the Sanford Stadium crowd stunned. Georgia, meanwhile, hasn't handled opposing venues well this season, constructing an 0-3 record on the road. Richt’s teams have done well on the road (33-12 career) but the circumstances, combined with Georgia facing its first real test in two weeks, gives Kentucky the edge here. SLIGHT EDGE: KENTUCKY a RICHT 199Stne!MRiin-flttiefiSvWßOHH l lW** u“'“ \/I T I I ' ,„ Campus, downtown L—... 1 and Sanford Stadium. Featuring a resort style swimming pool, —; ~~0 —i newly renovated interiors v * and much.more! ftjj -y\ 706.548.1188 iJm .rC I ■ -** v mvw.RiverMillAthens.com | J wrv." •;., V..- : ACQU!S f-OHS FIRST & GOAL TREVATHAN Ip mcVntosh sjSsJp-, ' PHILLIPS p ’i -j ", fla BY THE NUMBERS I Me Buildups why must a hiph w>,\ ered Wildcat offense in Saturday's SIC fast matchup. Kentucky h.is bocn able to move the chains wail .ill season and unless thu Bulldiws . Ccan.be etficrent ofl'tfhe offeristue— _ ball to-keep the Wildcats” of tense off the field. Georgia’s da tense could get winded early. Here are the numbers: GEORGIA POINTS PER GAME: 29.7 TOTAL YARDS PER GAME: 395.3 PASSING YARDS PER GAME: 244.9 RUSHING YARDS PER GAME: 150.4 FILE I The Red a Black ▲ Kentucky running back Derrick Locke wet BLANKENSHIP I Tu Kid * Buc ▲ Georgia wideout A.J. Green KENTUCKY POINTS PER GAME: 35.3 TOTAL YARDS PER GAME: 429.3 PASSING YARDS PER GAME: 270.6 RUSHING YARDS PER GAME: 158.7

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The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current, October 22, 2010, Page 10, Image 10