Georgia's Biggest Questions Heading into Their Matchup vs Texas

Georgia's biggest questions heading into their matchup against the Texas Longhorns.

The Georgia Bulldogs are getting ready for their final conference game of the season this weekend against the Texas Longhorns. A win for Georgia would put them in a firm position to be in the college football playoff for the second year in a row. A win for Texas would keep their playoff hopes alive, while a loss could potentially end their hopes.

The two teams played twice last season, with the Bulldogs coming out on top in both games. They earned a 15-point win in Austin during the regular season and then captured an overtime win over the Longhorns in the SEC Championship game. The Bulldogs would love to extend their win streak to three games over the Longhorns this weekend.

Georgia is the favorite heading into this matchup, but whether or not they walk out of their own stadium with a win on Saturday night will boil down to how they answer a few key questions for the matchup.

Georgia's Biggest Questions vs Texas

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) runs the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-Imagn Images | Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

Can Georgia Establish a Run Game?

The Longhorns boast the second-best run defense in the country. Teams are averaging just 78 rushing yards per game and 2.4 yards per carry. The last time Georgia faced a top-10 rushing defense was against Auburn, and Georgia finished the game with 79 rushing yards. With that said, though, Georgia is the best rushing offense Texas will have faced all season.

Georgia has managed to win games without dominating on the ground, with Auburn being a prime example of that. Gunner Stockton has proven his ability to lead Georgia to a victory through the air and Saturday might have to be that style of game.

Will Georgia's Pass Rush Get Home?

Georgia has not been able to consistently sack the quarterback this season, but Texas has not been able to consistently protect its quarterback either. The Bulldogs are 122nd in the country with a total of 11 sacks on the year, while Texas ranked 75th for sacks allowed with 18 on the season. Georgia did, however, face a porous offensive line against Mississippi State last weekend and walked away with three sacks.

An even bigger point when it comes to Texas, though, is making sure Arch Manning is not able to escape out of the pocket and create. That is when he is the most dangerous, so if Georgia can't get Manning on the ground, they need to at least make sure he isn't getting out of the pocket and hunting down field.

Can Georgia's Secondary Maintain the Recent Trend?

Georgia's pass defense was the talk around town for a while as they struggled to defend the pass in the early portion of the season. In their last two games, though, they have held their opponents to less than 200 passing yards. If Georgia can keep that up this weekend, they will be in good shape.

Of the teams that have had success through the air against Georgia, it was Tennessee, Ole Miss and Alabama. All three of those teams are top 15 passing offenses in the country. Those are the only opponents to pass for over 200 yards against Georgia this season, outside of Kentucky, who finished with 225 passing yards, 74 of those yards came in the fourth quarter when Georgia had their second-string defense in. Texas currently ranks 51st in the country, averaging 246 passing yards per game. Georgia's pass defense ranks 58th in the country and is allowing an average of 210 yards per game.

Georgia's Biggest Questions vs Texas

Can Georgia Establish a Run Game?

Will Georgia's Pass Rush Get Home?

Can Georgia's Secondary Maintain the Recent Trend?

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