OUTBACK BOWL
7) GEORGIA vs. 17) WISCONSIN
Jan-1 11AM/ESPN
#7 Georgia 9-2 (6-2) T1st SEC-East
#17 Wisconsin 9-2 (6-2) 3rd Big Ten
The Outback Bowl is always a pretty good match up and this year is no different. Both of these teams had hopes of being in a BCS bowl game but a few slip ups ended those dreams.
Georgia had a typical Georgia year, solid but not spectacular. They fell to conference rivals Tennessee and Auburn. They were hoping to get another shot at Auburn in the conference title game but Tennessee got through on a tie-breaker. On the offensive side they are led by veteran passer David Greene. Greene, a senior, passed for 2200 yards with 18 touchdowns and only two interceptions. While those stats are nice the one that really stands out is his 40-9 record as quarterback making him the winningest quarterback in NCAA history. He may not be as exciting as some other quarterbacks out there but he is a solid leader who doesn’t make many mistakes.
The defence is led by future NFL star defensive end David Pollack. Pollack could have left early last year and been a top pick but stuck around for his senior year. For his troubles he was awarded the Lombardi trophy for best lineman in the country and the Chuck Bednarik trophy for best defensive player in the country.
The Badgers started off 9-0 and were looking at a Rose Bowl birth until a huge blow-out loss to Michigan State which was followed up by a loss to Iowa. The big question is which team will show up for the bowl game. The one that started 9-0 or the one that lost to Michigan State 49-19.
Wisconsin continues its tradition of featuring a solid ground attack. This year’s version is led by running back Anthony Davis. The speedy senior has had a great career at Wisconsin. This year he missed a few games with injuries limited him to 894 yards on the ground. He did however average five yards a rush and got 11 touchdowns. Davis had a huge start to his career, running for over 1400 yards as a freshman and over 1500 yards as a sophomore, but the last two years have been hampered by injuries. Like Georgia the start of its defence is a defensive end. This one being Erasmus James who has eight sacks, seven quarterback hurries and 11.5 tackles for loss. He will be trying his best to get David Greene rattled.
Players to watch:
Georgia: David Pollack-Defensive End.
Pollack is likely to be a first round pick in the NFL. He has been a star ever since his sophomore season. Scouts will be looking to see if Pollack can play well against the Badger run game.
Wisconsin: Anthony Davis-Running Back.
The 5’8 back averaged over 127 yards a game on the ground. It looks like he should be healthy for the bowl game. They will need him because their passing offence is one of the worst in the league.
Who will win?
The Bulldogs have more talent. They have a better quarterback. The Badgers were exposed badly in their last two games of the season. Georgia should win this game by over 10 points ending David Greene’s career on a high note.
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Game Recap
This was a great game. It was much closer then I thought it would be. Both teams looked sloppy in the first quarter with bad turnovers and penalties.
Neither team’s offence was able to get going in the first half. Georgia had a 10-6 lead at halftime after QB David Greene was able to connect with WR Fred Gibson on an 18 yard TD pass.
The third quarter highlighted Wisconsin’s inept defence and Georgia was able to drive for back to back touchdowns and the game looked like it was going to be a rout.
Badger quarterback John Stocco was able to get going and finally started to show some promise. He led a TD drive which put the score at 24-13.
Stocco looked like he was going to be able to duplicate that TD drive when Georgia DE David Pollack made an outstanding play. He came off the corner unblocked sacked Stocco and during the process stripped the ball from Stocco.
Pollack’s outstanding play was all for nothing when on the next play QB David Greene was intercepted by Linebacker Andy Crooks who ran the ball into the end zone.
After Georgia got the ball back they kept the ball out of Greene’s hands, who threw two interceptions in the game after only throwing two in the regular season. They fed the ball to freshman running back Thomas Jones for the final drive. He looked outstanding and Wisconsin could not stop him. The Bulldogs were able to run out the clock ending the Badger’s hopes.
I was very impressed with Thomas Jones and Georgia TE Leonard Pope. Expect big things from both of these guys in the future.
