2014 Gator Bowl Preview: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

As the calendar turns to 2014 on Wednesday, the Georgia Bulldogs are in action with the earliest kick-off of the normally jam-packed New Year’s Day slate. The Bulldogs are in Jacksonville to face off with Nebraska in the Gator Bowl, and while the two teams did square off in the Capital One Bowl last season, there is still plenty to play for in this “rematch”. Without further ado, let’s get things rolling with our preview.

Georgia Offense vs. Nebraska Defense

The UGA offense looks very different than it did at the start of the 2013 season, and the biggest change in under center. 4-year starter Aaron Murray is on the shelf with a torn ACL, giving Hutson Mason his 2nd consecutive start here against the Huskers. Mason was quite effective in Georgia’s win over Georgia Tech over a month ago, but with Nebraska have a bit of a tape on him (and over 30 days to prepare), it could be a unique challenge.

Nebraska had one of the top-25 pass defenses in the country this season, allowing only about 205 yards per game through the air, but to be fair, no UGA fan is excited about Mason slinging the ball all over the field. Rather, it would be useful for Mike Bobo, Mark Richt, and company to keep the ball on the ground as much as humanly possible, and a very healthy Todd Gurley is always a great thing.

Gurley went north of 120 yards against Tech, and with a month off, he should be back to his fresh, All-American form in this one. Nebraska struggled in run defense this season, allowing more than 160 yards per game, so Gurley (and the combination of Douglas and Green behind him) should be very effective in a full workload. Look for an output of at least 20-25 touches with 100+ yards and a score from one of the best backs in the country.

Georgia Defense vs. Nebraska Offense

The Huskers are also missing their “star” quarterback, and while Taylor Martinez certainly isn’t Aaron Murray, they are a different team without him. Ron Kellogg III got the start at QB in Nebraska’s final game of the year against Iowa, but it is very possible (even likely) that we could see two quarterbacks, with redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong, Jr. as an “or” on the Gator Bowl depth chart.

Regardless, Nebraska has been largely inept at throwing the football this season (99th in the nation in passing offense), and they’ll rely heavily on their own star running back in Ameer Abdullah. In fact, Abdullah actually outperformed Todd Gurley this season, rushing for over 1,500 yards, and he is a threat to take it to the house on every touch. It’ll be crucial for Georgia’s middle-of-the-pack run defense to clamp down hard on Abdullah and with the QB’s providing a running threat, it’ll be a unique challenge.

It should be noted that UGA will be without two significant contributors on defense, as starting safety Josh Harvey-Clemons and cornerback Sheldon Dawson have been suspended for a reported rules violation. To be honest, their impact may not be felt in the passing game against this particular offense, but it’s also never a good thing to lose this much depth in the secondary.

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There is a notable lack of “buzz” around Athens concerning this bowl game, and I suppose that comes with both the rematch and facing off with an uninspiring, 8-4 team from the Big 10. Still, this has been a miserable season (at least relatively) for the Dawgs, and it would be a huge momentum boost to see Hutson Mason, Todd Gurley and company send this team to a big win in preparation for what will be a crucial 2014 campaign.

Stay tuned for post-game coverage, and a live game thread that will open shortly.