Georgia Bulldogs vs. Charleston Southern Preview: The Tune-Up

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt certainly would not endorse the use of “tune-up” to describe this week’s game against Charleston Southern, but that is exactly what it is for the Dawgs. Although the visiting Buccaneers are a solid FCS opponent with an 8-3 record, there is little reason to expect an overly competitive product between the hedges on Saturday, and as such, keeping everyone healthy in advance of next week’s tilt against Georgia Tech will be paramount. Let’s preview the action.

Opponent: Charleston Southern Buccaneers

Time/TV: Noon pm ET, SEC Network

Georgia Offense vs. Charleston Southern Defense

Permanent life without Todd Gurley begins here, and it will be the Nick Chubb show until such a time as Richt and Mike Bobo elect to pull the plug. Chubb is averaging a robust 6.8 yards per carry on the season (largely against SEC competition), and in all honesty, Georgia may have a top-10 running back in the country on its roster even with Gurley sidelined for the remainder of the season and, most likely, his career. T

Through the air, we should see Hutson Mason in a comfortable spot here, and if the scoreboard falls in the way that is anticipated, Brice Ramsey could see extended time under center in the second half. Elsewhere, Sony Michel is scheduled to be available behind Chubb, and it will be interesting to see how Bobo elects to split the carries between his running backs, particularly if the game gets out of hand.

Georgia Defense vs. Charleston Southern Offense

The Bulldogs are currently second in the nation in turnover margin at +16 (1.6 per game), and that is a scary proposition for Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers have scored 36.3 points per game over their last three, but with opponents that include Gardner-Webb and Liberty, it is tough to take a great deal from that.

As a point of reference, Charleston Southern lost a nail-biter to Vanderbilt earlier in the year (yes, that Vanderbilt), but they did manage to put up nearly 400 total yards of offense against an “SEC”-level defense. We’re grasping at straws here, but senior running back Christian Reyes appears to be the focal point of the offense, and that is something surely on the mind of Jeremy Pruitt on Saturday.

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The Georgia Bulldogs are a multi-touchdown favorite for a reason, and short of a full-on disaster, Saturday should be a lot of fun for the fans. Regardless, all eyes are on next week, and everything should be viewed through that prism.

Stay tuned for post-game coverage, and a live game thread that will open on Saturday morning. Check it out!