ATL All Day
Fansided

Georgia Bulldogs face Penn State in TaxSlayer Bowl

By John Buhler

Nov 28, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jordan Jenkins (59) celebrates after their game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Bulldogs won 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jordan Jenkins (59) celebrates after their game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Bulldogs won 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Georgia Bulldogs will face the Penn State Nittany Lions in the TaxSlayer Bowl down in Jacksonville, Florida at 12:00 PM ET today at EverBank Field.

The Georgia Bulldogs will play their bowl game this afternoon when they take on the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big 10 in the TaxSlayer Bowl down in Jacksonville, Florida. Kickoff is at 12:00 PM ET from EverBank Field and the game will air on ESPN.

Georgia enters this game as a 6.5-point favorite over the Nittany Lions, according to OddsShark.com. Because of the Georgia Bulldogs’s transition from coaching staffs, it is 50-50 with bets picking for and against Georgia according to the spread. The over/under for this game is 43, with 52% of bets siding with the under.

UGA will have interim head coach Bryan McClendon, who will join Will Muschamp at South Carolina after this game, while Penn State has a great coach in former Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin leading the Nittany Lions.

More from UGA Football

For Georgia, this game is its opportunity to get to 10 wins in back-to-back seasons. A victory over Penn State would also give the seniors at UGA their 40th win while playing for the Red and Black. UGA would close out a tumultuous 2015 NCAA season with a five-game winning streak. Penn State would finish only 8-5 should it knock off Georgia.

I expect a low scoring game, as Georgia’s offense hasn’t been high-octane all year, especially through the air. Expect McClendon and his depleted bowl game staff to call a conservative offensive game, as none of the UGA staff on offense will return as a part of Kirby Smart‘s staff in 2016.

Sony Michel and Keith Marshall will have to do the heavy lifting with the ground game, as Brendan Douglas will not play as the third-string tailback. Quarterback Greyson Lambert will game manage under center while McClendon hopes that Kevin Sherrer, who will remain on next year’s staff, will have a great defensive strategy as interim defensive coordinator.

If Sherrer can force Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg to make some mistakes, then Georgia can move to 10-3 on the year, possibly finishing the 2015 season ranked in the AP Top 25.

However with these bowl games, it really comes down to who wants to play in it more. With all but two coaches (Sherrer and defensive line coach Tracy Rocker) on the 2015 Georgia Bulldogs staff not returning, I find it difficult to believe that UGA will play with passion today. James Franklin will want to win this bowl game to help get Penn State back to competitiveness in the brutal Big Ten East.

Next: Kirby Smart: Winning CFP at Alabama best thing for UGA?

I think this is a low-scoring affair, well under the 43-point over/under. The Georgia Bulldogs have the better players over Penn State, but the Nittany Lions will be better coached in this game. It will be close and Georgia won’t cover the spread, but I think the Dawgs’ seniors want this win for back-to-back 10 win seasons, their 40th as a class, and to bring closure to the Mark Richt era in Athens.

Prediction: Georgia Bulldogs 21, Penn State Nittany Lions 17

Home/UGA Football