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ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia are facing an imminent clash against the country's first team, a match that looks set to determine whether the No. 5 Bulldogs will have another shot at the college football game.
Georgia Tech would like nothing more than to mess up these plans.
State rivals end the regular season Saturday between hurdles, where Georgia (10-1) is a 17-point favorite to overcome the last hurdle before the Southeast Conference's championship game on Dec. 1 against the No. 1 Alabama.
The Yellow Jackets (7-4) are sure to play their role as outsiders, even though they are in the middle of a four-game winning streak. US coach Paul Johnson expressed admiration for the Georgia match last week with a 701-yard lead in a 66-27 loss to UMass.
"I'm not sure we can do that to our scouting team," Johnson said. & # 39; & # 39; They looked unstoppable. Maybe they'll let us play with 12 in defense. & # 39; & # 39;
Although it is easy to look ahead, the Bulldogs insist that they focus on this game.
"The other team also sees themselves as a Georgia team," said receiver Terry Godwin. "We just have to let them know who the real Georgia team is here."
Georgia is also motivated by the memory of what happened in the last two appearances of the Yellow Jackets at Sanford Stadium.
In 2014, the Yellow Jackets triumphed 30- 24 after scoring the goal with a 53-yard field goal in the final regular game and preserving the win with an overtime interception near the goal line. In 2016, the Bulldogs lost a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost 28-27.
Each time, the Georgia Tech players celebrated this event by happily taking branches of the famous hedges that surround the field.
"I definitely do not want them to win here again, especially while I'm here," said Isaac Nauta, close to Georgia. & # 39; & # 39; I am excited to attack this one and make sure these hedges are not affected. & # 39; & # 39;
Some things to watch when Georgia Tech welcomes Georgia Tech in the rivalry "Clean, old-fashioned hate":
EMERGENCE OF SWIFT
The current game in Georgia has received a huge boost from sophomore D & # 39; Andre Swift.
Injured by injuries a good part of the season, Swift is finally healthy and won three straight 100-yard games to help Georgia win the SEC-East title, including a record 186-yard performance against Auburn. has two weeks. He was able to rest a bit last week by playing parsimoniously against UMass.
Swift gives the Bulldogs a solid punch in the backfield. He leads the team with 857 rushing yards, averaging 6.9 yards per run, while Elijah Holyfield has 817 yards and an average of 6.6 yards.
BALANCED RECEPTION BODY
No receiver from Georgia has an impressive number, but the Bulldogs have many potential targets for quarterback Jake Fromm and his replacement, said rookie Justin Fields, who has played every game except one.
Riley Ridley leads with 32 receptions, Mercole Hardman has 31 and Nauta is a frequent target with 21 shots. Godwin (15 receptions) overcame his injuries to give the Bulldogs another weapon in the passing game.
In all, Georgia has six players with two-digit receptions and 12 other players with at least one jack.
"You do not need a guy," coach Kirby Smart said. & # 39; & # 39; You can do it by committee. & # 39; & # 39;
TECH QUARTERBACK DUO
The Yellow Jackets have two competent quarters to perform the triple option – "run" being the key word.
The former Marshall TaQuon beats the Yellow Jackets with 857 rushing yards while scoring 11 touchdowns, while rookie Tobias Oliver left the bench to score 808 yards and lead the team with 12 touchdowns.
Neither of them has a lot of arms, and the Yellow Jackets have largely dropped the passing game over their current winning streak. But this part of the offense can not be totally ignored; Georgia Tech averaged 36 yards on six of that period.
DISADVANTAGE AT HOME
Georgia Tech has won five of its last 10 games at Sanford Stadium.
Conversely, Georgia has not lost to rival Atlanta since 1999. Last season, the Bulldogs won a 38-7 victory at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
ACCURATE KICKERS
Both teams have extremely precise kickers.
Ricardo Blankenship has been a formidable weapon for Georgia in the past two seasons, scoring 38 attempts on 43 attempts and 115 points.
Georgia Tech received a boost from rookie Wesley Wells, who took up only the fifth place of the season after the fall of two other kickers. He's 8 for 8 on the field and perfect on 35 extra point attempts. Last week, he scored four times for Virginia, including a career-best 48 yards and a 40-yard overtime winner.
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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963. His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry
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AP Sports Editor Charles Odum in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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For more AP University Football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
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