The Georgia Bulldogs punted five times Saturday night, fumbled twice and missed a field goal.
Normally that's a recipe for disaster against triple-option opponents, but Georgia found itself tied with Georgia Southern after 60 minutes of regulation inside Sanford Stadium before emerging victorious 23-17 in overtime on Sony Michel's 25-yard scoring scamper.
Possessions will be every bit as precious this Saturday, when the Bulldogs encounter another triple-option attack as they visit Georgia Tech in their regular-season finale.
Will having faced Georgia Southern aid the Bulldogs when they play the Yellow Jackets?
"The biggest thing is the style of offensive play in regard to these teams being all about long drives and all about sucking the life out of the clock," Georgia coach Mark Richt said Saturday night. "They're all about converting third downs and fourth downs and keeping it away from your offense. You've got to get used to that kind of play, and I think that will help us as much as anything."
ESPN2 will televise this week's game from Bobby Dodd Stadium, which will kick off shortly after noon.
Georgia's two turnovers certainly affected Saturday night's outcome, with Malcolm Mitchell's fumble at Georgia Southern's 8-yard line late in the first quarter preventing the Bulldogs from taking an early 10-0 or 14-0 lead. On Georgia's second play of the second half, Eagles cornerback Caleb Williams returned a Michel fumble 62 yards for a score and a 14-7 Georgia Southern lead, forcing the hosts to fight uphill the rest of the way.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game coming into it," Bulldogs quarterback Greyson Lambert said. "We knew they would have their run going, because that's what they do. We knew we had to take advantage of our possessions on offense, because they like to have the ball for long periods of time."
The Eagles gained 233 rushing yards and had 32 minutes and 45 seconds of possession time, but each of those numbers were below their season averages. They entered Saturday night leading the nation with 378.9 rushing yards per game and remain on top with a 364.3-yard average.
Georgia Tech ranks seventh nationally in rushing offense, averaging 261.8 yards per game.
"Both Southern and Tech are triple-option offenses," Bulldogs junior safety Quincy Mauger said, "so there are definitely some things that we can carry over to next week as far as game-planning and knowing where our eyes need to be."
Said Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt: "Both teams make you play assignment football, and you've got to be able to get off blockers and make plays in space. It should help some."
It's not known which Georgia Tech quarterback the Bulldogs will face.
Justin Thomas helped the Jackets gain 399 rushing yards in last season's 30-24 overtime triumph in Sanford Stadium but was injured in the first quarter of Saturday's 38-21 loss at Miami. He was replaced by Matthew Jordan, who rushed 28 times for just 60 yards (2.1 per carry) and completed 4 of 8 passes for 59 yards and an interception.
"He played OK at times," coach Paul Johnson told Tech's radio network afterward. "He played tough, but the ball was on the ground too many times. It was on the ground way too many times."
Georgia Tech fumbled nine times against the Hurricanes, losing two of them.
The Yellow Jackets won 11 games last season, including a 49-34 thumping of Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. They began this season as a darkhorse candidate for the sport's four-team playoff but are now 3-8 and out of the bowl picture for the first time since 1996.
"These kids don't quit," Johnson said. "We just don't execute very well. We can find more ways to lose than we can find ways to win."
Odds and ends
The Bulldogs opened Sunday as 4.5-point favorites against the Jackets. Richt said Sunday that freshman defensive lineman Trenton Thompson, who did not play Saturday, has been hobbled by two injured ankles. Georgia moved up to No. 2 nationally in pass defense (allowing 151.9 yards per game) behind San Jose State (149.6). The Bulldogs are No. 9 in total defense (allowing 300.0 yards per game) and No. 13 in scoring defense (allowin 17.8 points per game).
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.