Associated Press photo by Mark Humphrey / Georgia running back Zamir White is tripped up by Vanderbilt defensive back DC Williams during the season opener for both teams last Saturday night in Nashville.NO. 3 GEORGIA (1-0) vs. MURRAY STATE (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019
4 p.m. at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia
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THE MATCHUP
No team in college football this weekend is facing a larger jump in competition than Murray State, which routed the NAIA’s University of Pikeville 59-20 last weekend and will now face the highest-ranked program in college football not named Clemson or Alabama. Racers quarterback Preston Rice completed 20 of 31 passes for 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his starting debut, but he will now face a Bulldogs defense that held Vanderbilt starter Riley Neal to just 85 passing yards last Saturday night in Nashville. If the Racers can’t succeed through the air, they can’t succeed. “They’re an ‘Air Raid’ type, so they spread you out and throw the ball around,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “They throw a lot of screens, have an intermediate passing game and get the ball out quick.”
ONE TO WATCH
In his much-anticipated college debut, Georgia redshirt freshman running back Zamir White entered the 30-6 win over Vanderbilt early in the third quarter and rushed five times for 51 yards for a stout 10.2 yards per carry. Might the five-star member of Georgia’s 2018 signing class get his first 100-yard game? Might his average per rush go up? Already a crowd favorite with not one but two surgically repaired knees, White enters with a little more experience and a little more confidence. “I actually think the relief for him came after the scrimmages,” Smart said, “because that was the first real opportunity. I think he was anxious to get out there and go run the ball the other night. I thought he did a good job with opportunity. He continues to get better and get healthier, and I think the sky’s the limit for him because he continues to improve.”
IN THE END
This will mark the first time Murray State coach Mitch Stewart and Smart have squared off against each other, but they are no strangers to one another. In 2001, Smart was the defensive coordinator and Mitchell a freshman quarterback at Division II program Valdosta State. That familiarity could keep Smart’s Bulldogs from naming the score like Maryland did in last week’s 79-0 win over Howard University.
PREDICTION
Georgia 58, Murray State 3
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.