Taxslayer Bowl Preview: Georgia vs Penn State TV info, live stream, odds, prediction
By Mark Rogers
The Georgia Bulldogs and Penn State Nittany Lions meet in the Taxslayer Bowl in Jacksonville, FL and here’s what each team needs to do to leave with a win.
Will the Nittany Lions finally beat a ranked foe under head coach James Franklin or are the Bulldogs the smart play in the one game that bridges the Mark Richt and Kirby Smart eras?
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Its spotlight will be shared on January 2nd with four other comparable games in various venues. It’s outcome will be documented deep in the seldom cited record books of Outback Bowl results; not the often recited short list of national champions.
The 2016 Outback matchup of Georgia and Penn State pales in comparison to the last time the two storied programs faced off in the 1983 Sugar Bowl.
Todd Blackledge’s Nittany Lions bested Herschel Walker’s No. 1 ranked Bulldogs 27-23 to claim a second national championship for Joe Paterno.
The winner of this meeting will simply go into the offseason with a positive vibe as James Franklin looks to continue what Bill O’Brien started in Happy Valley and new Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who is still running the defense at Alabama, starts anew on his own head coaching legacy in Athens.
The game also provides another slice of bragging rights for the winner on behalf of the Big Ten or the SEC as the nation’s two top power brokers on the field and, most assuredly, on the financial ledger, face off a total of four times in postseason play.
Date: Saturday, January 2
Time: Noon ET
Location: Everbank Field, Jacksonville FL
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN App
Spread: Georgia -6.5
Georgia wins if…
Georgia will win if they get stable quarterback play. The Bulldogs suffered through the worst season at quarterback in recent memory. Little should have been expected of Greyson Lambert after two nondescript seasons at Virginia where he tallied just 11 touchdown passes vs 13 interceptions in winning just three of 10 starts.
Lambert gave UGA supporters reason to hope that he would be a different quarterback in Athens when he torched South Carolina and Southern in back-to-back starts on 33 of 35 passing. Lambert quickly returned to form when the competition stiffened. He hit on just 25 of 56 throws vs Alabama and Tennessee in consecutive losses.
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Minus Nick Chubb after the first play vs UT, the Bulldogs turned to sophomore Sony Michel (1076 yards, seven touchdowns) and Keith Marshall (296 yards, three touchdowns) who has faded fast since a huge freshman campaign opposite Todd Gurley in 2012.
Surprisingly, Georgia lacks downfield playmakers. Malcolm Mitchell is the exception (53 receptions, 751 yards, four touchdowns). The Dawgs rank just 102nd in passing (187 yards per game) and 83rd in scoring (26.5 points per game).
Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins (both 10.5 tackles for loss) are the disruptors on defense. Dominick Sanders (5 interceptions) leads one of the nation’s finest secondaries. Christian Hackenberg beware. The Dawgs led the nation in pass defense (146 yards per game) and are 9th best in scoring (16.9 points per game).
Penn State wins if…
Penn State wins if Christian Hackenberg does more standing and throwing from his platform in the pocket than scrambling and sitting on his rear end. That narrative hasn’t changed since Week 1 when Hackenberg did much of the latter as Temple dumped the future NFL Draft pick on his backside 10 times en route to a 27-10 win.
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An upright Hackenberg has the opportunity to show off his arm and make use of a talented receiving trio of Chris Godwin (63 receptions, 968 yards, five touchdowns) and DaeSean Hamilton (40 receptions, 509 yards, five touchdowns). Geno Lewis caught just 14 passes after hauling in 55 passes in 2014. He is more than capable.
Another productive game from game-breaking freshman Saquon Barkley (1007 rush yards, 7 touchdowns) will also slow down the Bulldogs’ rush and take the load off Hackenberg’s shoulders.
Penn State’s defensive line is one of the best in all of college football. Austin Johnson (13.5 tackles for loss) and Anthony Zettel (10 tackles for loss) make plenty of plays in the backfield, but Carl Nassib is the terror. The senior led the nation with 16 sacks to go along with 19.5 tackles for loss.
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Penn State gives up just 324 yards per game (14th) and 175 of that through the air (10th). But if the offense doesn’t contribute, this group can wear down just like any other (see the Ohio State and Michigan State games).
Prediction
The defenses clearly have the upper hand in this one. Georgia’s offensive line outclasses Penn State and may give its limited playmakers more opportunities. Still, I’ll go with Hackenberg, coaching stability and defense on the Penn State side. Nittany Lions pull off the upset.