Georgia vs Appalachian State: 3 bold predictions for Week 1
Week 1 of the season is finally here so let’s take a look at three bold predictions for Saturday’s Georgia vs Appalachian State game.
The college football season is officially underway and, while last weekend marked the opening of the season, this weekend promises to be the first with a full slate of intriguing matchups, including the Georgia Bulldogs hosting one of the most successful historical underdogs, the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Sanford Stadium should be packed Saturday at 3:15 p.m. as the Bulldogs and Mountaineers kickoff in Athens while fans at home can follow the game on ESPN.
The Bulldogs enter the season ranked No. 15 but painfully aware of the potential of the Mountaineers.
On Sept. 1, 2007, Appalachian State had a program-defining upset against then-No. 5 Michigan, 34-32. At the time, the Mountaineers were an FCS program without a signature win. Needless to say, the signature win came on that day in Ann Arbor, and the program eventually moved up to the FBS and is now one of the premiere teams in the Sun Belt Conference.
While some of the Georgia players may not remember the Michigan game, nearly everyone in the program is familiar with Appalachian State’s efforts in Knoxville last season against Tennessee. The Mountaineers led the game at halftime, 13-3. The Tennessee defense held the Mountaineers scoreless the rest of the way and the offense scraped together 10 points to tie the game and send it into overtime.
In overtime, Tennessee scored a touchdown to win 20-13. While the Mountaineers blocked a Michigan field goal and converted a difficult field goal for the win, the team missed an extra point and a field goal late in the fourth quarter against Tennessee. All of this is to say what may appear to be an easy nonconference opener is anything but for Georgia.
The Bulldogs finished last season with an 8-5 record in 2016, a somewhat disappointing mark. However, it should be noted it was Kirby Smart’s first season as a head coach, Jacob Eason’s first season as a college quarterback and the team was plagued with an abysmal offensive line. Meanwhile, Appalachian State finished 2016 with a 10-3 record, finished tied for first in the Sun Belt Conference, and won the Camellia Bowl for a second straight year.
Most of Georgia’s defense returns this year, along with a host of skill players on the offensive side. Additionally, Smart went out and recruited offensive lineman to improve the 2016 team’s major weakness. Appalachian State returns 14 starters from last season’s squad. The run-pass option could give the Georgia defense problems, while the defense tested Tennessee to the limit and could do the same here. Let’s take a look at three bold predictions for the Georgia-Appalachian State game.