The Oregon Ducks vs Georgia Bulldogs matchup pits two elite teams to kick off their college football seasons. Both have been scheduling big games in non-conference play to start their seasons in recent years, and this is simply the latest.
Last year the Bulldogs clashed with Clemson to start the season, in which Georgia came out victorious with a score of 10-3. This was the start of their championship run that showcased a historic defense. Oregon, on the other hand, met Ohio State a week later and came away with an upset in their battle.
Now here we are one year later and the two big-time programs are set to go to battle this weekend, Saturday, September 3. Here are a few things to watch for as these two take the field to do battle.
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Oregon Ducks vs Georgia Bulldogs: Former coaching co-workers test wits
Dan Lanning is the head coach of the Oregon Ducks but he used to be the defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs. Lanning is making his head coaching debut against his former team so it’ll be interesting to see how both teams switch up the calls to throw the other off. Also Georgia’s receivers coach, Bryan McClendon switched to be receivers coach for a couple months before going back to Georgia. It’ll be something to watch to see these coaches scheme against one another as the game goes on.
Oregon vs Georgia: Unknown quarterback play
The starting quarterbacks for both teams have their own unique intrigue to them. Stetson Bennett wasn’t favored to be the starter last year but he ended up beating out JT Daniels and being a big contributor to the Bulldogs’ championship run. He got better as the season went and played his best ball in the championship game against Alabama. This will be the first game since, but a lot has changed yet stayed the same.
Bennett is the starter going into this season with Daniels gone in the transfer portal. He won’t have much room for error though as Georgia has recruited really well and has a couple of five-star QBs who have played really well in practice and will be ready to take over if Bennett struggles any. Brock Vandagriff is a redshirt freshman who was favored by a large portion of the fan base to take the starting position. Plus, true freshman, Gunnar Stockton has been making a lot of noise with how well he has played after joining the team this year. There has been rumors that Stockton was the closest to unseating Bennett this fall, but that will have to be seen in live action if Bennett struggles.
Bo Nix has been named the starter for the Oregon Ducks, and it’s tough to see him losing the job, especially being that his offensive coordinator, Kenny Dillingham is the same one he had at his old school. Nix and his offensive coordinator both came from Auburn last year where they have played Georgia every season the lasts few years. So they definitely know what to expect and will be an important part of getting this Ducks offense ready to play the Bulldogs defense.
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Oregon vs Georgia: Defenses are leading the way
Their defenses are both making a lot of news ahead of this game. Oregon has a very strong front seven with talent all over the defensive front. Noah Sewell at inside linebacker is a beast and will be all over the field working to stop this Georgia rushing attack. Sewell had 114 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, and 4 sacks last year in his freshman season.
Also Justin Flowe is a five-star recruit and number one linebacker coming out of high school. In front of them is a loaded defensive line that returns four starters. One being Brandon Dorlus, who earned preseason first-team All-Pac-12 recognition.
Georgia’s defense is loaded as well but almost completely different from last season’s historic group. They have recruited very well which allowed them to be given the benefit of doubt that their new defense will be great even if they take a step back from last year. They will be looking for Robert Beal, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo to lead this new group as they figure out their new identity this season.
Coming off their championship run, fans seem to be split as to whether Georgia will run it back or fall short this year. While on the other side of the ball, Oregon is still hungry for that first College Football Playoff appearance. This will be a close battle of two teams whom are both ranked in the top 25, with Georgia ranked third and Oregon, 11th.