Georgia Bulldogs vs. Boise State Broncos: Saturday Night Football Game Preview

Saturday, September 3^rd

8:00 PM ET on ESPN (Being played at the Georgia Dome)

Boise State

The Broncos didn’t quite reach their goals last year as they were stunned by Nevada in overtime late in the season, leaving one blemish on their 2010 record.  Kellen Moore, as expected, was outstanding all year as Boise proved once again that it could play with the big boys.

This year may be a little different for Boise as they lose their top two receivers from a year ago.  The good news is that Kellen Moore will still be taking the snaps for the Broncos.  With the senior QB under center, you can expect Boise to put up a fairly large amount of points as usual.

They were very good last year defensively, but played mostly inferior competition.  This makes it hard to gauge where Boise belongs among the top teams in the country.  They should once again put up good numbers against non-BCS schools in 2011.

The Broncos are favored heading into Atlanta to face the Georgia Bulldogs, and will need to play a very good game to down the SEC contenders in their home state.

Players to watch: QB Kellen Moore, RB Doug Martin, WR Tyler Shoemaker, DT Billy Winn, MLB Byron Hout. 

Georgia

The Bulldogs are coming off a very disappointing season in which they finished under .500 for the first time in Mark Richt’s tenure.  They have a stud QB who may be the best in the SEC, but have lost some linemen and their starting tailback in the offseason.

The SEC East is a race that will likely come down to Georgia and South Carolina, with Florida an outside possibility.  The Bulldogs will need more consistent play on both sides of the ball to be able to compete, but have a schedule that sets up fairly nicely for them.

With Aaron Murray at the helm, and a defense that should be very solid this year, Georgia can have another one of those eye-opening seasons in 2011. 

With Mark Richt sitting squarely on the hot seat, a season-opening win against top 10 Boise State could be just the boost the Bulldogs need to have a big year.

Players to watch: QB Aaron Murray, RB Isaiah Crowell, TE Orson Charles, DE DeAngelo Tyson, CB Branden Smith.

For free picks against the spread and analysis of this game and the other big games of the weekend, visit my site Saturdays in the Fall!