Georgia Football: Game-by-Game Predictions for the Month of October

The first full month of the 2014 season has come to a close and the Bulldogs still control their own destiny when it comes to the SEC East race. After a dominating win against Clemson, the Bulldogs fell to South Carolina, dominated Troy and won against Tennessee in a close one.

Now the Bulldogs start the second full month of the season, and they will face Vanderbilt in Athens, Missouri in Columbia and Arkansas in Little Rock. Can the Bulldogs win out and have a ton of momentum when they face Florida or will they have another slip-up and fall in the SEC East?

Here are the game-by-game predictions for the Bulldogs in the month of October.

October 4 vs. Vanderbilt

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

On Saturday, the Bulldogs will face the Vanderbilt Commodores and they will be looking for revenge, as they lost to Vandy last season 31-27.

This year’s squad, led by head coach Derek Mason, is not turning heads, as they are 1-3 and have yet to win an SEC game. Vanderbilt does not throw the ball well, it doesn’t run the ball well, and the defense is one of the worst in the country, ranking 101st and giving up 34 points per game.

The biggest issue for the Commodores is they have to find a quarterback, as they have started four different quarterbacks in four games and none of the four have shown any signs of consistency. The Bulldogs are a 33-point favorite according to Odds Shark, and they should have no issues covering the spread.

Georgia 44, Vanderbilt 10

October 11 at Missouri

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

After the contest against Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs will play in their second road game of the year when they face the Missouri Tigers. Last year, the Tigers blitzed past the Bulldogs in Athens 41-26 and went on to win the SEC East.

This year has been a roller coaster for Missouri. After convincing wins against South Dakota State, Toledo and Central Florida, the Tigers lost to Indiana at home but got a huge road win against South Carolina.

So this game will be interesting to say the least. Maty Mauk has thrown 14 touchdowns and four picks. But he did not throw a touchdown pass in the South Carolina game and was only 12-of-34.

The defense looks like it has not missed a step after losing Kony Ealy and Michael Sam. Linebacker Michael Scherer leads the SEC with 50 tackles, and defensive linemen Shane Ray and Markus Golden have combined for 12 sacks.

So the talent is there for the Tigers to make a run at the division, and I said in my full game-by-game predictions in August that the Bulldogs would lose this game. But I can’t get over the fact the Tigers lost to Indiana at home and had to rally to beat South Carolina. Missouri is a good team, but it isn't sneaking up on anybody this year.

Georgia 27, Missouri 21

October 18 at Arkansas (Little Rock)

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

The Bulldogs have done a good job running the football because of some guy named Todd Gurley. But Arkansas is no slouch in the run game either, as they have three talented running backs in Alex Collins, Jonathan Williams and Korliss Marshall. And quarterback Brandon Allen has shown great signs of improvement, only having one interception through five games.

But their defense is suspect and will give up big plays against good offensive teams. It happened against Auburn with Nick Marshall, and it happened against Texas A&M with Kenny Hill. The Razorbacks are a much improved team from what they were last year, but are they ready to take the next step and take down a guy like Gurley and frustrate Mason?

Georgia 30, Arkansas 28

Final Analysis

John Bazemore/Associated Press

October Record: 3-0

Overall Record Through October: 6-1

It will not be easy by any means, but the Bulldogs should have a perfect record in October. However, several things have to happen or order for it to come true.

Hutson Mason has to play better. Mason is not as bad as he showed against Tennessee, but he needs to show the fans that he can thrown the ball down field consistently. He will get some needed help in that category with the return of Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley.

Also, the defense has to be better, specifically the secondary. The Bulldogs are ranked in the top half of the league in pass defense, but they can’t give up big plays like they did against Tennessee and South Carolina.

And the most important thing is Gurley needs to remain healthy. The fans criticized the coaches for not using Gurley enough to start the second half of the game, but they were resting him because they knew that they will need him at 100 percent in the fourth quarter. So as much as we want Gurley to run the ball 50 times per game, he needs his rest because he will be needed for the month of November as well.

It will be a very crucial month for the Bulldogs. If they want to win the SEC East, they can’t afford another blemish, which could happen if they don’t improve their play.

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