Belk Bowl 2014: Preview, Predictions for Georgia vs. Louisville

Lower-tier bowls are normally humdrum games that are holiday television filler, but that couldn't be more inaccurate for this year's Belk Bowl matchup between a pair of 9-3 teams, Georgia and Louisville.

That's a red-and-black-hued showdown that the nation will be tuning in to watch.

The storylines are bountiful for the SEC-ACC showdown, but the top one will be watching Georgia's high-octane rushing attack led by freshman phenom Nick Chubb against a top-10 Louisville defense led by a familiar face in coordinator Todd Grantham.

The fiery coordinator bolted Mark Richt's staff for Bobby Petrino's return to the Bluegrass State, and his opportunistic Cardinals defense is ranked sixth nationally. Their staunch rush defense against UGA's powerful running attack will be one of the marquee matchups of the bowl season.

This will be the first-ever game between the two programs, and it should be a lot of fun. It's also the first matchup of top-20 programs in Belk Bowl history.

Let's take a look at everything you need to know for this New Year's Eve treat.

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 30

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

Place: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.

TV: ESPN

Radio: Bulldog Network, U of L Radio Network

Tale of the Tape

As the infographic shows, each of these teams' biggest strengths lie on the defensive side of the football.

Georgia boasts the nation's second-ranked pass defense, while Louisville has the third-best run defense in the nation. Considering the Bulldogs' entire offense is predicated on running the ball and the Cardinals need to pass to be successful, something's got to give.

We'll see what does in Charlotte.

Georgia Keys to Victory

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Stay Away from Holliman

It's going to be a war of attrition in the turnover battle in this game, especially when it comes to Georgia's passing game.

Though he's far from dynamic passing the ball, redshirt senior Hutson Mason has done a terrific job keeping the football away from opponents. He's thrown just four picks all year.

Enter Louisville safety Gerod Holliman, the nation's runaway leader with 14 picks.

His ball-hawking skills have led some scouts to liken him to a young Ed Reed, according to NFL.com's Bucky Brooks. Mason needs to scan the field before every play and avoid Holliman at all costs.

Ride Your Horses

The best way for the Dawgs to keep the football away from Holliman is not to throw the ball at all.

Georgia is one of the few teams nationally that can do that. Though phenom Todd Gurley was lost for the season with torn knee ligaments, freshman Nick Chubb has emerged as a workhorse, rushing for 1,281 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

Now that he's healthy, fellow freshman Sony Michel can provide a change of pace, too, and UGA has to win this war against the nation's third-ranked rush defense if it's going to win the game.

UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has ridden his horses to nine wins this season, and don't look for that to stop now. It's just going to be tougher sledding this time.

Make Louisville's Freshman Quarterback(s) Look Like Freshmen

After Will Gardner's season-ending injury, Bobby Petrino went with freshman Reggie Bonnafon over Kyle Bolin.

Then, Bonnafon got hurt and Bolin threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns in a wild 44-40 win over Kentucky. According to The Florida Times-Union's Garry Smits, Bonnafon could return for the bowl game, but that doesn't mean he'll start.

Regardless of which one plays, UGA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt's unit can make it difficult on any quarterback, much less a freshman, when the group is playing well. With a month to prepare, the Dawgs' talented, fast defenders will be rested and ready. They need to generate some turnovers.

Louisville Keys to Victory

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Stop Drives Quickly

Georgia's ground-oriented offense can control football games if you let them, but Hutson Mason hasn't consistently proven he can put the team on his shoulders and win games.

So if UGA struggles to get its ground game going, Louisville suddenly enjoys a decisive advantage.

Yes, the Cardinals won a 44-40 shootout against Kentucky, but that isn't indicative of how they like to play. However, as the season wore on, Louisville's defense wore down.

The Cards allowed an average of 32.2 points per game in their final four games in wins over Boston College, Notre Dame and Kentucky and a loss to Florida State. With the time off, the defense should be rested, but it has another tall task to tackle.

Make 'Em Miss You

Sure, Todd Gratham has enjoyed a revival this season in Louisville, but when he bolted from between the hedges, it was met with a universal "Meh" in Athens.

The Macon Telegraph's Seth Emerson reported that Grantham called his defense the "backbone" of UGA's 2011 and 2012 SEC East champion teams, so he was never short on arrogance. But the Bulldogs actually improved drastically with Jeremy Pruitt at the helm.

This is going to be a pride game for Grantham, who'll be throwing everything at his former team.

If he succeeds and Louisville wins, he'll probably do some jawing afterward.

Get Dyer on Fire

During the middle of the season, former Auburn running back and Louisville transfer Michael Dyer looked like he was going to be the workhorse for the Cardinals.

Then, all of a sudden, he disappeared almost entirely from the box scores almost as quickly as he entered them.

This is Dyer's last chance to return to his old form, and it will come against his old hated rival from his days on the plains. Dyer needs to be a big part of this offense along with Brandon Radcliff. If they can take some of the pressure off the freshman quarterbacks, it's a positive sign for Bobby Petrino's team.

Georgia Players to Watch

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Chris Conley

Throwing isn't Georgia's game, but when Hutson Mason does sling it, his big-play receiver is senior Chris Conley, who has hauled in seven scoring receptions this year.

The 6'3", 205-pound Dallas, Georgia native isn't among the conference's "splash" receivers, but he's smart and experienced and finds ways to get open. He's also an exceptional downfield blocker vital to UGA's run game.

His well-chronicled film-making future is something that Conley may someday be famous for, but for now, he's catching passes. Having a memorable performance in his final college game would indeed be a storybook ending.

Damian Swann

Under Todd Grantham, the former elite prospect who was the country's second-ranked cornerback, according to 247Sports, never could quite live up to expectations.

But Jeremy Pruitt has turned his career around during his senior season.

He's fourth on the team in tackles, has three interceptions and has been a force against the pass and in rushing situations for a versatile defense. It's quite a rebound from a junior season when he went interception-less.

Now, with Grantham on the other sideline, you know Swann wants to show how far he's come. A big game would be an ultimate knife-twist.

Isaiah McKenzie

This month of practice is ideal for budding freshmen looking to learn more about the offense and to get incorporated with a larger role.

There's no better candidate for that than McKenzie, the dynamic first-year special teams dynamo who returned two punts for a touchdown and a kick for another score but hasn't really gotten off the ground as a receiver.

McKenzie should remain a dangerous weapon in the return game, but UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo needs to find a special package to work him into the offense. With speed like McKenzie's, he can do plenty of damage.

Louisville Players to Watch

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 DeVante Parker

With Eli Rogers injured for a portion of the season, DeVante Parker has been a deep threat for the revolving door that has been Louisville's quarterback position this season.

With Kyle Bolin in at quarterback against Kentucky, Parker had his career game, hauling in six passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

The performance even allowed for longtime offensive genius and Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino to reflect on his star receiver:

"No. 9 had some big plays. He is amazing," Petrino told The Courier-Journal's Steve Jones. "It was fun to watch him compete and perform out there."

If Louisville is going to bite off any chunk plays in the passing game, look for Parker to be on the receiving end.

Lorenzo Mauldin

No matter how much players say there isn't, it's impossible not to have a bit of a chip on your shoulder if the home-state school doesn't offer you a scholarship.

For U of L outside linebacker and Atlanta native Mauldin, he's probably going to want to show the Bulldogs he deserved an offer. He really already has.

The 6'4", 252-pound pass-rushing specialist has been dominant under Todd Gratham this year with 13 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. He teams with Sheldon Rankins to form a top-shelf duo that UGA's offensive line will have to stand up to all day.

James Sample

Gerod Holliman (rightfully) gets all the headlines, but James Sample is having a monster year as well.

The Washington transfer is rangy at 6'2", 191 pounds and is one of the best all-around defensive backs in the ACC. Not only does he have four interceptions, he's also second on the team with 76 tackles.

He teams with Holliman for a formidable duo, and he's one of the many stars on that fast, elite defense.

What They’re Saying

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Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz (always good for some snark) tweeted that the Belk Bowl is not going to be short of intrigue. That's especially true considering the Bulldogs fan hotbed of Atlanta despises Bobby Petrino for bolting the Falcons once upon a time:

"For a completely meaningless bowl (Belk) Georgia-Louisville probably has most subplots. (Petrino-Grantham-Richt-Georgia)."

FOX Sports columnist Stewart Mandel tweeted about that awkward moment when UGA coach Mark Richt runs into former players such as Shaq Wiggins and Josh Harvey-Clemons, who left Georgia and resurfaced at Louisville. Both are redshirting, and neither are eligible to play this year, by the way.

"A Louisville-Georgia Belk Bowl, eh? That's going to be awkward when Mark Richt runs into all the guys he kicked off his team," Mandel tweeted.

USA Today's Dan Wolken tweeted about the uncomfortable press conference questions facing Petrino:

"I’m sure Bobby Petrino is going to be very patient and gracious answering questions about his time in Atlanta in run-up to Belk Bowl vs UGA."

Atlanta television Channel 11 sports official Twitter feed tweeted this:

"Bobby Petrino is like some sort of bad rash... can't get rid of him. We deleted the punchline to this tweet. We are proud of ourselves."

Prediction

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This is a very intriguing matchup that pits two teams against each other that at times this season have looked incredibly strong.

Louisville has been competitive in every single game it has played all season. Georgia has too, in all but that shocking 38-20 loss to Florida that was perhaps college football's biggest upset of the year.

That game is a black mark against UGA, while an early-season setback to Virginia is one Bobby Petrino's team would like to have back.

But these are two stellar teams with marquee matchups all around. It's certainly one of the most exciting lower-tier bowl games, at least on paper.

While Mark Richt has done nothing in recent years to suggest that he can draw up a can't-miss bowl plan with a month to prepare, Louisville isn't the type of team that routinely beats the Dawgs. UGA hasn't lost to a pass-heavy team since the setback to South Carolina in the season's second game.

Given the fact that U of L has struggled to get its ground game on track and that it will be starting a freshman quarterback, UGA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and his unit are the wild cards here. 

In the end, Georgia is going to make enough big plays on defense to win, and Nick Chubb and Sony Michel will eventually wear down a Louisville defense that actually proved it had some shortcomings late in the year.

This one's a tossup, but the Bulldogs should win a close one.

Prediction: Georgia 30, Louisville 27