Georgia-Tennessee: Five Volunteers the Bulldogs Should Know for Saturday
A 1-4 start isn't exactly what Bulldogs fans were hoping for to begin the 2010 season, but that record is the undesirable result of five weeks of uninspired play.
The Tennessee Volunteers are coming off a game against LSU that they really should have won. Thanks to a rarely seen "13 men on the field" penalty, though, they handed the Tigers an undeserved win.
There is some potential on the Tennessee team, but the squad isn't that talented compared to a lot of the SEC.
Georgia, however, hasn't given many signs of life, even though A.J. Green now has a game under his belt.
It will be an interesting showdown between the hedges, and it's tough to know exactly what to expect.
Matt Simms
1 of 5
Last Week
16-14 loss to the LSU Tigers
12-of-23, 121 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
10 carries, minus-32 yards, one touchdown
This Season
79-of-141, 957 yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions
32 carries, minus-80 yards, one touchdown
The Reaction
Matt Simms has been taking a whole lot of sacks this year, and the trend might continue against the Bulldogs. His offensive line has been decimated by the injury bug and isn't exactly protecting him well.
But even when he manages to get the throws off, he just isn't throwing the football well. A lot of the throws result in bad plays, which just illustrates the problems that Simms has had with decision-making so far. He hasn't been particularly efficient either.
If you look at the rushing totals, the legs don't seem like the biggest threat either.
Tauren Poole
2 of 5
Last Week
24 carries, 109 yards, one touchdown
One reception, minus-two yards
This Season
80 carries, 427 yards, four touchdowns
Seven receptions, 53 yards
The Reaction
Poole is a dual threat out of the backfield and basically fits the exact prototype of running backs that Georgia struggles with.
He can catch passes quite well, and he's also a strong physical runner who hates going down after the first hit.
It's going to be hard to stop Poole in short yardage situations as it is. But the Bulldogs certainly need to make sure to make good, fundamental tackles this week.
Luke Stocker
3 of 5
Last Week
Two receptions, 16 yards
This Season
14 receptions, 132 yards
The Reaction
The primary reason for concern for Dawgs fans when thinking about Stocker is his ridiculous size. The secondary has had problems all year, especially when presented with very large players.
Stocker stands 6'6" tall and fills out the frame with a massive 253 yards. He's also a senior, so experience is on his side.
The big man may not be the Volunteers' best receiver, but he can be a reliable pass catcher if Simms needs to dump the ball off.
Art Evans/Janzen Jackson
4 of 5
Art Evans is the man tasked with stopping A.J. Green.
He's quite a capable cornerback, and he'll need to use every bit of his skill to hope to slow down No. 8.
Janzen Jackson, on the other hand, is the safety who will inevitably be asked to help Evans out. Jackson has boatloads of potential, and many people believe that he'll end up being better than the recently departed Eric Berry.
If these two get involved in the game and shut down Green, it will be bad news for Georgia fans. But it is quite difficult to do that.
Nick Reveiz
5 of 5
Nick Reveiz is the middle linebacker for Tennessee and one of the true emotional leaders of this team.
If Georgia airs the ball out and opens the field, as is expected now that A.J. Green is back on the field, it's going to be even more important for him to be a dominant force while stopping the running game.
Reveiz is known for two things. The first is his intelligence on the football field, and the second is his tough tackling and unwillingness to give up on a play until the whistle has blown.
In the picture he's the defender on the right, delivering a brutal hit to one of the Florida Gators. That's going to be his goal on Saturday as he faces Caleb King and the Georgia ground game.
