Knowshon Or Yes Shon Against LSU

What is going to happen this Saturday when Knowshon and the Bulldogs take on LSU? Will the Dawg fans be saying, "Yes, Yes, Yes" when the super sophomore totes the ball?  Or will it be a tough day for the NJ native going up against the 16th ranked rushing defense in the country?  Most likely it will be a tough day for Moreno in Death Valley based upon the challenges facing Knowshon and the Dawgs in Baton Rouge.

Whats in the Dawgs favor?  First, its not a night game.  Richt and company got lucky when CBS selected this game with their 6 day option after making sure UGA and LSU won their respective games last Saturday.  Death Valley is never an easy place to play and Richt claims it the loudest stadium he has ever heard.  However, a night game is made that much harder when fueled by the all day tailgating of the vocal home fans.

Second, this is the third straight tough game for the Tigers.  While the Dawgs have played two games after their bye as well they havent been the physical games that LSU has endured.  The Dawgs played at home and while not having huge leads the games were pretty well in control the last two weeks.  The Tigers have played the last two weeks on the road. LSU got romped on in Gainesville and then had a slugfest in Columbia.  A long homestand is generally the perfect cure for what ails you but how much is left in the tank for a 4 quarter battle expected this Saturday?

Third, Knowshon has upped his game the last two weeks.  He has gained 111 and 172 the last two weeks against Tennessee and Vandy respectively.  The Vandy rush defense is not that good but Tennessee stands at 14th in the country so that rush total is impressive.  Even more impressive is that Moreno played the Tennessee game recovering from a chipped elbow. 

Lets look at the factors on the LSU side.  How about experience along the Defensive Line?  The strength of the LSU team is along the D line.  The Dawgs O line will be playing their 3rd straight game with no changes. However, that line is very young when compared with the Juniors and Seniors along the Tiger defensive front.  Georgia  doesnt start a Jr or Senior on the offensive line and has lost its top two left tackles for the year.  Ricky Jean Francois is injured and there isnt a def lineman anywhere in the top 8 on tackles for LSU.  Still an advantage for LSU.

How about the LSU running game?  LSU is ranked higher then the Dawgs in rushing average and they have an experienced offensive line which goes against a nicked up defensive line for UGA. DT Jeff Owens was lost for the season and Kade Weston has been slowed  Charles Scott should be pretty fresh since he had only 12 and 16 carries against UF & USC, respectively.  Compared with 20+ carries Knowshon had the last two games the best back in the SEC not named Moreno or Coffee is due for a big game.

Home sweet home. Ok, the Tigers lost a game to Arkansas last year at home in  triple overtime but LSU rarely loses at home.  Strange things happen to opposing teams in Tiger stadium.  For example, normally decent FG kickers miss kicks.  Remember that OSU kicker, Serna who was an all american who missed the PATs in Death Valley.  Billy Bennett missed 3 FGs the last time Georgia played in Baton Rouge.  Blair Walsh the freshman phenom for the Dawgs missed two mid range FGs last week and he had been automatic inside the 50 up to that point.  Is this game going to hinge on a FG?  If so, the mojo is with the home team.

So, will Moreno bust out against LSU.  I think the answer will be apparent early in the first quarter.  Expect to see UGA utilize the toss sweep with Moreno.  This has been an effective running play for UGA and with the return of standout FB Southerland it is even more effective.  Most of the tackles for LSU have come from its secondary and they make up 7 of the top 8 positions for total tackles on the team.  That is not what you expect from a powerful defense. I expect that Georgia will be able to offer a decent ground attack.  I expect the LSU defense to be set up to stop Moreno and he will end up with less than 100 yards.  If Moreno gets 100+ yards I think the Dawgs win this game but the deciding factor will most likely be the FG kickers cause this one will be close.