ATHENS — Is this the beginning of a new-look Georgia, complete with new attitude?
Or will this will be beginning of what is sure to become a purge by Kirby Smart and his staff to put on the back-burner lackadaisical players and attitudes that have become all too familiar to Georgia fans the last few years?
Those are just a couple of the questions that Dogs fans will be interested to see answered when they take on Tennessee Saturday at Sanford Stadium in a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
AccessWDUN will be on hand to cover the action.
Some of the other key areas we will be watching:
--First and foremost, will the Dogs come out at home fired up and ready to play after last week’s debacle in Oxford?
A win for the Dogs would put them in the driver’s seat in the SEC East with games against Florida and South Carolina looming down the road. Will the players bury the memories of last week with the opportunity in front of them or was last week the coming trend until Smart and the staff find the combinations they want?
-- What major changes are in store in the starting lineup on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball? The secondary already will see some changes and running back Nick Chubb is not expected to play, opening up opportunities for freshmen Brian Herrien and Elijah Holifield.
-- Can the offensive line open holes for what was once considered the most feared running back tandem in the Southeastern Conference? The line was dismal against the front-line starters of Ole Miss last week. The Vols defense looked bad in the first half but nearly-invincible in the second last week against Florida. This could be the key matchup in the game.
-- Will freshman quarterback Jacob Eason be able to put his first bad game as a Dog behind him as he faces the biggest game of his young career? Eason didn't get much help last week from his line, or receivers, who dropped six passes, including two potential touchdowns. However, he also threw a really bad interception and had deer-in-the-headlights looks several times.
-- Can the secondary actually cover someone? Can the receivers actually catch a ball? On the first one, if not, Dobbs will have a big day, just like Chad Kelly last week. On the second, if not Eason will NOT have big day.
-- Will the defensive line be able to get any kind of a rush on Vols’ quarterback Josh Dobbs? If they can get pressure on Dobbs, he will make mistakes, as his history suggests.
Check back on accessWDUN after the game for game details and notes on Saturday’s action.
