Central Florida @ Georgia preview
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
The Skinny: Georgia (6-6) is more talented, but No. 24 Central Florida (10-3) arrives in Memphis with more to prove. The Conference USA champ wants to earn its first bowl victory (0-3) and make its case for inclusion in a potentially expanded Big East. Coach George O’Leary aims to validate his second 10-win season by beating an SEC team featuring several future NFL players.
The Bulldogs will be playing their 14th straight bowl game and are trying to win their fifth in a row. Coming off a highly disappointing season, Georgia views this game as a momentum-builder for 2011. The Bulldogs need to win to avoid their first losing season since 1996.
Georgia will be without Caleb King, who is second on the team in rushing (430 yards), due to academic issues.
Point Spread: Georgia -6.5. Over/under 55.5
Georgia’s Edge: The Bulldogs’ passing game will be the best one Central Florida has seen all season. Aaron Murray has thrown for 2,851 yards, most ever by a Georgia freshman. Wideout A.J. Green likely is playing his last college game. The potential top-five draft pick has 771 receiving yards and nine touchdowns despite missing the first four games due to suspension. Wideouts Kris Durham and Tavarres King and tight end Orson Charles all have at least 400 receiving yards.
Central Florida’s Edge: UCF should be able to stuff Georgia’s running game. Central Florida ranks 10th nationally in rush defense, allowing 110.4 yards per game and just 3.4 yards per carry. Defensive tackles Victory Gray and Wes Tunuufi Sauvao have been winning up front, enabling a veteran linebacking corps to make tackles near the line of scrimmage.
The Quarterbacks: Murray was a pleasant surprise, throwing 24 touchdowns against six interceptions. The redshirt freshman proved to be a gritty leader by absorbing big hits to make big plays downfield. He also kept drives alive by running for 163 yards.
Central Florida’s Jeff Godfrey, a true freshman, earned the starting job by the third game. He ran for 546 yards, second on the team, and became a more accurate passer as the season progressed. Godfrey hit 68.4 percent of his throws for 2,042 yards, with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. In the conference championship game, he completed 15 of 19 passes for 167 yards and a score.
NFL Prospects: Georgia — WR A.J. Green, LB Justin Houston, CB Brandon Boykin, LB Darryl Gamble, LB Akeem Dent, G Clint Boling. Central Florida — DE Bruce Miller
Bowl history: Georgia is 26-16-3 in bowls and has won four in a row, including last year’s 44-20 victory over Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl. The Bulldogs are 7-2 in bowls under Richt.
UCF is 0-3 in bowls, including last year’s 45-24 loss to Rutgers in the St. Petersburg Bowl. The Knights also lost to Mississippi State in the 2007 Liberty Bowl and to Nevada in the 2005 Hawaii Bowl.
Etc.: The Knights average 192.5 rushing yards per game with no dominant back. Running backs Latavius Murray and Ronnie Weaver and the quarterback Godfrey all have more than 500 rushing yards. … Godfrey needs 30 passing yards to break Daunte Culpepper’s school record for a freshman quarterback. ... Georgia linebacker Justin Houston finished second in the SEC with 10 sacks. ... Fellow linebacker Akeem Dent’s 122 tackles were second most in the SEC. He has 6.5 tackles for loss. … Murray’s 24 touchdowns are one shy of the school’s single-season record set by Matthew Stafford in 2008. … Godfrey and Murray rank 1-2 in the nation in passing efficiency among freshmen. ... In 2001, when O’Leary coached Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets beat Richt’s Bulldogs 31-17. Georgia and Central Florida have played once, a 24-23 Bulldogs win in Athens, Ga., in 1999.