Georgia-Vanderbilt game time, TV info, players to watch and what's at stake
Here is your primer for Saturday's game between No. 5 Georgia and Vanderbilt.
Kickoff time: Noon
TV: ESPN (Mike Patrick, Tommy Tuberville, Paul Carcaterra)
Local radio: Macon -- 106.3 FM; Columbus -- 1460 AM/100.1 FM; Athens -- 960 AM/106.1 FM; Atlanta -- 750 AM/95.5 FM (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Chuck Dowdle)
Sirius/XM: 138/191
Streaming: WatchESPN
Weather: It’s expected to be a cloudy day in Nashville, Tennessee, with the temperature in the low 80s. Winds could reach 12-15 mph.
Betting line: Georgia -17.5
Georgia coaches: Head coach Kirby Smart, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, special teams coordinator Shane Beamer.
Vanderbilt coaches: Head coach Derek Mason (also the defensive coordinator), offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, special teams coordinator Jeff Genyk
Series history: Georgia and Vanderbilt first played in 1893, with the Bulldogs holding a 55-20-2 all-time lead in the series. Georgia has won 19 of the past 22 games against the Commodores.
Last meeting: One of those three Vanderbilt wins in the past 22 seasons came a year ago. The Commodores upset the Bulldogs 17-16 at Sanford Stadium.
Georgia's season thus far: Georgia (5-0, 2-0 SEC) has been dominant on defense and quite efficient on offense. Only one game has been close, with Georgia edging Notre Dame 20-19 on the road in the second week of the season. The Bulldogs have otherwise rolled in wins over Appalachian State (31-10), Samford (42-14), Mississippi State (31-3) and Tennessee (41-0). The defense is only giving up 9.2 points per game, which ranks second in the nation.
Vanderbilt’s season thus far: Vanderbilt entered this season as a team potentially looking to compete against the big-name SEC programs. Well, after what appeared to be an impressive 14-7 win over Kansas State, the Commodores were shellacked by Alabama 59-0 and defeated by Florida 38-24. The Commodores were competitive against the Gators, however, as Florida pulled away late.
Georgia’s key offensive players: RB Nick Chubb, RB Sony Michel, QB Jake Fromm, WR Terry Godwin
Georgia’s key defensive players: ILB Roquan Smith, OLB Lorenzo Carter, OLB Davin Bellamy, S J.R. Reed
Vanderbilt’s key offensive players: RB Ralph Webb, QB Kyle Shurmur, WR C.J. Duncan, WR Trent Sherfield
Vanderbilt’s key defensive players: OLB Charles Wright, ILB Emmanuel Smith, ILB Oren Burks, CB Joejuan Williams
The key for Georgia: Georgia must play mistake-free ball in all three phases of the game. Last season, the Bulldogs outplayed the Commodores on offense and defense but lost because of multiple special teams blunders. Georgia is too talented of a team to allow for Vanderbilt to hang around due to poor execution. If the Bulldogs can keep penalties and turnovers to a minimum, they should be fine in this game.
The key for Vanderbilt: Much like was written above, the Commodores will need to turn Georgia over a few times and capitalize after the fact. Another hope for Vanderbilt will be to get the quick passing game going. Shurmur gets rid of the ball quickly and offers a pro-style element Georgia hasn’t really seen this year. Defensively, it’s all about stopping Georgia’s run game.
What a win means for Georgia: Georgia hasn’t been 6-0 since 2005. Assuming it isn’t a close win, Georgia would stay in the AP top-five and keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
What a win means for Vanderbilt: Like last year, it would be a big boost for the program, especially coming off of back-to-back losses by double digits. And if Vanderbilt were to defeat Georgia, it would go down as one of the greatest wins in program history based on the Bulldogs’ ranking.
This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Georgia-Vanderbilt game time, TV info, players to watch and what's at stake."