Georgia is preparing for a 'unique' attack from Georgia Southern

ATHENS -- After 10 games, Georgia's defense is forced to go back to basics based on this week's opponent.

For many players, facing Georgia Southern's option attack will be like playing high school football all over again. The Eagles don't run the Wing-T, or even the Paul Johnson flexbone attack that he made famous there.

But it's still an option-heavy offense that wants to run first and run often. The Eagles are averaging 378.9 yards on the ground and have won seven games this season with the attack. After facing a mixture of pro-style and spread offenses, the Bulldogs are now ready to hone in on the fundamentals they learned growing up when it comes to defending the option.

"It's like playing high school ball again," senior outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. "That's what football is to me, knowing the other team's going to run the ball and whoever is the bigger man is going to come out on top. It's just a fun feeling. At the end of those games, you really know who the better football team was and who really wanted it more."

The Eagles, unlike Georgia Tech, run their quarterback, whether it's Kevin Ellison or Favian Upshaw, out of the shotgun instead of under center. Georgia Southern will mix in a bit of read-option with the triple-option.

The scheme has worked well for the Eagles, as four players have more than 500 yards rushing this season. Junior Matt Breida has carried the ball 139 times for 1,283 yards and 14 touchdowns, and the Eagles still have three games left to play.

For Georgia, playing assignment football will be key this Saturday.

"If you get your eyes off the quarterback, or if you take a dive when your responsibility is on the quarterback, you really screwed the team up," Jenkins said.

Georgia head coach Mark Richt pointed out earlier this week that Georgia Southern isn't a good team, but a great team. The Eagles did lose to West Virginia, however, in their season-opener 44-0 and to Appalachian State 31-13 on Oct. 22.

But having to enter a game against an unfamiliar opponent with a different ­offense than you're used to preparing for is tough for any team at any level. Making matters more difficult is the style of triple-option Georgia Southern runs.

"We'll play some teams with the QB run but not a triple-option football team," Richt said. "It's a lot different, for sure, but we obviously play Georgia Tech every year, which is a lot different than anyone else we play. These two teams are not as similar as they used to be. They used to be almost identical how they would run their offensive system. It's not that way anymore. Georgia Southern is doing much more out of the gun and more spread than Georgia Tech does right now."

In a 45-10 win over Troy last week, Georgia Southern rushed for 305 yards and possessed the ball for more than 25 minutes in the second half. The Bulldogs aren't taking this offense lightly, due to how well it's worked for Georgia Southern this season.

"Their offense is very unique, watching film," defensive tackle James DeLoach said. "They have a lot of athletes and they spread the ball out. They get the ball on the perimeter, chop block. It's going to be a great game.

"We'll have to compete on defense."

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Georgia is preparing for a 'unique' attack from Georgia Southern ."