ND has 17 plays of 30+ yards on the ground this year. They total 862 yards. The rest of their rushing plays are 446 rushes for 2,029 yards or 4.55 yards per carry. That would rank around 60th or so in the country (still better than UGA at 4.2 ypc overall). So ND has a VERY good ground game. But they become ELITE when you factor in the explosives. The real question is can UGA eliminate the explosive plays and make them be patient all the way down the field?
There's been a lot said about Riley Leonard and his potential to hurt us on the ground. Maybe he will. But the only QBs to hurt UGA on the ground have also had the ability to hurt us through the air and I'm not seeing it with Leonard. Consider:
Milroe: 16 runs for 117 yards / 7.31 ypc and 2 TDs
- JM passed 27-33 for 374 yards (11.3 ypa) and 2 TDS
King: 24 runs for 110 yards / 4.58 ypc and 3 TDs
- HK passed 26-36 for 303 yards (8.4 ypa) and 2 TDs
Riley Leonard: Avg. 10.4 runs for 58 yards / 5.6 ypc and 1.2 TDs
- RL avg passing: 16.7-25 for 176 yards (7.1 ypa) and 1.3 TDs
- RL season HIGH in passing is 229 yards against Stanford
ND has played a bunch of bad pass defenses and Leonard still hasn't thrown for 250 yards. If you are one dimensional, a Kirby D will FEAST. And I don't see how Leonard and ND are going to scare the Georgia D through the air. So it comes down to the run game. If the Dawgs don't respect the pass, I don't see how Leonard is going to hurt the Dawgs with his legs.
So....IF the Dawgs can limit the explosive runs from the RBs, I think ND will struggle to move the ball consistently and will struggle to score. That's a big IF though. In case anyone is wondering, Georgia has given up 5 30+ yard runs on the season.
On the other side of the ball, it's worth noting that ND gets HYPED up a ton for their rush D but statistically, it's almost identical to UGA's rush D numbers. Although it's worth noting that they did play Army and Navy who run it well. But they also gave up 200 yards and over 7 ypc to USC who isn't all that great. With a healthy TE and NF plus a newly acquired QB run game, I think the Dawgs can run it efficiently enough to open up some passing.
There's been a lot said about Riley Leonard and his potential to hurt us on the ground. Maybe he will. But the only QBs to hurt UGA on the ground have also had the ability to hurt us through the air and I'm not seeing it with Leonard. Consider:
Milroe: 16 runs for 117 yards / 7.31 ypc and 2 TDs
- JM passed 27-33 for 374 yards (11.3 ypa) and 2 TDS
King: 24 runs for 110 yards / 4.58 ypc and 3 TDs
- HK passed 26-36 for 303 yards (8.4 ypa) and 2 TDs
Riley Leonard: Avg. 10.4 runs for 58 yards / 5.6 ypc and 1.2 TDs
- RL avg passing: 16.7-25 for 176 yards (7.1 ypa) and 1.3 TDs
- RL season HIGH in passing is 229 yards against Stanford
ND has played a bunch of bad pass defenses and Leonard still hasn't thrown for 250 yards. If you are one dimensional, a Kirby D will FEAST. And I don't see how Leonard and ND are going to scare the Georgia D through the air. So it comes down to the run game. If the Dawgs don't respect the pass, I don't see how Leonard is going to hurt the Dawgs with his legs.
So....IF the Dawgs can limit the explosive runs from the RBs, I think ND will struggle to move the ball consistently and will struggle to score. That's a big IF though. In case anyone is wondering, Georgia has given up 5 30+ yard runs on the season.
On the other side of the ball, it's worth noting that ND gets HYPED up a ton for their rush D but statistically, it's almost identical to UGA's rush D numbers. Although it's worth noting that they did play Army and Navy who run it well. But they also gave up 200 yards and over 7 ypc to USC who isn't all that great. With a healthy TE and NF plus a newly acquired QB run game, I think the Dawgs can run it efficiently enough to open up some passing.
