Georgia will head to Nashville this weekend seeking to overcome a surprising loss to Missouri. Though quarterback Aaron Murray quieted doubters a bit with a huge performance against LSU, his play against Missouri left a little to be desired and perhaps brought them out again. Beating Vanderbilt should temporarily quiet them. It should be noted that Murray's stat line against the Tigers -- 25 of 45 passing for 290 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions -- came with most of his offense depleted. Georgia was forced to start freshman J.J. Green, with both Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall out.
How to watch Georgia vs. Vanderbilt: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Another hiccup will likely end Georgia’s SEC title hopes. What are the odds of that happening?
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
For Vanderbilt, the story is largely the same, and in some ways, nearly identical -- they too lost to Missouri in their last game, although that was two weeks ago. Head coach James Franklin and company have had a bye to get things ready for the Bulldogs, and Austin Carta-Samuels is poised to shred the Georgia secondary without serious improvement there.
The numbers
Rankings and records: No. 15 Georgia is 4-2 on the season leads the all-time series 53-18-2, and has won the last six meetings. Vanderbilt is 3-3 (0-3).
Three names to know
Todd Gurley (Georgia running back) - The Bulldogs will finally get some reinforcements, it seems. Gurley sprained his ankle several weeks ago and missed the game against Missouri, but is reportedly very close to returning. If he is able to play, it would obviously be a huge boost to the offense-- Gurley is the team’s leading rusher with 450 yards on the year, not to mention a tremendous all-around talent.
Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt wide receiver) - Matthews still seems to fly under the radar, despite catching nearly everything in sight. His consistency is laudable -- the senior receiver has gone over 100 yards in five of six games this season, and just a tad short of making it six for six. He is currently on pace to break his reception and receiving yardage record, as well. A very young and inexperienced Georgia secondary will have its hands full with him.
Tray Matthews (Georgia defensive back) - One of the players who will be in charge of stopping Matthews (Jordan), this Matthews (Tray) has the only Georgia interception on the season.
Two things at stake
An unexpected loss to Missouri has made Georgia’s path to Atlanta a bit more difficult -- it is by no means over, but the Bulldogs will need to win out and get a little outside help if they are to win the SEC East. That includes beating Florida next weekend, a game that does not figure to be easy. A win over Vanderbilt would set that one up nicely.
Vanderbilt has fallen back to Earth a bit after a great 2012. They are still looking for a win in conference play -- that same Missouri team beat them by almost four touchdowns, and the closest the Commodores have come to an SEC win was their heartbreaking season opening loss to Ole Miss. Georgia would be a pretty nice consolation prize, though.
How to witness
TV: 12 p.m. ET, CBS
Online streaming: CBSsports
Further reading
Visit Anchor of Gold for more on Vanderbilt. Head over to Dawg Sports for more on Georgia. For all things SEC, read Team Speed Kills.
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