Consider this one a tuneup.
How to watch North Texas vs. Georgia 2013: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
What do you need to know for the first ever meeting between these two teams?
Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE
Georgia (1-1) faces No. 6 LSU at home next week, and against an overmatched opponent like North Texas, probably won’t reveal too much on film. The Bulldogs are coming off of a bye week and facing their first unranked opponent of the year -- Georgia split their first two games against Clemson and South Carolina to open the season.
North Texas enters this week’s game at 2-1, after coming all the way back from a 20-3 deficit to beat Ball State last weekend.
The numbers
Rankings and records: This is the first ever matchup between Georgia and the North Texas Mean Green -- yes, that's really their nickname. Georgia is ranked ninth in the AP poll, and 10th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. North Texas has their eyes on bowl eligibility in their first season as a member of Conference USA.
Three names to know
Keith Marshall (Georgia running back) - Georgia's other running back has struggled a bit to start the season. Marshall received only seven carries against South Carolina. His yards per carry have dropped, down to 4.4 from 6.5 his freshman year. Whether or not that is a function of Georgia's tough schedule or actual regression is yet to be determined, but he'll get his shots against a North Texas defense allowing 5.26 yards per carry this season.
Amarlo Herrera (Georgia linebacker) - A preseason All-SEC Second Team pick, Herrera has totaled 24 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, .5 sacks and two passes broken up so far this season. He's been pretty much everywhere for the Bulldogs.
Derek Thompson (North Texas quarterback) - An otherwise middle-of-the-pack North Texas offense is led by Thompson, who is completing nearly 71% of his passes and has a passer rating of 149.7. Wide receivers Brelan Chancellor and Darnell Smith figure to take the majority of targets from Thompson.
Two things at stake
A win by North Texas -- no matter how unlikely it may be -- would obviously be huge for the program and provide some invaluable momentum heading into their C-USA opener against Tulane next weekend.
Georgia, though, is mostly looking to remain healthy for their showdown against LSU. Winning would be doing as expected, and Georgia has little to gain with a win. However, a loss would obviously be catastrophic to this SEC contending team. Hey, any given Saturday, right?
How to witness
TV: ESPN3 and SEC TV will provide coverage, starting at 12:21 ET. Dave Neal, Andre Ware and Cara Capuano will handle the call.
Radio: You’ll be able to get North Texas’ broadcast on KHYI 95.3 FM The Range and KNTU-FM 88.1, and Georgia’s broadcast on AM750 and 95.5FM NewsTalk WSB. You’ll also be able to listen in on Georgia’s broadcast with a subscription through their website.
Further reading
For more on Georgia, you’ll want to hit up Dawg Sports.
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