Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii

Teams: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Date: Jan. 1 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, La.

Analysis
For the second straight season and the third time since the formation of the BCS in 1998, one of the little guys is crashing the party. Back in 2004, Utah routed Big East representative Pittsburgh 35–7 in the Fiesta Bowl. Last year, Boise State also proved it belonged on the big stage by knocking off powerful Oklahoma 43–42 in one of the most memorable bowl games ever played.

Can Hawaii make it two straight wins for a WAC school? Well, standing in its way is a Georgia team playing as well as any team in the nation. The Bulldogs recovered from a midseason slump and won their final six games, beating Vanderbilt, Florida, Troy, Auburn, Kentucky and Georgia Tech on consecutive Saturdays. The Dawgs’ late-season run coincided with the emergence of redshirt freshman Knowhson Moreno as the featured back. Moreno recorded five straight 100-yard games before picking up only 45 yards in the season-finale against Georgia Tech.

While Georgia is at its best when the running game is rolling, Hawaii’s clear plan of attack is through the air. The Warriors averaged 450.2 yards passing per game, the majority of which came from the right arm of senior quarterback Colt Brennan. The most prolific passer in the history of Division I football, Brennan has thrown 38 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this season. In the last two weeks, key wins over Boise State and Washington, he has thrown 10 touchdowns and only two picks.

Hawaii is known for its offense, but it was the team’s improved defense that played a key role in the undefeated regular season. Last season, the Warriors ranked 93rd in the nation in total defense, giving up an average of 377.8 yards per game. This year, they rank 33rd with a 348.9-yard average.

The one knock against Hawaii has been its relatively weak schedule. Last year, in addition to its WAC schedule, UH played three teams from BCS conferences, losing at Alabama and at home to Oregon State while beating Purdue in Honolulu. This year, the Warriors only played one BCS team, Washington, which finished in last place in the Pac-10. In addition, Hawaii struggled against some weak conference foes, needing overtime to beat Louisiana Tech and San Jose State and beating Nevada by only two points on a last-minute field goal. But all of that doesn’t matter now. The Warriors have been invited to the party. It’s their responsibility to prove they belong.

Breakdown: Georgia
Campus Location: Athens, Ga.
Distance to New Orleans: 541 miles
All-Time Bowl Game Record: 23–16–3
2007 Season: 10–2, 6–2 SEC

NCAA Rankings (yards/points per game totals):
Rush Offense: 36 (179)
Pass Offense: 84 (200)
Scoring Offense: 37 (32)
Rush Defense: 28 (120)
Pass Defense: 24 (205)
Scoring Defense: 27 (21)
Turnover Margin: T-32 (0.33)

Additional Notes:
The Georgia defense gave up 17 points or less in seven of its 12 games. … Georgia tied with Tennessee atop the SEC East standings but did not go to the SEC title game due to a loss to the Vols in October. … This will be the Dawgs’ first bowl game against a team not currently in a BCS conference since 1974, when they lost to Miami (Ohio) in the Tangerine Bowl. … Mark Richt has an impressive 71–19 record in his seven years at Georgia.

Breakdown: Hawaii
Campus Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Distance to New Orleans: 4,200 miles
All-Time Bowl Game Record: 5–2
2007 Season: 12–0, 8–0 WAC

NCAA Rankings (yards/points per game totals):
Rush Offense: 113 (79)
Pass Offense: 2 (450)
Scoring Offense: 1 (46)
Rush Defense: 39 (132)
Pass Defense: 43 (217)
Scoring Defense: 40 (24)
Turnover Margin: 63 (-0.08)

Additional Notes:
This is Hawaii’s eighth bowl but only its second one on the mainland. In 1992, the Warriors beat Illinois 27–17 in the Holiday Bowl. They have played in four Hawaii Bowls, one Oahu Bowl and one Aloha Bowl. … Hawaii has three players who rank among the top 10 nationally in receptions per game — Davone Bess (fifth), Ryan Grice-Mullen (sixth) and Jason Rivers (eighth). … Quarterback Colt Brennan began his career at Colorado.

Prediction: Georgia by 14

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