Nicholls State at Georgia Week 2 Expert Pick
Posted by Jordan Walterss on Monday,September 5, 2016 12:42, EDT in
Things get a little easier for SEC school Georgia this week as the Dawgs beat a very good North Carolina team in Week 1 and now face FCS program Nicholls State. There are no NCAA football lines posted as of yet but UGA will be a massive favorite.
How To Bet on the Nicholls State at Georgia Week 2 Expert Pick & TV Info
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, Noon ET
Where: Sanford Stadium, Athens
TV: SEC Network
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Nicholls State / Georgia
Opening NCAAF Lines: TBA
Why Bet on Nicholls State?
The Colonels didn’t play in Week 1. So on the bright side, they at least got to prepare for Georgia all offseason. Not that it will matter. In the team’s final scrimmage, the offense was able to move the ball but could not find the end zone in the regular drives. The squad finished the scrimmage with 287 yards passing and 90 yards on the ground. One of the biggest plays of the day came early on as Devin Powell found Christian Booker open for a 43-yard reception. The drive ended on a 43-yard field goal by David McKey, who went 3-for- 4 on the day. Powell and Chase Fourcade took the majority of the snaps under center. Powell completed 7 of 12 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns, while Fourcade was 14 of 25 for 120 yards and a score.
The Colonels’ best player is probably senior B.T. Sanders, who was named to the 2016 Southland Conference Preseason First Team. Sanders, a two-year starter in the defensive backfield at safety, garnered his third recognition from the Southland in as many years. started all 11 games last season, ranking second on the team with 75 tackles. Despite lining up in the backfield, he had five tackles for loss and one sack. Sanders contributed to the defensive takeaways by forcing three fumbles, two against Stephen F. Austin, and also had a 27-yard fumble recovery against the Lumberjacks. In pass defense, Sanders broke up a total of four passes as the secondary allowed an SLC-best 178.2 passing yards per game.
Why Bet on Georgia?
The No. 18 Dawgs beat No. 22 North Carolina 33-24 in Week 1. Nick Chubb returned from a serious knee injury that ended his 2015 season early and had 222 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Chubb carried 32 times and clinched the Chick-fil- A Kickoff Game victory for Georgia on a 55-yard run with 3 1/2 minutes left in the game. It marked his 3rd career game of more than 200 yards, only Herschel Walker (nine) had more in UGA history.
Fifth-year senior Greyson Lambert started at quarterback for Georgia, but Jacob Eason — a touted freshman — hooked up with Isaiah McKenzie on a 51-yard pass that set up William Ham’s go-ahead, 29-yard field goal with 5:27 remaining. Might Eason start this game? The 51-yard pass by Eason to McKenzie was Georgia’s longest pass completion in three years, and the only 50 yard-plus pass in three seasons by a Georgia quarterback. (Todd Gurley had the longest pass completion in 2014, a 50-yarder.)
Georgia never before in school history had a season-opening win over a ranked team away from home. (In previous season openers against ranked teams, Georgia had been 8-2 in Athens, 0-2 in neutral site games, and 0-5- 1 on the road.)
Georgia had six first-time starters: On offense, Lamont Gaillard (RG), Michael Chigbu (WR), freshman Charlie Woerner (TE) and Tyler Catalina (LT); On defense, Roquan Smith (ILB) and Maurice Smith (DB). Also, on special teams, the kickers were all newcomers, redshirt-sophomore William Ham (PK), redshirt freshman Rodrigo Blankenship (KO) and true freshman Marshall Long (P). Long is the first true frosh punter to start a season opener since Collin Barber in 2012.
My Expert Pick
This won’t be close. Take the Dawgs on NCAA Football lines.
