The Allstate Sugar Bowl will be the last bowl game before the National Championship. The Big 12 and SEC will be pit against each other when Georgia and Texas take the field in Louisiana. Here is the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl preview.
Texas Longhorns (9-4)
Texas is starting to turn into the program they once were and proved it with nine wins and an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game. They beat four bowl-eligible teams, with their most notable victory being over Oklahoma in the regular season. The Longhorns did lose to one non-bowl-eligible team in Maryland, but that was in the first week of the season.
The Longhorns score 31.3 points per game, ranking them 48th in the country. They rush for 151.2 yards (ranked 93rd) and pass for 264.5 yards (ranked 33rd) per game.
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger has taken a giant step forward this season for the Longhorns. He has thrown for 3,123 yards, 25 touchdowns and five interceptions on 64.3% completion. Texas has two star receivers in Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Collin Johnson. Humphrey has tallied 79 catches for 1,109 yards and nine touchdowns, while Johnson has 65 receptions, 945 yards and seven touchdowns.
Two running backs have been major contributors for the Longhorns this season. Tre Watson has rushed for 695 yards and three touchdowns. Keontay Ingram has chipped in with 683 yards and three touchdowns. Their third-leading rusher is Ehlingher, who has 418 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns.
The defense allows 26.2 points per game, which puts them at 57th in the country. They give up 135.9 rushing yards (ranked 35th) and 265.2 passing yards (ranked 114th) per game. Charles Omenihu has led the Texas pass rush with 9.5 sacks on the season.
Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
Georgia was a few plays away from making the College Football Playoff, but were still able to win 11 games for a successful season. Eight of their 11 wins came over bowl-eligible teams, with their most notable victories being over Florida and Kentucky. Their two losses came to LSU and Alabama, which are both formidable opponents.
The Bulldogs rank 13th in the country with 39.2 points per game. They rush for 251.6 yards (ranked 12th) and pass for 227.2 yards (ranked 69th) per game.
Quarterback Jake Fromm has been a star for the Bulldogs over the last two seasons. He has thrown for 2,537 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions on 68.4% completion. Five receivers have over 500 receiving yards, with Mecole Hardman, Riley Ridley and Isaac Nauta leading the way. Hardman leads the team with 529 receiving yards, while Ridley is top on the team with nine touchdown catches.
Two players split the running back duties for Georgia. D’Andre Swift leads the team with 1,037 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Elijah Holyfield ranks second with 956 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Both running backs are dynamic playmakers that can pop off for a big run at a moment’s notice.
They are tied for 19th in the country with 18.5 points allowed per game. The Bulldogs give up 130.6 rushing yards (ranked 28th) and 180.5 passing yards (ranked 15th) per game. Star cornerback Deandre Baker will be out for this game as he prepares for the NFL Draft, but senior defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter will play. Ledbetter has 51 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack this season.
Prediction
Georgia has more talent and will want to prove that they should have been in the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs will use their fast defense to slow down Ehlinger and the Texas offense, while Fromm will operate the offense effectively.
Georgia Bulldogs 38 Texas Longhorns 19
Make sure to check out our college football page for more updates and rankings.
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers!