Massachusetts Minutemen vs. Georgia Bulldogs Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 23rd 2024
Preview and Prediction
After a much-needed victory against then-No. 7 Tennessee, No. 10 Georgia is being cautious not to make any mistakes against UMass this Saturday in Athens, Ga.
The Bulldogs (8-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) moved up two spots in the College Football Playoff rankings after their 31-17 win over the Volunteers last Saturday. Following a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 9, Georgia bounced back and outscored Tennessee 31-7 in the last three quarters.
Quarterback Carson Beck played a crucial role in the win, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns.
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Beck, who had thrown nine interceptions in his previous four games, managed to avoid any turnovers for the first time since Oct. 5.
"This team has faced some tough situations this season," said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. "But they have never backed down from those challenges. They have shown resilience and have fought back."
Despite finishing their conference schedule, the Bulldogs still need some help to qualify for the SEC Championship Game. As of now, Georgia is behind two teams with only one conference loss, No. 3 Texas and No. 15 Texas A&M. They are tied with No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Ole Miss in terms of losses, but would lose the tiebreaker to both teams.
Smart dismissed any concerns about hypothetical scenarios and is solely focused on the upcoming game against UMass.
"Our focus is on UMass," Smart stated. "That's all we're thinking about. So why would I waste my time and energy trying to figure out the best pathway to the SEC Championship when I have to prepare for UMass? It's not a productive conversation to have."
Georgia and Smart are hoping to see their injury situation improve. Leading rusher Trevor Etienne (477 rushing yards, seven touchdowns) missed the game against Tennessee due to a rib injury, while wide receiver Dillon Bell (405 receiving yards, four touchdowns) left the game with an ankle injury.
"We don't have any updates on Dillon at the moment," Smart said. "He has an ankle sprain, but it's stable and won't require surgery. We are hopeful to have him back, along with Trevor."
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UMass (2-8) came close to securing their first FBS win of the season last Saturday, but a missed extra point in overtime resulted in a 35-34 home loss to Liberty. Two days later, the school fired head coach Don Brown after a 6-28 record in his second stint with the program.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shane Montgomery will serve as the interim coach for the Minutemen's last two games of the season.
"We have two big games left," Montgomery said. "We still have a lot to play for. There are two ways we can go from here. We can either feel sorry for ourselves and not improve, or we can keep getting better. If you've watched us in the past few weeks, you can see that we are improving. We are excited to go to Georgia."
UMass has faced off against two SEC teams this season, losing 45-3 to Missouri on Oct. 12 and 45-20 to Mississippi State on Nov. 2. With Taisun Phommachanh out for the season with lower body injuries, the Minutemen will start freshman AJ Hairston at quarterback. Hairston has thrown for 225 yards and a touchdown in two games.