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Opponent Overview: Is QB Greyson Lambert capable of carrying Georgia’s offense against the Gators?

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A lot is at stake on Saturday.

Greyson Lambert #11 of the Georgia Bulldogs walks off the field after a failed series against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Sanford Stadium on October 3, 2015 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Greyson Lambert #11 of the Georgia Bulldogs walks off the field after a failed series against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Sanford Stadium on October 3, 2015 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Florida and Georgia will battle for control of the SEC East with the winner moving closer to an appearance in the conference championship.

We brought in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Seth Emerson, who covers Georgia, to answer some questions on the Bulldogs. Make sure to follow Seth (@SethEmersonAJC) for info on Georgia leading up to Saturday’s showdown with No. 11 Florida (3:30 p.m., CBS).

1. With Georgia star running back Nick Chubb out for the season, how big is the drop-off with Sony Michel taking over at the position?

Seth: Not a huge drop-off in terms of pure talent: Chubb and Michel were both five-star recruits, and Michel is a bit faster and better outside the tackles. But the loss of Chubb is still a huge one for the offense because it was built in large part around his between-the-tackles, physical running ability, with Michel complementing him. Now its Michel’s show, and you don’t know how much production you’ll get from Keith Marshall and Brendan Douglas behind him. Michel has still been productive the past two weeks: 87 rushing yards on 25 carries against a top-10 Missouri defense, and 145 yards on 22 carries against Tennessee. But not having both Chubb and Michel probably takes Georgia’s running game from an A to a B.

2. Is Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert capable of carrying the offense? What are Lambert’s strengths and weaknesses?

Seth: The short answer is yes against a bad defense – like South Carolina – and no against an average to great one – like Alabama and Missouri, and Vanderbilt’s underrated defense. The thing with Lambert is you don’t know what you’re getting from pass to pass. He makes some really good throws, then follows them up with some very bad ones. He only has two interceptions this year, but is lucky not to have way more, thanks to defensive backs dropping so many. He can make every type of pass – he hit the long ball against Tennessee, slants and back-shoulder passes against South Carolina, and so on. But at other times he misses open receivers or has passes blocked at the line. He’s not as good as he was against South Carolina, setting the NCAA record for completion percentage, or as bad as he was against Alabama. He’s somewhere in between.

3. The Bulldogs are ranked 15th nationally in total defense. What makes the unit so good and how much discussion has there been about making up for the 418 rushing yards it allowed the Gators to record in last season’s meeting?

Seth: A lot of discussion, mainly because we media types keep asking about it. The players keep saying this is a new year, but I think they remember well what happened that day. They have to contain the edges and force Treon Harris to pass the ball out of the pocket. Easier said than done, obviously. Joshua Dobbs ran for more than 120 yards against Georgia. The numbers are a bit deceiving on Georgia’s defense, which – like Lambert – has been pretty inconsistent, great some games and bad some others. The secondary is very young and has showed it at times. The pass rush, which was supposed to be a strength, has been a disappointment prior to the Missouri game, when it did well, but that was against a bad offense. The bright spot is the run defense, which portends well for stopping Florida. But Georgia’s run defense was pretty good last year too, just not in that game. So who knows.

4. Is Georgia head coach Mark Richt on the hot seat? How much would a win over the Gators help Richt’s cause?

Seth: Not really, from what I can tell, as far as the powers-that-be. The fan base is very vocal, but that’s been the case for years. Richt and his staff have a very highly-ranked recruiting class for 2016, and so far there have been no signs of it fraying. The most heralded member is quarterback Jacob Eason, who could solve the team’s biggest problem right away. I don’t sense any desire among the power brokers in Athens to blow this thing up. But ask me again after Saturday.

5. What is the outside view of the Gators? Internally, Gators fans are excited and optimistic about the 6-1 start. But does Florida have to do more to earn the complete attention of the rest of the SEC?

Seth: Wary respect, maybe, is a good way to put it. People know what Florida can do when it has a good coach and so far it appears it may have one. It was always a question of offense during the Muschamp years, and if McElwain has fixed that right away, and the defense isn’t falling off, then it’s fair to say SEC East rivals, such as Georgia, are very worried. They were hoping Jeremy Foley would hire another dud, but if he found another Urban Meyer, or even someone close to him, then Florida should be back to a regular SEC East contender. And may very well win it this year.


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