Game Day Thread: #7 Baylor (11-2) vs. #5 Georgia (11-2)

The Baylor Bears (11-2) will face off with the Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) in the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 7:45 p.m. CT. 

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Matt Rhule Quote of the Week...

“I think when you start placing certain value on games than -- a lot of times that comes from us; it doesn't come from the kids. It comes from us as coaches. We were motivated to play against Stephen F. Austin. We were motivated in the last game of the year to play against Kansas. We were motivated in the Big 12 championship game. And at the end of the day, if our players aren't motivated to play in this game, what does it say about our program? What does it say about me? What does it say about them? We want to turn out tough, hard-working, competitive guys. And I'll say this about our players. If I went out there today and said, "Hey, we have to run ten wind sprints," there would be some grumbling. They're back there laughing at me again. But if I said I think, I think Kalon [Barnes] is faster than [Josh] Fleeks, our guys would line up and they would run against each other all day. We have competitive players. We're going to go out there and we're going right from here to practice. There's no going to the hotel. We're going right to practice. We're getting off the bus. We're putting full pads on and we're putting the ball down. We're saying one zone, one compete. That's just kind of who we are. We're a blue-collar, tough, competitive team. Our team will be beyond motivated. And we have to be because this is such a great team we're facing. I'm motivated. I have never really met Coach [Kirby] Smart, but I certainly respect him. So a chance to go against him as a head coach, I have to be at my best. And so I think our guys are highly, highly motivated.”

Baylor Key Players

Quarterback #12 Charlie Brewer – Brewer is cleared, the answer everyone was looking for after the Big 12 Championship Game. The Bears signal caller went through concussion protocol and was able to pass a week ago. The rest has been great for Brewer and he is the healthiest he could possibly be at this point in the season. On the season he is completing 65% of his passes for 2,950 yards and 20 touchdowns to go along with 337 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He comes into this Sugar Bowl matchup ready to face the best defense this team has seen over the course of the season. A win in this game would probably be a top five win in Baylor football history and his legacy would gain even more ground on the top quarterbacks in school history.

Wide receiver #5 Denzel Mims – The senior wide receiver still has a bad taste in his mouth after the Big 12 Championship game in which he had zero catches. There is no way that he will want to go out with two straight poor performances so there will most likely be a steady amount of targets going his way. The more the season has progressed the more it has been apparent that Mims is really a major part if not the most important part of the engine that moves the offense. This is a big game for him as he matches up against two NFL level type cornerbacks so there is a chance to improve his draft stock. On the year he has 61 receptions for 945 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Defensive end #93 James Lynch – NFL draft questions abound for Coach Rhule but also for the best player on this football team which is James Lynch. The unanimous All American has been a steady force on this defense for the past three seasons but this year  he has become even more impactful. As the leader in sacks in the Big 12 he will have to play a major role in this football game since Georgia has only given up 12 sacks this season. But with three starters on the offensive line out for Georgia including a top 5 pick, there will be plenty of opportunities for Lynch to be a major problem for the Bulldogs. There is a major opportunity for Lynch to raise his draft stock even more before making his decision.

Defensive tackle #99 Bravvion Roy – Another star defensive lineman who has taken his game to another level this season. Roy has been a staple along the defensive front this season as he had completely plugged up running lanes while also getting after the quarterback in the new three-man front. Roy should be dominate against a banged up Georgia front and he can prove to NFL scouts what he could do at the next level. I have not seen a player take a bigger jump in a single season than Roy has this year, it has been remarkable.

Safety #3 Chris Miller – One of the stud safeties for the Bears defense will play a big role in his last game as a Baylor player. This Georgia team is going to try to run the ball downhill at Baylor all night well Miller can play a big role in putting a stop to that. Miller is ferocious tackler but outside of the targeting penalties he has played much more consistently under control. Look for him to rack up double digit tackles in his last games of his Baylor career.

Georgia Key Players

Quarterback #11 Jake Fromm – The Bulldogs quarterback has had a mediocre season compared to the expectations. Largely because the receivers have been mediocre but he also has not been sharp at times. On the year he has completed 60% of his passes for 2,610 yards and 22 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He has only been sacked 12 times so time has not been an issue for him but if Baylor can get after him they could make his efficient drop even more this would require stopping the run and forcing Fromm into obvious passing situations. If he plays well Baylor will be in some trouble.

Wide receiver #1 George Pickens – The true freshman has become the lead receiver for this Georgia team ever since Lawrence Cager went down due to injury. Cager is the star of this receiving core but has not been healthy so Pickens is the guy. He is a big body who can flat out run and jump so in the red zone he is a nightmare.

Running back #7 D’Andre Swift – Will he play or not? the star running back will be a hot name on NFL draft boards and has carried this offense at times. On the year he has 195 carries for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. He is the difference maker for the offense and an elite every down running back who can wear down a defense or run away from it. Baylor will need to do a better job this year than they did on Vanderbilt’s Keshawn Vaughn in the Texas Bowl.