North Texas vs Georgia NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
After losing a close one in Week 1 at Clemson, quarterback Aaron Murray took care of business by leading No. 9 Georgia to a big win in Week 2 to pull the Bulldogs even on the year.
The senior turned in one of his best performances of his career throwing from for 309 yards and four touchdowns as Georgia defeated the Gamecocks, 41-30.
Murray and Co. will continue their two-game home stand this weekend against the North Texas Mean Green who improved to 2-1 after a come-from-behind victory over Ball State 34-27 on Saturday.
North Texas (2-1) vs. No. 9 Georgia (1-1)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013
Time: 12:21 p.m. EST
Venue: Sanford Stadium
City: Athens
O/U Odds: 67
Spread: Georgia -32 1/2
Mean Green quarterback Derek Thompson threw for 274 yards and rushed 72 yards to lead North Texas, after the team fell behind 20-3 in the first quarter.
Defensively, the Mean Green regained its composure holding Ball State to just seven points for the remainder of the game.
In the meantime, the Gamecocks and Bulldogs traded touchdowns in the two minutes of Saturday’s game with Todd Gurley powering in from the two-yard line and South Carolina evening the score again on Conner Shaw’s 30-yard TD pass with just 13 seconds remaining.
Georgia’s struggling defense came up with a big stop late in the game preventing the Gamecocks from powering into the end zone on fourth down.
The teams combined for 990 yards , not good for a team like Georgia’s, which cannot afford another defeat this season if it wants to remain a serious contender for a national title. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Bulldogs did make it for the defense’s lapses with a dazzling offensive display though, with Murray and Gurley putting on a clinic.
Gurley finished the day rushing for 136 yards on 30 carries and scoring two touchdowns, while Murray completed 17-of-23 passes for 309 yards and a whopping four touchdowns including the go-ahead score on an 8-yard toss to Gurley late in the third.
Receiver Justin Scott Wesley led the receiving corps, hauling in three passes from 116 yards, including an 85-yarder in the fourth to ice the game.
Matt’s Prediction
As far as I am concerned this one is not as lopsided as the odds makers have projected.
While the Georgia offense has proven it can put up points, the defense has had too many lapses to make me fill confident that they can maintain a nearly five-touchdown spread for an entire game, not to mention that the Mean Green have proven they can score as well, averaging nearly 32 PPG.
Georgia 45, North Texas 31
