Compared to the Orange Bowl and the Rose Bowl, the Liberty Bowl is just a youngster enjoying its 58th iteration. It will be known officially as the Autozone Liberty Bowl as the Georgia Bulldogs (7-5) take on the TCU Horned Frogs (6-6) inside Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn on Dec. 30. Kick off is scheduled for noon.
The Game: Georgia vs TCU (EVEN, 48.5 O/U)
Georgia Bulldogs (7-5)
The Bulldogs made a strong push toward the end of the season, finishing 4-1 with their lone loss a one-point killer against Georgia Tech in the final week of the regular season. Kirby Smart didn’t produce a lot of fireworks in his first season in Athens. Georgia averaged just 24.0 points per game with Nick Chubb recording a disappointing 988 yards and just seven touchdowns. In what was supposed to be his bounce-back season. The lackluster numbers mean that Chubb will be back to try again in his senior season. That’s a good thing, because freshman quarterback Jacob Eason is going to need him. Eason flashed at times this season, but was still a first-year starter, completing just 55.0 percent of his passes for 2,266 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
With the QB production down, only Isaiah McKenzie could put up any real numbers at wide receiver. McKenzie caught 40 passes for 530 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 13.2 yards per catch. If he’s smart, he’ll go back to school too.
Georgia’s top draft prospect is on the offensive line; guard Greg Pyke. Pyke is 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds and is an underrated prospect, probably looking at a fifth or sixth round selection.
Georgia is loaded with solid Power Five starters on defense, led by sophomore linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith had 82 tackles, five for a loss and a pass defense this season. Linebacker Natrez Patrick is listed as questionable, but will probably play. He was second on the team with 55 tackles, 4.5 for a loss, a sack and seven pass defenses.
In the defensive backfield, safety Dominique Sanders is the top NFL draft prospect. He’s 6-foot-0, 190 pounds and recorded 31 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, 0.5 sacks, seven pass defenses and three interceptions this season.
TCU Horned Frogs (6-6)
The Horned Frogs limped into the postseason losing four of their last six games. The lone bright spots were a 62-22 beat-down on Baylor and a 30-6 curb stomp of Texas the final week of the season that got Charlie Strong fired.
TCU can score points on offense, averaging 31.7 points per game. The problem is they give up a lot of points too, surrendering 27.8 per game. The entire offensive gameplan goes through quarterback Kenny Hill. The junior from Southlake, Texas completed 60.8 percent of his passes this season for a respectable 3,062 yards and 15 touchdowns, though he turned it over a lot with 13 interceptions. Hill likes to keep the ball too, carrying it 108 times this season for 537 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. When Hill does hand it off, it’s junior Jyle Hicks that totes the rock. He’s got 954 yards and 12 touchdowns coming into the game, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
Hicks gets the bulk of the catches too in the passing game, hauling in 42 for 396 yards and two scores this season. When Hill does look down field, he’s aiming at Taj Williams who caught 39 passes for 702 yards and five touchdowns. Williams is an interesting prospect at 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds, but should probably stay in school another season.
Both of TCU’s legit draft prospects or on their defensive front. Josh Carraway could go anywhere between the third and fifth rounds of the draft. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end had eight sacks and 11 tackles for a loss this season to go with 47 tackles and a forced fumble. In the middle of the defensive line 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive tackle Aaron Curry caused just as much chaos, recording 5.5 sacks, eight tackles for a loss and 47 tackles of his own. Curry projects as a late round pick.
Trends and Notes
The Bulldogs are 5-7 against the spread this season. TCU is 3-9.
The Horned Frogs have played the tougher schedule, ranked No. 47 nationally. Georgia’s schedule is ranked No. 53
Since the Bowl aligned with the SEC in 2013, the conference representative has won three straight. Last year Arkansas beat Kansas State 45-23.
This will actually be the second Liberty Bowl played in a calander year. The last Liberty Bowl was played on Jan 2., 2016. It’s happened once before with two Liberty Bowls in 2010 (one on Jan. 2 and one on Dec. 31).
The Pick
The SEC hasn’t lost this game in three seasons and I don’t see it happening this year. The Bulldogs are a team looking for an identity and Liberty Bowl Champion will be a start. Georgia 34, TCU 30
