Kendall Hunter the difference in a 33-30 OSU victory
Published: 9/4/2009 1:37 PM
Last Modified: 9/4/2009 1:37 PM
For the Saturday Tulsa World, I submitted a prediction of a Cowboy victory.
OSU 33, Georgia 30.
With OSU having lost two starters (tight end Jamal Mosley and middle linebacker Orie Lemon) this week, you wonder whether the Cowboys might be a bit shaken. But I expect Kendall Hunter to make the biggest plays, and I see the home field providing a three-point edge for Oklahoma State.
A look at three storylines in the Georgia-OSU contest.
* Kendall Hunter: Rain is a possibility on Saturday, and that could have a profound effect on the passing game. OSU will always want to run the football because Mike Gundy strives for offensive balance, but an effective run game could be critical if rain falls on the Georgia-OSU game. Last season, Kendall Hunter rushed for 154 yards at Missouri and 161 at Texas. Can he rush for 100 against the Bulldogs? Last season, only two opposing backs reached the 100-yard mark against Georgia.
* New guards: OSU enters the Georgia test with two new guards. Expected as first-time starters are Noah Franklin on the left side and Anthony Morgan on the right. Franklin, Morgan and veteran center Andrew Lewis must do no worse than battle to a stalemate with Georgia defensive tackles Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens. A successful run game is essential for OSU. In their last 16 games in which they rushed for at least 200 yards, the Cowboys are 14-2.
* The crowd: With Mark Richt as coach, Georgia is 30-4 in true road games. "Our fans will be tremendous," Gundy says, "but (Georgia) won't be intimidated." Because the fans are so close to the Boone Pickens Stadium field, an OSU crowd of 50,000 can be as loud and disruptive as an SEC crowd of 80,000. For the biggest nonconference home game in school history, will the Oklahoma State fans be a factor?
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
