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 Independence Bowl Texas A&M vs. Georgia
Monday, December 28, 2009 5 PM ET ESPN
The players I'll be watching closest are the signal callers. Georgia quarterback Joe Cox has struggled with his efficiency, completing just 56% of his passes and tossing 14 interceptions. Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson, meanwhile, has been much more productive and efficient. Johnson threw only 6 interceptions all season, 3 coming in one game, and completed 60% of his passes. That's not even mentioning his 3,276 passing yards, 28 touchdown passes, 455 rushing yards or 8 rushing touchdowns.
As much as the Aggies rely on Johnson, don't forget about their pair of young running backs. Freshman Christine Michael and sophomore Cyrus Gray combined for 1,519 yards rushing with Michael outrushing Gray by only 15 yards and Gray getting just 5 more carries than Michael. Truly a two headed rushing attack. The Aggies have run 961 offensive plays this season, third behind Nevada and Texas.
 The Georgia offense has not exactly lived up to expectations this season, especially with all-world wide receiver A.J. Green on the roster. Green has missed time this season with a separated shoulder and is expected to be a go for this evening's game. The Bulldogs will look to involve Green early to get a head start on, or keep up with, an Aggies offense that will score points.
Washaun Ealey is starting to look like a possible answer at running back for the Bulldogs, as the freshman has been a steady option on the ground. Georgia will use all of their weapons in exploiting the Aggies' 107th ranked defense that is giving up 33 points per game.
Aggies LB/DE Von Miller has accumulated 17 sacks this season, most in the FBS. Keep your eye on him in this one as he'll surely be on the mind of Cox and the Georgia offensive line. The junior is expected to make the leap to the NFL next season so this may be his final collegiate game.
There is not much else to talk about on either defense after Miller, although the Georgia defensive line has a few guys that could cause some problems for the Aggies inside rushing game. Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens is a pair of senior defensive tackles that will be looking to impress NFL scouts in their final game in the red and black. Sophomore linebacker Justin Houston has sacked the quarterback 7.5 times this season, the most in the SEC, and racked up 15 tackles for loss, seventh most in the nation.
This will be an offensive showcase, especially on the Aggies side. The Aggies have beaten only one bowl-bound team this season, but overachieved in primetime against Texas on Thanksgiving. They should be up for the fight in this one as well, even though most of the country will be fighting traffic during the first half. - Danny Hobrock
Danny is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.
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