BY THE NUMBERS
Georgia's offense: Averaging 237.8 yards per game passing (46th nationally), 150.7 yards rushing (63rd).
Idaho State's defense: Allowing 246.0 yards per game passing (107th in Division I-AA), 165.0 yards rushing (76th).
REASONS TO BE EXCITED
Reason #1 to be excited? It's Idaho State. The Bengals have won a single game all season long -- an opening-day win over NAIA Montana-Western -- and have lost the rest by an average of 17 points; they've lost their last seven games against FBS teams by an average of six touchdowns. Biggest weakness on a defense allowing 411 yards and 29 points per game against weak competition: a pass defense that's letting even DI-AA quarterbacks bomb away at them with alarming efficiency (partly because the defensive front has only picked up 10 sacks all season long). If Hutson Mason isn't flinging passes all over the place midway through the third quarter, he's being punished for something.
REASONS TO BE WORRIED
Other than a possible emotional hangover from the heartbreaking loss in Jacksonville? Not much. Given the disparity in size and athleticism between Georgia's players and ISU's, the only thing keeping the Dawgs from massive offensive stats this Saturday is their own sloppiness. (That and Mark Richt's inherent conservatism in games like this; he'll start clearing the bench before even the merest hint of a running-up-the-score accusation has a chance to surface against his team.)
KEY MATCHUP
Georgia QB Aaron Murray vs. Georgia QB Aaron Murray. Huh? Well, Murray finally displayed signs of being, you know, a freshman against Florida's brutal secondary last week, mixing moments of heroism (three TDs, a career-high 313 passing yards) with moments that made you want to cover your eyes (three picks, which doubled his season total and effectively killed Georgia's only scoring shot in OT). If those mistakes and what-might-have-beens are still nagging at him Saturday, he might look rusty. But if he's determined to put that behind him and make a statement that he's the man to lead Georgia through a critical late-season stretch run to bowl eligibility, he'll have a big, big day against a defense that was powerless to stop Portland State's passing attack a few weeks ago.