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Georgia challenges Louisville in Belk Bowl

The Belk Bowl will pit a pair of top-20 teams for the first time in its 13-year history, as the 13th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and 20th-ranked Louisville Cardinals battle at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Dec 30.

The matchup is a classic 'great offense vs. great defense' affair, as Georgia boasted the highest scoring offense in the SEC and Louisville ranked sixth in the entire country in total defense.

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Georgia has had a month to dwell on its last regular season game, and the Bulldogs still probably have a bad taste in their mouth about it. Even though the possibility of reaching the SEC title game was out of reach, the Bulldogs still had a chance at upending in-state rival Georgia Tech.

A touchdown with 18 seconds left in regulation gave Georgia the lead, but an improbable Yellow Jackets field goal forced overtime. Georgia Tech scored a touchdown in OT, and Hutson Mason was intercepted on the ensuing series to end the 30-24 heartbreaking loss.

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The interception was Mason's final throw at Sanford Stadium, spoiling an otherwise terrific season that saw the senior lead a prolific offense.

The architect behind the attack, coordinator Mike Bobo, was named Colorado State's head coach last week and will not be coaching in the bowl game. His duties will be taken over by Will Friend, head coach Mark Richt said.

Mason completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 2,019 yards with 20 touchdowns to just four interceptions. His 154.8 passer rating ranked second in the SEC.

He accumulated those numbers without having a go-to receiving, as Michael Bennett's 35 catches led the team. Chris Conley recorded a team-high 577 yards and seven touchdowns on 32 receptions, and six other players caught at least 10 passes.

The running game is where Georgia really shined, as it gained 3,060 yards and 35 TDs on the ground. Nick Chubb was a phenomenal fill-in for Todd Gurley, whose Heisman campaign was derailed when he was suspended four games for accepting cash for autographed memorabilia. Gurley amassed a stunning 794 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in five games before being suspended, then gashed Auburn for 138 yards and a score upon his return. He tore his ACL during Georgia's signature win, and Chubb took over the backfield duties for good.

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The Bulldogs did not miss a beat with the freshman toting the rock, as Chubb gained 1,326 yards and 12 touchdowns while earning a 6.9 ypc average. He was named to the All-SEC First Team.

Georgia's defense often gets overlooked with the offense hogging the headlines, but the Bulldogs' unit held opponents to 21.2 ppg and just 334 ypg.

Three Georgia defenders were named to the All-SEC Second Team, including linebackers Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson. The duo totaled 112 and 102 tackles, respectively, with a combined four sacks.

Defensive back Damian Swann made the Second Team on the strength of three interceptions, four forced fumbles and 62 tackles.

The Bulldogs have played in a bowl game 17 straight years and are 27-19-3 in the postseason. They lost to Nebraska in last year's Gator Bowl.

"Ten wins is something to be proud of, although it's not what we wanted to accomplish," Mason said. "I'm a black and white guy and we didn't get the job done this year with what we wanted to do in winning the SEC Championship. This is where we're at so let's go 10-3 and not 9-4 and let's finish the season off right."

While Georgia may not have lived up to expectations, the Cardinals' first year in the ACC can be seen as a success.

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The program welcomed back embattled head coach Bobby Petrino despite his tumultuous departure from the school eight years ago. Petrino, always a winner at the college level, guided the Cardinals to a 9-3 record and a 5-3 mark in conference play -- good for third place in the Atlantic Division.

Louisville, which was not ranked in the preseason polls, won its final three regular season games despite a change at quarterback.

Reggie Bonnafon took over for injured starter Will Gardner and went 4-1 as a starter, but he too, went down with a knee injury in the regular season finale against Kentucky. The freshman was so-so throwing the ball and tossed for only five touchdowns with three interceptions on 51.3 percent efficiency. He did show duel-threat ability with five rushing scores, however.

Redshirt freshman Kyle Bolin will start in Bonnafon's place if he does not recover in time from a bone bruise in his left knee.

On the ground, the Cardinals got the most out of sophomore Brandon Radcliff, who amassed 648 yards and 11 touchdowns. He and Michael Dyer each average over 50 ypg on the ground.

Bonnafon had the luxury of throwing to one of the nation's premier wideouts in DeVante Parker. The extremely talented senior missed the first half of the season with a foot injury but has made up for lost time with 35 catches for 735 yards and five touchdowns in five games.

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Defensively the Cardinals have been stellar, allowing just 20.5 ppg and only 293.2 ypg to opponents. They are especially good against the run, limiting teams to 93.7 rushing ypg having given up just nine ground scores all season long.

Gerod Holliman tied the NCAA record for interceptions in a season with 14 and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back.

While Holliman locks down the secondary, the Cardinals know stopping Georgia's running game is of the utmost importance.

"It's going to be one of the toughest (tests)," linebacker Keith Kelsey said. "They've got good running backs and good running game. Georgia is just a physical team. We've got to put on our pads and go after it every play."

Louisville is 9-8-1 in the postseason and lost the 2011 Belk Bowl to NC State. A win would give the Cardinals 10 wins for the third straight year.

"We want to get to 10 wins," Petrino said. "That's certainly something our seniors would be very proud of so they can look back at their career and see the double-digit winning seasons they've had."

[SportsNetwork.com]

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