Dawgs Looking Forward To Outback Bowl

FOOTBALL

Under cloudless skies and temperatures in the upper-50s, the 18th-ranked Dawgs conducted a 90-minute bowl practice in full pads Saturday.

Georgia (10-3, 7-1 SEC) will practice daily through Tuesday before taking a five-day break for the holidays. The team will reconvene in Tampa, site of the annual Outback Bowl, to begin a final week of preparations for 12th-ranked Michigan State starting on Monday, December 26th.

Defensive Dawg Todd Grantham and Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio served as assistants at MSU under then head coach Nick Saban in the late 1990s. Grantham was a part of Saban’s staff from 1996-98. Dontonio became the head coach at MSU in 2007.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Coach ‘D’ again, that’s one of the good things about bowl games,” said Grantham. “You get to play teams that you normally don’t play and get to see some friends and guys you’ve worked with in the past. He’s got a good program and they’re playing well.”

When asked to compare the Spartans to a similar SEC opponent in regards to their offensive approach, he said they are like Arkansas and complimented the play of MSU senior quarterback Kirk Cousins.

“He is very accurate, throws with a lot of velocity, and they have good concepts,” said Grantham. “They are averaging 30 points a game and utilize multiple backs, tight ends and receivers.”

Cousins ranks third in passing efficiency in the Big Ten at 151.4 with 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 369 attempts. By comparison, Georgia sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray ranks fourth in the SEC at 146.4 with 33 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 371 attempts.

The 2012 Outback Bowl will be played on January 2nd at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff against the Spartans (10-3, 7-1 Big Ten) will be at 1 p.m., and ABC Sports will televise the game live.