By all accounts, the 2015 season for the Georgia Bulldogs was a big disappointment. The team entered the year expecting to contend for the College Football Playoffs and instead managed just a 9-3 record which caused the firing of their entire coaching staff. Injuries did not help the Bulldogs either as they look to try and finish on a high note facing Penn State in the Taxslayer Bowl.
The Bulldogs could struggle with trying to find something to play for in this matchup. The 9-3 finish to the year caused Mark Richt to get fired along with both coordinators. The Bulldogs announced they have hired Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to take over, but his priority right now is leading the Tide to a national championship in just over a week. Richt was fired after seven top-10 finishes in his tenure. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer along with defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt were not retained with Smart taking over. Now the team must fired out how to bounce back and get one last win over Penn State.
It is unclear who will get the start at quarterback for Georgia. The team played almost everyone under center at some point this season. Greyson Lambert was back as the starter against Georgia Tech and he could be the favorite in this bowl game. His season halted when he tossed multiple interceptions in the loss to Alabama. He will be backed by Sony Michel who is starting following the injury to Nick Chubb. Michel will be facing a Penn State defense that has been good against the run.
Penn State comes into the game with more stability, but offensive struggles. Christian Hackenberg will lead the team as the junior is working with just a 53.3 completion percentage while suffering from sacks. The offense ranks just 101st in scoring and 106th in overall yards per game. That might be a tough number to beat against a strong Georgia defense. Saquon Barkley will lead the ground game. He has been averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He will be needed as Georgia's defense allowed just 146.1 passing yards per game.
Penn State enters the Taxslayer bowl with much more team stability than the Georgia Bulldogs. With Georgia no longer having their head coach nor their coordinators, players could find this matchup against Penn State difficult as they look to end the year on a high note in the bowl game.
