_Missouri takes on Georgia Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Maneater talked to Connor Smolensky, sports editor at The Red and Black, about the upcoming matchup._

**The Maneater:** What’s Georgia’s biggest strength? What’s Georgia’s biggest weakness?

**Connor Smolensky:** Saturday may be a different story with the suspension of running back Todd Gurley, but up until this point Georgia’s biggest strength has been its running game. Gurley’s suspension changes the whole dynamic of Saturday’s game because the Bulldogs’ biggest weakness has been their passing game. Gurley was leading the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards with 773 yards, and averaged 154.6 yards per game. While Gurley is the focus of national attention, freshmen Nick Chubb (44.8 ypg) and Sony Michel (55.8 ypg) have been productive and help out in keeping Gurley fresh. Michel is out for about a month with a shoulder injury and running back Keith Marshall is also injured so Chubb will have to lead the way along with backup Brendan Douglas. The offensive line also deserves to be recognized as they have been opening up big running lanes for the backs all season. Georgia’s biggest weakness is a toss up. The secondary has been bad, allowing 223 passing yards per game, but the Georgia passing game has been even worse. Gurley has carried this team thus far, and the Bulldogs rank 13th in the conference in passing offense. Georgia has been without junior wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley so there is hope for the passing game, but until this point, the wideouts have had trouble gaining separation. I think that is evident by the fact that the Bulldogs’ longest pass of the season came from Gurley.

**ME:** How good do you think Chubb is?

**CS:** Chubb is good, but he’s no Gurley. The freshman’s breakout performance came in Georgia’s first game against Clemson where he ran for 70 yards and a touchdown on four carries, including a 47-yard touchdown run. Chubb is much smaller than Gurley, standing at 5 feet 10 inches and 226 pounds, but he runs hard and breaks a lot of tackles. It will be interesting to see if he can fill the role of Gurley and effectively carry the ball over 20 times on Saturday.

**ME:** What do you think of quarterback Hutson Mason so far in his first year as Georgia’s starter?

**CS:** It hasn’t been the year that Mason was hoping for. The fifth-year senior started off the year doing what he needed to do. In the first three games he completed most of his passes, took care of the football, but didn’t put up any big passing numbers. Against Tennessee and Vanderbilt, Mason struggled with turnovers, throwing three interceptions and missing his receivers. He is last in the SEC with 687 passing yards on the year, and last week against Vanderbilt, Georgia put in backup quarterback Brice Ramsey for a series in the first quarter, which has prompted a lot of media attention this week. Mark Richt said the Bulldogs put in Ramsey because the offensive was stalling, and it seems like Georgia will continue to sprinkle in Ramsey. To his defense, Mason hasn’t had all his weapons, and Georgia hasn’t needed to throw it as much because it has Gurley.

**ME:** How do you think Georgia will do without Gurley?

**CS:** Losing Gurley (is) a huge blow for Georgia. He has really carried the team offensively for the entire season and has accounted for 823 of Georgia’s 2,295 total yards this season. The entire offense is run through Gurley, and not having (him) for play-action passes could hurt too. I know Chubb is a good back but he is only a freshman and I don’t know if he can carry the offense. The suspension puts much more pressure on Mason to move the ball down the field, something that he hasn’t been effective with this season. Mason’s longest pass this season was 44 yards, but this is a game where it could be big to have Mitchell and Scott-Wesley back if they have the stamina to play more snaps. With that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Georgia’s offense is stagnant Saturday.

**ME:** How far do you think this Georgia team can go? What’s your prediction for the game and why?

**CS:** This Georgia (team) has the ability to go far, but the suspension of Gurley really puts a damper on expectations depending on how long he is out for. Georgia would rather it sooner than later because it’s not going to be an easy road. After Missouri, Georgia still has to play a tough Arkansas team, Florida, Auburn and a surprising undefeated Georgia Tech team. If the suspension is longer than a few games I don’t see Georgia getting out of the SEC East. There are too many holes in the secondary and the passing offense is too weak to carry them through the season. I don’t see the Bulldogs getting past Missouri, especially with Gurley out. I think sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk passes all over the secondary, Georgia’s offense struggles and the Tigers will win 38-17.