Published Nov 18, 2024
What’s the Line? (vs. UMass)
Patrick Garbin  •  UGASports
Team & Research Writer
Twitter
@PatrickGarbin

As of Sunday evening, Georgia was a significant favorite over UMass by 42.5 points with a point total of 56 for their game in Athens this Saturday. Notably, under head coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have yet to cover a game in a dozen tries when favored by more than 38 points.

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Matchup: Georgia is 8-2 straight up this season and 3-7 against the spread (ATS). On Saturday, the Bulldogs defeated Tennessee, 31-17, while covering for only the third this season as an 8-point favorite. UMass is 2-8 straight up and 5-5 ATS. On Saturday, the Minutemen lost a close one to Liberty in overtime, 35-34, but covered as a 16.5-point underdog.

Coaching Trends: Kirby Smart is 0-11-1 ATS when favored by more than 38 points. One of the head coach’s setbacks under these circumstances resulted against UMass in 2018. The push came last season when Georgia defeated Ball State, 45-3, as a 42-point favorite. In his third season at UMass, Don Brown is a substandard 15-19 ATS, including 0-4 against teams in Power 4 conferences the last two seasons. Last season, UMass failed to cover against Auburn and Penn State. This season, Missouri and Mississippi State defeated and covered against the Minutemen.

History: The lone meeting between Georgia and UMass occurred in November 2018 when the Bulldogs defeated the Minutemen, 66-27, but didn’t quite cover as a 41.5-point favorite. The teams combined for 1,091 total yards, including 701 for Georgia, which remains the second-most in school history. In the win, freshman backup quarterback Justin Fields rushed for a game-high 100 yards, becoming just the third Georgia quarterback since 1976 to rush for 100 yards in a single game.