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Banged-up Georgia hosts Central Michigan

Sep 6, 2008 - 11:42 AM Central Michigan (1-0) at No. 2 Georgia (1-0), 3:30 pm EDT

ATHENS, Georgia (Ticker) -- After losing another lineman and the nation's top ranking, No. 2 Georgia continues its non-conference slate on Saturday when its hosts Central Michigan, the defending two-time champion of the Mid-American Conference.

Senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his right ACL in the Bulldogs' season-opening 45-21 win over Georgia Southern.

Owens underwent surgery on Tuesday, leaving the Bulldogs without two of their top linemen for the rest of the year. Left offensive tackle Trinton Sturdivant also suffered a season-ending torn ACL during preseason practice.

Georgia coach Mark Richt said senior Corvey Irvin likely will replace Owens at defensive tackle.

Ranked No. 1 in the preseason for the first time, the Bulldogs had no trouble handing Georgia Southern, as Matthew Stafford threw for a career-high 275 yards and two touchdowns.

Knowshon Moreno, coming off a stellar freshman campaign in which he rushed for 1,334 yards, matched a career best by rushing for three scores on just eight carries.

However, the Bulldogs were leapfrogged in this week's USA Today coaches' poll by Southern California, which received three more first-place votes and 20 more overall points than Georgia.

Georgia's defense could get more of a test facing Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour, a dual threat who passed for more than 3,000 yards last season while also rushing for more than 1,000.

"He's a very versatile, run-pass threat," Richt said. "If you watch his style of play, he'd be like (Missouri's) Chase Daniel. Statistically, he's a top-five Heisman-type candidate."

LeFevour threw for 213 yards and had three touchdown passes in Central Michigan's 31-12 season-opening win over Eastern Illinois.