Here’s why I’m NOT worried about Saturday afternoon when the Bluegrass State walks onto the green grass of Dooley Field:
1. “We can run the ball, and stop the run.” Not only are those the words of Bulldog
Head Coach Kirby Smart, but that’s the kind of Georgia football most of us fans want to see. It is our identity, our DNA, and a hallmark of our most successful campaigns. This is most welcome.
Kentucky has a decent ground game, most of that produced by senior Seth McGowan. He’s amassing right at 100 yards per game and a healthy 5.69 yards a clip. But as a team, the Wildcats aren’t as productive, especially in SEC play (Ole Miss and USCjr.). Last week vs. the Gamecocks, McGowan ran 17 times for 112 yards. The rest of the Commonwealth managing negative 4 yards on 24 more attempts. I know that includes sacks, but c’mon. Take your opponent’s’ one thing away, which Kirby learned at Nick Saban’s teat, and we should have a pleasant time digesting dinner.
2. Goal line problems. The number of times Georgia has been stymied, or stymied itself, inside the opponent’s 5 yard line is frankly embarrassing. It was not pretty against Marshall, and there were some gaffes vs. Tennessee. But Illinois transfer Josh McCray is making a name for himself in this area, and I’m glad to see it. His instincts for the end zone and extra effort against Bama give me comfort in this my time of worry. Of course, you have to have him in the game to actually expect success.
Kentucky opponents are scoring in the red area. Out of 15 trips, 13 have produced points against the Wildcats. Nine of those are touchdowns, with Ole Miss and SCAR each getting into the end zone 3 times.
3. Gunner Stockon has happy feet. They’re productive, but rare does he step up into the pocket, or get the chance to, allowing routes to develop and coverage to break down, which is why we don’t have a huge downfield passing game. I say this from my keyboard and not staring down All-SEC defensive linemen with bad intentions, but I also don’t have anyone paying off my square body F-150 and getting paid enough to buy and raise livestock.
Yet Kentucky is near the bottom nationally in tackles for loss and not much better in sacks. Combine this with a secondary that seems to be as porous as ours, and I think Stockton can have a get right game with his reads and his receivers.
Now forgive me, as I was weaned at the nipple of Larry Munson’s scratch so here’s what does worry me about facing the team that played Ole Miss as good as Brian Kelly did:
1. 3rd down defense, and early 1Q defense is… not great. Bobo isn’t the problem, but maybe Glen Schumann is. The defense has been very solid up the middle but we just can’t seem to close off the edge. Jet sweeps, funky plays, boundary throws all seem to get to us when the opponent needs it. I will grant that Alabama went deep into their playbook in order to keep all those drives alive, but it appears they used the off week to perfect execution in situational offense and the Georgia Defense did not.
Kentucky’s offense isn’t exactly Alabama’s. And Kentucky OC Bush Hamdan is not held in the same regard as Alabama’s Ryan Grubb. They are 79th in scoring offense and 97th in total offense. But making plays at critical times is what counts. They happen to have the exact same success on 3rd down attempts as Georgia’s offense: 23 for 54. That is better than average, and our defense in these situations is below average and has gotten worse each week.
2. You know what else has worsened each week? Georgia penalties. The number of zebras pointing in our direction and the number of yards they’ve marched off against us has steadily increased game after game. Kentucky, woeful as they may appear on paper, are at least a disciplined team and don’t cause the laundry to come out.
Combined with our regular dose of fumbling, this is a game that we can’t afford to be unfocused. In the last 10 years under Kirby Smart, Kentucky has probably played Georgia the tightest of all our regular foes. 2016 was 27-24, 2020 was 14-3, 2022 was 16-6, and of course last year’s debacle of 13-12. Georgia must pay attention to the little things.
3. A backup quarterback. Again. There was Tua. Then Jalen in a weird twist. As recently as last October, Georgia brings down NFL starter Jaxon Dart, only to have Austin Simmons step in and lead an efficient, explosive, and perfectly executed touchdown drive in Oxford. That was a sign of things to come for Ole Miss but we’ll wait another week before worrying about that one. The issue staring us in the face is UK redshirt freshman Cutter Boley.
After season-starting Zach Calzada got injured in the Wildcats second contest, Boley has filled in and now has two starts under his belt. He’s completed more passes, thrown more touchdowns, and less interceptions subbing for Calzada. I’m not saying Cutter Boley is Arch Manning, but maybe he is and Georgia has a history of presenting backup quarterbacks their Heisman moment.
Call me crazy, just don’t call me late for dinner. Let us know in the comments what you’re feeling about the Kentucky Wildcats coming to Athens. And as always…
GO ‘DAWGS!!!
