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By Olivia Sayer
Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (10) bumps helmets with Jalon Walker (11) during the second half of a NCAA college football game between Kentucky and Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Georgia won 51-13. (Photo/Landen Todd @whats_landophoto)
Conference play is about to begin for Georgia football.
After starting their season 2-0, the Bulldogs will travel to Lexington, Kentucky this weekend to take on the Wildcats. The matchup is filled with familiar faces, respected coaches and as always, unpredictable weather. Here is a full game preview.
Things may change, but physicality stays the same
The Bulldogs have come a long way since Sanford Stadium loudly shared its displeasure with the team during its 2019 matchup with Kentucky. On a dark, rainy night, Georgia ran to its locker room at the end of the first half with just 28 yards passing and no points on the board. The Bulldogs eventually won 21-0, but many fans were not pleased.
Five years and two national championships later, the tide has shifted. The matchup between Georgia and Kentucky will still likely be under the raindrops, but the Bulldogs enter Lexington with much higher expectations. Georgia has not lost to Kentucky since 2009, with its last defeat in Lexington coming in 2006.
However, the Wildcats almost always put up a physical fight, as demonstrated in the 2019 matchup. Both Kirby Smart and Mark Stoops, who are the two longest-tenured coaches in the SEC, hang their hat on physicality and want to wear down the opposing defense through the running game.
This offseason, Stoops pointed to Smart’s Bulldogs as a team he wanted to emulate in regards to physicality.
“You look at the great teams in this league, you look at Georgia, how physical they are, how talented,” Stoops said at SEC Media Days. “But also you have to give them credit for how well-coached they are and how physical they are even at the perimeter, even at the skill positions.”
Owning the rivalry
The Georgia-Kentucky rivalry is one of the Bulldogs’ most lopsided feats. Georgia leads the all-time series 63-12-2 and is currently enjoying a 14-game winning streak. On top of that, Smart is 8-0 against Kentucky, while Stoops is 0-11 against Georgia.
However, the record is not indicative of the Wildcats’ disruptive nature. In the Bulldogs’ past two trips to Kroger Field, Kentucky held them to just 16 and 14 points. When asked how the Wildcats are able to slow Georgia down, Stoops was slow to gloat.
“I don’t know,” Stoops joked in the offseason. “Let’s not talk about them. We don’t need to aggravate them. They are the type of team, you challenge them, they are going to make you look bad.”
The lack of offense could be attributed to the weather conditions. As the saying goes, death, taxes and rain falling when Georgia and Kentucky meet on the gridiron. This season is no different, with expected rainfall during the game.
Smart said the team practices with wet footballs about every two weeks and had the opportunity to practice in the rain several times this season.
“We’ve had some really tough games up there in the cold and the wind,” Smart said Monday. “This year it looks like there may be some inclement weather, and we’ve got to prepare for it.”
The tape
Former Georgia quarterback and current Kentucky starter Brock Vandagriff struggled last weekend against South Carolina. Vandagriff finished 3 for 10 with 30 yards passing and a pick-six he threw into coverage.
Despite the lackluster play, the Bulldogs know what their former teammate is capable of.
“He’s an SEC starting quarterback,” offensive lineman Xavier Truss said of Vandagriff. “He’s got a lot of talent, he’s mobile and he can do just about anything you ask him. He’s very coachable, so I know what kind of level of player he is.”
The Wildcats have a new offensive coordinator this season, but it does not mean they changed their identity. Expect to see a lot of 12-personnel from Kentucky with an emphasis on establishing the running game.
For the Bulldogs, creating pressure should not be an issue. The Wildcats’ offensive line is not their strongest, allowing five sacks and 11 tackles for loss last weekend.
Georgia’s defense will likely miss Mykel Williams, who is listed as doubtful on the team’s first mandatory availability report, but the Bulldogs should have the depth to overcome his absence. This is largely in part due to the emergence of Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins on the defensive line.
“He’s got to be able to keep the high level of conditioning, playing more snaps,” Smart said of Ingram-Dawkins. “I thought he did that in the last game.”
Kentucky’s defense is headlined by former Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson and weakside linebacker D’Eryk Jackson. The offense put the group in tough situations against South Carolina, but overall, the Wildcats possess a solid defensive unit.
Over time, Kentucky transitioned from a 3-4 defense to a scheme similar to what the Bulldogs run. However, one can still expect to see a lot of three-down fronts with many players dropped into coverage and Dumas-Johnson flying across the field.
“That was my mike linebacker for the past couple of years,” Chaz Chambliss said. “Just a guy that comes in day in and day out. I know he’s not gonna change based on where he goes. He’s going to play the game as hard as he can. He’s going to play it physically, and he’s going to be a leader wherever he goes.”
The game will likely come down to who is more physical in the trenches, and all signs point to the Bulldogs.
Georgia 34, Kentucky 6.