Top-ranked Dogs look for 3-0 start in SEC opener at Kentu…

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Top-ranked Georgia isn’t giving up many points right now, a daunting hurdle for a Kentucky team looking for ways to score.

Those opposing trends don’t seem likely to change in Saturday night’s matchup between the former SEC East rivals, but Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart believes the Wildcats still pose a threat.

“They’re just as dangerous whether they win or lose that game, in my opinion,” Smart said of the Wildcats’ 31-6 loss at South Carolina. “I know the football players they got. I know how physical they are. we know how they are trained and we have to prepare for a very tough opponent.”

The Bulldogs (2-0) lived up to their preseason hype as the Southeastern Conference favorite and entered league play after outscoring Clemson and Tennessee Tech by a combined 82-6, allowing just one field goal each.

Last week’s 48-3 rout of the Golden Eagles was a blowout on many levels, with Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck throwing five touchdowns to five players in just over a half of action. The ‘Dawgs outscored Tech 498-134 in a game shortened to 10 minutes in the fourth quarter.

Georgia ranks fifth in FBS total defense (161 yards per game) and 33rd in offense (472.5). The Bulldogs are looking for their 15th straight series win and enter as 24 1/2 point favorites, according to BetMGM College Sports Odds.

Kentucky (1-1, 0-1 SEC) aims to bounce back from one of its flattest overall performances under Mark Stoops against South Carolina. The Wildcats managed just 183 yards and two field goals in the loss and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since losing 21-0 to Iowa in the 2022 Music City Bowl.

Stoops bemoaned his team’s tepid response against the Gamecocks, but conceded the loss. He hopes the players take responsibility for their own shortcomings and rise to the challenge against the Bulldogs.

“The bottom line is we’ve got to get better and we have a great opportunity to do that this week against the best teams in the country,” Stoops said. “So we will be ready for this challenge. I expect our team to respond.”

Don’t we know you?
Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff and senior outside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson will face their former Georgia teammates after transferring last season. Dumas-Johnson, a 2022 second-team Associated Press All-American, made 126 tackles with 17 for loss and 9.5 sacks in 38 contests with 24 starts for the Bulldogs. Vandagriff, who will be making his third collegiate start, backed Stetson Bennett through two title runs and Carson Beck last season.

Run’Dawgs run
Trevor Etienne, who was suspended for the season-opening win over Clemson after an offseason arrest, provided a spark to the running game in his Georgia debut. The Florida transfer rushed for 78 yards on just five carries against Tennessee Tech, including a 45-yard scamper. Nate Frazier and Branson Robinson also chipped in as the Bulldogs averaged 6.9 yards per carry.

“I think we have the best running back room in the country,” offensive tackle Xavier Truss said. “As long as we do our job up front, we’ll be able to showcase these guys all season.”

Better protection
Kentucky’s offensive line is looking for major improvements after South Carolina stuffed many plays before they developed. The Wildcats gave up five sacks for 41 yards, lost 60 yards on 11 tackles and generated just 44 yards passing — some of those struggles came before left guard Jager Burton and Gerald Mincey left with injuries. Mincey is listed as probable and Burton questionable on the SEC availability report.

Discipline
Committing 11 penalties for 63 yards was bad for Kentucky. Worse was the Wildcats’ way of doing it: two holding calls between three consecutive flags (one offset) during one third-quarter possession. That sequence followed a costly fourth-down offsides penalty that gave the Gamecocks a first down and set up a TD that made it 17-6. The Wildcats rank in the middle of the pack in the SEC with 108 yards, but Stoops points to better composure against the nation’s top team.

Dawg-type defenders
Georgia is one of six teams that haven’t allowed a touchdown and is tied for fourth nationally in scoring defense. The Bulldogs didn’t allow a point in the first half in two games, and their second field goal came on the final play.