Georgia opens Southeastern Conference play Saturday night against in Lexington. The Bulldogs backed up their season opening 34-3 victory over Clemson in Atlanta with a 48-3 win against Tennessee Tech this past Saturday on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. The Wildcats, who beat Southern Mississippi 31-0 in Week One, are coming off a 31-6 loss to South Carolina in Lexington, falling to 1-1, and 0-1 in league play.

Dating back to 2010, Georgia has won 14 straight games against Kentucky, one of several impressive streaks the Bulldogs carry to the Bluegrass. Kirby Smart’s Dogs have won 48 of their last 50 contests, and Georgia is riding a 41-game regular season winning streak. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with the Wildcats 63-12-2.

Kentucky features a pair of Georgia transfers – quarterback Brock Vandergriff and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson. The Wildcats struggled protecting Vandergriff against the Gamecocks, who consistently applied pressure to the passer, highlighted by five quarterback sacks for a loss of 41 yards. Vandergriff and backup Gavin Wimsatt combined to complete six of 17 passes for 44 yards, with two interceptions and no touchdowns.

The Wildcats fell behind 10-0, but battled back in the second quarter to cut South Carolina’s lead to 10-6 on a pair of field goals by Alex Raynor. But the Gamecocks dominated the second half, posting three touchdowns to pull away. A bright spot for Kentucky was the ground game. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye led the ‘Cats rushing attack with 17 carries for 73 yards.

Georgia overwhelmed Tennessee Tech, particularly in the passing game. Carson Beck threw for a school record tying five touchdowns, while hitting 18-of-25 attempts for 242 yards. Gunner Stockton relieved Beck and was 10-of-12 for 90 yards. Tennessee Tech had a ground heavy attack, and kept the clock moving. The Golden Eagles were five of eight passing for 18 yards. The Bulldogs scored on their first four possessions, had a strong special teams performance and kept the Golden Eagles out of the end zone. Tennessee Tech made a field goal on the final play of the game to avoid the shutout. Dating back to last season’s 63-3 record-setting drubbing of Florida State in the Orange Bowl, the Bulldogs have held each of their last three opponents to exactly three points.

As college football fans know, the tide can change quickly, and Smart fully expects a much improved Kentucky performance Saturday. On Georgia’s last two trips to Lexington, the Bulldogs won defensive battles – 14-3 in 2020 and 16-6 in frigid conditions two years ago en route to a second consecutive national championship.

Conditions will be much warmer (to say the least) this season, as the Bulldogs and Kentucky will play in September for the first time since Georgia opened its 1942 national championship season with a 7-6 triumph over the Wildcats in Louisville.