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Georgia–Vanderbilt: Make the freshman earn every first down

Georgia’s clearest path against Vanderbilt is clear-cut: force Jared Curtis into long drives. Curtis, a freshman, has shown some flashes—he threw for 199 yards and ran for 46 more in a tough loss at Auburn, and he found Junior Sherrill for two touchdowns when Vanderbilt came back to beat NC State. He’s done enough to get noticed, but he’s also leading an offense that managed just 4-for-17 on third down in its first SEC game.

Georgia comes in at 4–0 after handling Oklahoma 41–13, a scoreline that got a big boost from four takeaways, including Chris Cole’s 85-yard fumble return. The part of that win that should travel best is the run defense. Oklahoma managed just 65 yards on 35 carries, and the week before, Arkansas only found 17 yards on 20 tries. If Georgia’s front can keep Sedrick Alexander from picking up easy yards, Curtis will be left facing more predictable passing downs, which is a tough spot for a freshman on the road.

There’s still work to do for Georgia, especially on the edges. Curtis actually led Vanderbilt in rushing at Auburn, so if the pass rushers get too far upfield, a good coverage play can quickly turn into a scramble. Raylen Wilson and Cole both made their share of disruptive plays against Oklahoma, but now the challenge is to pair that aggression with discipline. Pressure is only useful if someone is still in the right spot when Curtis decides to take off.

Sherrill is the receiver most likely to make Georgia pay for a coverage mistake. He caught six passes for 95 yards at Auburn, which pushed his streak of games with a catch to 41. He also had a 43-yard touchdown against NC State that nearly brought Vanderbilt all the way back. Even if the defense wins on first and second down, it can still lose the series if Sherrill gets space at the sticks or slips behind for a deep shot.

Georgia’s offense has its own business to handle. Gunner Stockton started sharply against Oklahoma and hit Talyn Taylor for a 35-yard touchdown, but the Bulldogs punted five times and turned the ball over twice. With Nate Frazier unavailable for that game, Bowens scored twice, and Phillips supplied an explosive rushing touchdown. Check the latest availability report before kickoff. Whoever carries the ball must help Georgia avoid giving Vanderbilt the short fields, which might turn a manageable game into a stressful one.

Vanderbilt sits at 3–1, thanks to a comeback win over NC State and a close loss at Auburn. They’ve shown some fight, but they’ve also shown how tough it is to win when you can’t turn yards into third-down conversions or touchdowns. Georgia has the edge at home, but to make that matter, the Bulldogs need to force Curtis to string together long, routine drives while making sure their own offense doesn’t give Vanderbilt any easy opportunities.

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