The No. 5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs open up as a 13-point favorite over the Kentucky Wildcats in next week’s matchup in Lexington.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 59-12-2 and have won 10 straight over the Wildcats. The last time Kentucky has beaten Georgia at home was in 2006 as they prevailed 24-20, which happened to be Matthew Stafford’s freshman year.
The last time Georgia played at Kentucky in 2018, Kroger Field was sold out as the Wildcats were serious contenders for the SEC East title. Georgia beat them handily in their 34-17 win. Last season, the Bulldogs beat the Wildcats 21-0 in a game where it rained all night. In fact, the weather seemed to effect both teams as the score was 0-0 at halftime.
It seems like former walk-on Stetson Bennett will get the start for the Bulldogs as fan are pushing for USC transfer JT Daniels to get some playing time.
Smart said last week that he wants his team to get back to the basics of running the ball better after Bennett threw three interceptions against Alabama.
“Offense, we can’t get in a boat race where we’re trying to outscore people,” Smart said. “We have to play our brand of football, and help Stetson with the people around him, is probably the No. 1 thing.”
The Wildcats (2-3) have looked impressive on defense this season as they’ve totaled nine interceptions in just five games, with six of them coming against Mississippi State in their 24-2 win. That’s something that Georgia is trying to avoid is having Bennett throw the ball that many times over the course of a game.
In fact, Georgia ranks ninth in the SEC in passing efficiency and dead last in completion percentage (.556).
Fans might get to see more of freshman running back Kendall Milton, who is second on the team in rushing with 134 carries on 21 attempts. Redshirt sophomore Zamir White leads the team in rushing with 266 yards on 64 carries with five touchdowns.
Kentucky is coming off a 20-10 loss to Missouri this past Saturday where the Tigers rushed for 220 yards. It should be easy for the Bulldogs to move the ball against a weaker Kentucky defensive front. Expect to see Georgia bounce back in a big way following the loss to Alabama.