As the Georgia Bulldogs head into their bye weekend, a lot of questions are in the air. However, the two main ones are: How do the Dawgs show that they are the clear-cut favorite to win the National Championship this year, and how are they going to do it without their Heisman-level player, Brock Bowers?
The Bulldogs go into their break sitting at 7-0, but it’s been a rocky ride. The main issue that we’ve seen is the slow starts. Georgia ranks 72nd in 1st quarter points per game, averaging under a touchdown. Georgia also ranks 38th in points allowed in the first quarter, which isn’t awful, however it is still behind other CFP and New Year’s Six contenders like Alabama, Michigan, Penn St, Notre Dame, and FSU. All teams who arguably have had a more difficult schedule thus far.
The diamond in the rough though is that the Bulldogs completely flipped a switch against their most challenging opponent this year, Kentucky. On both sides of the ball, the Dawgs came out fast, making big plays and jumping to a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Dawgs did this by attacking their secondary early with our elite weapons on the outside, and by applying pressure with our front seven. It was obvious that Kentucky was defeated in the first 15 minutes, and it showed the rest of the game as the Dawgs routed them 51-13. That type of start is what they’ve been looking for all year.
The Bulldogs head down to Jacksonville hungry for another game like Kentucky. They know that they have the potential to wipe teams and be the unanimous favorite to win it all, they just need to do it every Saturday. The problem though is that they go into this Florida game without their star player, Brock Bowers. Brock Bowers went into the season as the number one target for the Dawgs for the second year in row. As much as teams schemed against him, he still always ended up making it happen. Having 41 receptions, 567 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns, along with 28 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown, Brock was well on his way to surpass his outstanding sophomore season.
Not only is Brock the best player, but he is a huge leader to this team. The energy comes when he makes a big play, and now they are going to need to find that energy elsewhere going against the 5-2 Florida Gators. Expect a big day on the ground from Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards, who are going up against a Florida defense that allows 140 rushing yards per game, including a 280 yard performance from Kentucky’s Ray Davis. As they continue to become a fully healthy duo again, these two are itching to get some more explosive plays, and this is the game for them to showcase their elite ability.