With the Georgia Bulldogs coming off their first loss of the season, the Bulldawg Illustrated staff tries to predict if the Bulldogs will be able to rebound in their final SEC and home game of the year.
Murray Poole – Georgia 31, Kentucky 17
As I stated in my weekly prediction column, “Will the Real Georgia Team Please Stand Up?”
Are these 2017 Bulldogs the powerful, all-winning team we witnessed over the first nine games or are they the team that didn’t seem to have a clue on the plains of Auburn last weekend while getting blown away by a sky-high bunch of Tigers? Indeed, did the Bulldogs’ victories over now proven weak SEC East foes and a then attractive win over a Notre Dame team that was dismantled last Saturday by Mark Richt’s Miami Hurricanes perhaps lull us all into thinking Georgia was a better team than it actually is? We’ll get the answer to these questions over the next three games against Kentucky, Georgia Tech and in the SEC title game against either ‘Bama or Auburn. Thinking the Bulldogs will put the Auburn disaster behind them and, yes, resemble the all-conquering team that held the No. 1 spot in the land for two weeks, Georgia is picked to declaw the ‘Cats on Saturday
Vance Leavy – Georgia 42, Kentucky 21
The question for Saturday’s game is whether our team can truly shake the embarrassing loss on The Plains last week? After talking to Jeb Blazevich and Aaron Davis on Monday, I feel good that this special group of seniors will answer the bell in their last game in Sanford Stadium. Donned in the always popular black jerseys (just my prediction), look for the Dawgs to finally pull away from the gritty Cat
ImYourHuckleberry – Georgia 38, Kentucky 17
This is a very special game for the Dawgs strong group of senior leaders. It will be a fired up group of Dawgs that take the field on Saturday and nothing will stand between them and victory. Nick Chubb goes off for a monster performance and the defense plays angry after last weeks disappointing showing against Auburn.
Greg Poole – Georgia 35, Kentucky 10
The Dawgs leave the Auburn debacle behind and roll over the ‘Cats. Choppin’ Kentucky on the way to Atlanta.
Bob Miller – Georgia 32, Kentucky 17
Coming home back to Athens is just what the doctor ordered for the Bulldogs to face a better than average (7-3) Kentucky team who would like nothing better than to knock off Georgia in Sanford Stadium for Senior Day. The Wildcats do a good job of stopping the run, but Georgia is the best rushing offense they’ve seen. Kentucky doesn’t have the depth to, in my opinion, hang for four quarters. Miss State put up 282 on the Cats in October, and I expect the Dogs to put up over 200 on the ground as well. That should open up the passing game for Jake Fromm. Georgia pulls away in the second half and wins.
Ella Dorsey – Georgia 40, Kentucky 21
This will be a big test to see if this young team can rebound from a tough loss. Running Back Benny Snell has 15 TDs this year, and Kentucky has outrushed 7 of their 10 opponents. That won’t happen this week. We should run all over this Kentucky defense, putting 40 points on the board. Kentucky, however, will cover the spread.
Hamilton Culpepper – Georgia 48, Kentucky 17
This one is going to be a good old-fashioned beat down. Coming off an embarrassing loss at Auburn, Kirby is going to have the team fired up and ready to play. Although Mark Stoops and the Big Blue had a confidence boost with the slaughtering of Vandy last week (44-21), they’ll have an awakening when they meet us this Saturday. The wildcat’s quarterback is an experienced guy with some serious skill and to partner him in the backfield will be one of the most explosive running back groups in the SEC, Benny Snell and Sihiem King. The Dawgs defense will limit them just as Auburn completely stopped Chubb and Michel. Kentucky might score two touchdowns, but the Dawgs will be too overwhelming for the Wildcats.
Chuck McConnell – Georgia 28, Kentucky 14
Can Georgia rebound coming off their worst performance of the year at Auburn? Kentucky’s run-heavy offense has not played a front 7 as talented as this Bulldog team but I expect the Wildcats to still make a few plays. The bigger question comes on the Georgia offensive side of the ball. The Bulldogs were shut down on the ground last week for the first time all year. I’d like to see Georgia make a more concerted effort to keep opposing defenses off balance.
Michael Pope – Georgia 41, Kentucky 13
The Bulldogs offense has to be looking to gain some redemption after their struggles in their last game and I expect to see a heavy dose of their rushing attack. This will be a tough test against the Kentucky Wildcats 18th ranked rush defense, but the Bulldogs will wear them down with their running back rotation. The Bulldogs defense may have a few miscues here and there but they should be able to key in on stopping the rushing attack of the SEC’s second overall leading rusher, Benny Snell Jr, and forcing the Wildcats to pass more which should lead to some mistakes that the Bulldogs can capitalize on. Overall, this should be a great redemption game for the Bulldogs as they head into back-to-back weeks in Atlanta.
The Bulldawg Illustrated staff seems to really like the Bulldogs upcoming matchup, but what do you think? Please post your matchup prediction in the comments section.