It took half the season, but the Dawgs are officially on fire after a big win against what should have been a physical Kentucky Wildcats team. However, every week is different. Smart said in the SEC, ‘humility is only a week away,’ and that’s just what the Cats experienced after beating the Florida Gators 33-14 just over a week ago.
The Dawgs outperformed the Cats in almost every facet of the game. Carson Beck had a career day through the air for the first time this season. Something must have clicked in the offensive line room because the Dawgs were actually able to run the ball against an extremely physical Wildcat defensive front. Kendal Milton’s return from injury certainly proved beneficial. The Georgia defense began to resemble the Georgia defense we all know and love. So many things went right this past Saturday night. Of course, Coach Smart still isn’t satisfied with the performance, but Bulldog fans certainly are due to the impressive numbers the team put up all around.
80%
No, this isn’t about how much juice your phone battery has; this was Carson Beck’s completion rate against the Kentucky Wildcats. Beck threw 35 times, completing 28 of those passes, and only one of them wound up being an interception—admittedly, it did turn into a Kentucky touchdown. But it was only because Beck was doing so well that he said he was just ‘feelin’ himself’ and threw it anyway. Now, that’s not the answer you want, but when you’re throwing that efficiently, maybe Dawg Nation can let that interception slide. Beck proved he can stand in a pocket and throw at an ELITE level, and that’s precisely what the Dawgs are going to need if they hope to get a third ring come January.
389
Georgia, with Beck at the helm, put up 389 passing yards against the Wildcats, which marked a season high for the Dawgs and a career high for Beck. Now, this achievement is less about a Carson Beck statistic and more about Mike Bobo and the offense as a whole. That’s precisely what makes it so exciting. There have been many questions surrounding Bobo and this offense, including accusations of Beck being a bust, resulting in plenty of chatter. While this feat may not completely silence those who criticize the Georgia offense, it’s undoubtedly a testament to their ability to excel in the passing game.
5.6
On the ground, Georgia was able to run for an average of 5.6 yards per carry against the Wildcats, which is notable because it’s a significant upgrade from the week prior when Georgia played Auburn and only averaged 3.6 yards on the ground. Smart said his team’s ability to run the ball was the ‘difference’ in the game and opened up plenty more offensive opportunities. You can see it in the fact that the margin of victory was 38 points.
59
You can’t have a victory like this without the defense holding up on their end of the bargain, and that’s exactly what they did holding Kentucky’s star running back Ray Davis to only 59 yards on the night. Davis was the face of the Cat’s offense coming into the game off of a crazy showing against Florida where he ran for 280 and three touchdowns, but that kind of stuff isn’t going to happen against Georgia, and the defense proved it. Davis averaged 3.9 yards on the night which is admirable, but not to his standard as he has a season average of 7.2. Bottling Davis up was a key factor in the Dawgs’ victory and proved yet again that Georgia is still the top dawg in the SEC East.