1. Kirby – No coach or program had ever appeared in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game six times in seven years. Not Nick Saban and Alabama, not Steve Spurrier and Florida. Not until Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs accomplished the feat last season. A first, a record, which has now been extended. This makes seven trips to Atlanta in the past eight campaigns. It is yet another milestone in the incredible career of Georgia’s own Kirby Smart.
2. Mercedes-Benz Stadium – There have been the lowest of lows in this building, mostly against that one team in particular. And there have been some great moments too. Georgia would love to reincarnate the 2022 season, when the national champion Bulldogs went a perfect 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium en route to a 15-0 record and second straight crown. Georgia opened the 2022 season with a 49-3 triumph over Oregon in Atlanta. In the SEC Championship Game, the Bulldogs beat the Bayou Bengals of LSU 50-30. Then in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl College Football Playoff Semifinal, Kirby’s Canines edged Ohio State 42-41 to earn a berth in the National Championship Game – a contest the Bulldogs won 65-7 over TCU in Los Angeles. With the expanded playoff, this year’s national title game will be January 20, in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A dozen teams will dream of dancing in the confetti that night. Georgia opened this season with a 34-3 victory over Clemson at MBS, in what has been the Bulldogs most complete performance of the season. Now it’s trip No. 2 and the SEC Championship Game.
3. Run Game – If someone would have told Kirby Smart two years ago after Georgia’s second straight national championship, that the Bulldogs would rank next to last in the Southeastern Conference in rushing, he would have likely had an adverse reaction. But that’s where the Bulldogs are, 15th in the league. There are several factors, including injury and attrition. But in the end, the Bulldogs haven’t been able to run the football like every other year in the Kirby Dynasty, which began in his second season of 2017. Perhaps that has translated to the defense, where Georgia has struggled to stop the run. Three straight foes have had a 100-yard plus rusher. Texas got an incredible performance from Qyintrevion Wisner in the 17-7 win over the Aggies this past Saturday, as the Longhorns standout tailback carried 33 times for 186 yards, bludgeoning the Texas A&M defense. For Bulldog fans watching, it was surely reminiscent of the Bulldogs powerhouse rushing attacks. In Austin in October, Trevor Ettienne had his finest game as a Bulldog, scoring three touchdowns on the ground, and picking up 87 rush yards on 19 carries. He also caught three passes for 23 yards. Nate Frazier is the lead back now, and the freshman is carrying a heavy load. Georgia’s run defense must be at its best, and the Bulldogs must have success on the ground to topple the Longhorns.
4. Drops and turnovers – Unfortunate consistencies for the Bulldogs have been dropped passes and turnovers. No team in the country has dropped more balls than Georgia, an unfortunate trend that continued in this past weekend’s thrilling victory over Tech. Though Carson Beck hasn’t thrown an interception during Georgia’s three-game winning streak, a fumble against the Jackets proved costly. Along with a stout rushing attack, making the catches and avoiding the turnovers are keys to a Georgia victory. In Austin on October 19, Beck threw three interceptions, while the Bulldogs forced four Texas turnovers.
5. Special Teams – Brett Thorson and Peyton Woodring have been one of college football’s top kicking combinations the last two seasons and are etching their name in Georgia lore as a favorite specialist duo. The kicking game always plays a huge role – hot take – and that goes double for the fast track of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Georgia needs for these two big toes to shine again, and the Bulldogs need to catch the punts, play kickoff returns smart and be on point for any Texas trickery. Kirby Smart’s special teams have been outstanding, and this is a phase of the game the Bulldogs must win.