College Football Game of the Week: Georgia vs. Kentucky
Another SEC battle of unbeatens is set to take place this weekend in Athens, Georgia. The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs will welcome a challenge from the surging No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats.
After discussions of who the true number one team in the country was, Georgia will finally hold the title after Alabama’s shocking loss last week. However, Georgia may have been deserving of that title the whole year.
The Bulldogs have dominated every single quarter they have played this season and most of the credit can go to their swarming defense. The team has allowed an average of 5.5 points per game and has held two SEC opponents to zero points in full contests.
Leading the way for the Bulldog’s defense are Nolan Smith who has 2.5 sacks and 20 tackles while linebacker counterpart Nakobe Dean has 3.5 sacks and 23 total tackles. Senior cornerback, Christopher Smith has chimed in with two interceptions as well.
While the defense has been dominant, Kirby Smart’s offense has been picking up steam as the season continues. While starting quarterback JT Daniels has been dealing with an injury all year, senior quarterback Stetson Bennett has stepped into the role and delivered. He has racked up 746 yards with eight touchdowns with a 69.4% completion percentage.
Daniels injury seems to be healing quickly but Smart will have a tough decision to make once Daniels returns as it will be hard to bench Bennett if he keeps his performance up. The only guarantee will be the Bulldogs’ three-headed monster in the backfield.
Zamir White, James Cook, and Kendall Milton have all ran wild for the Bulldogs. White has led the way with 354 yards and six touchdowns but James Cook, the brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, hasn’t been far behind averaging six yards a carry with two touchdowns.
The offensive line has made the skill players’ jobs easy as they have only allowed three sacks for 25 yards through six games.
Kentucky on the other hand has found ways to win big games and has shocked the country so far. Led by Penn State transfer Will Levis at quarterback, the Wildcats have found themselves sitting at 6-0.
Levis has been efficient through the air and on the ground as he has tallied 1134 yards passing while adding 163 yards rushing with a total of 14 touchdowns. The ground game has been the Wildcats bread and butter as running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. has 768 yards on the ground with seven all-purpose touchdowns.
Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson has been the go to guy for Levis as he has 20 more receptions than anyone else on the team which tally up to 527 yards and four touchdowns.
The Kentucky defense has come up huge at times, especially in a signature win against Florida a few weeks back. Senior lineback Deandre Square has totaled 46 tackles including two sacks and a forced fumble. He seems to be everywhere on the field and is a problem for opposing offenses.
Despite Kentucky’s hot start, Georgia opened up as a 24 point favorite at home. While Georgia might not win by almost four scores, they are the No. 1 team for a reason and have dominated every team in their way. Expect more of the same this weekend in Athens.
Charlie Knezevic is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism, to contact him email charlieknez@gmail.com
