The Georgia Bulldogs entered Week 3 as the No. 1 ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll. Less than 24 hours after their razor-thin 13-12 victory over SEC rival the Kentucky Wildcats, they dropped to No. 2 behind the Texas Longhorns and fell to No. 3 in our power rankings.
Winners of two of the last three national championships, Georgia has established itself as the elite force in college football. They aimed to continue that dominance this year by blowing out most of their opponents. The Wildcats were expected to be added to that long list of lopsided victories. While Georgia did win, they looked nearly as beaten down as their opponent by the end of Saturday night’s game.
The Bulldogs’ regular-season winning streak, now at 42 games, along with 28 straight conference wins (SEC record) remains intact, and it’s likely they will return to business as usual. However, games like the one against Kentucky offer a blueprint for others looking to dethrone the mighty Bulldogs. No team is invincible, not even Georgia, and they now appear more vulnerable in their pursuit of a third national title in four years. Their performance against Kentucky raises some concerns moving forward.
What happened to Carson Beck?
As mentioned earlier, the Bulldogs weren’t able to score their first touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, a three-yard run by running back Branson Robinson. Carson Beck, meanwhile, had a rather uneventful evening against Kentucky.
On the touchdown drive, Beck went 3-for-3 and added a three-yard run. Then, on Georgia’s final drive of the game, he completed both of his passes and made a crucial seven-yard run that helped seal the victory. However, for most of the game, Beck’s performance was pedestrian; he completed just 15-of-24 pass attempts for 160 yards. Those aren’t exactly the Heisman Trophy-caliber numbers everyone had hoped for.
Georgia was getting beat at the line of scrimmage against Kentucky
What made Kentucky so threatening against Georgia was their ability to win at the line of scrimmage for most of the night. Although they never managed to sack Carson Beck, they still caused one QB hit and six hurries. The Wildcats were also effective at containing the Bulldogs’ running game, allowing just 102 yards and adding three tackles for loss. They made 22 defensive stops against Georgia, 15 of which were on running plays. Georgia was also held to converting just five of 13 third down attempts.
Georgia’s success over the last few seasons has largely come from their dominance in the trenches. Struggling against what is considered one of the lesser teams in the SEC certainly raises some eyebrows.
SEC schedule ahead is not easy for Georgia
Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
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In his postgame interview, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart acknowledged that playing on the road in the SEC is never easy. He also pointed out his team’s struggles in their first SEC road game of the season over the past few years. In 2022, it was against Missouri, and last year against Auburn, where Georgia was pushed to the brink by what were considered less challenging teams compared to the Bulldogs. This year, it was Kentucky.
Smart emphasized that you can’t judge a team based on one week, not even Kentucky, who had been routed 31-6 by South Carolina just a week prior. Oddsmakers had the Wildcats as 22.5-point underdogs to the Bulldogs on Saturday night. Yet, Georgia managed only one touchdown and won by just a point.
Perhaps this was Georgia’s wake-up call, similar to their close call against Auburn last season. After that narrow win over the Tigers, the Bulldogs went on to outscore their opponents 282-124 before losing to Alabama in the SEC title game.
Speaking of Alabama, after a bye this weekend, the Bulldogs will head to Tuscaloosa to face the No. 4 Crimson Tide in Week 5. The schedule is about to get significantly tougher than what Kentucky presented. Four of Georgia’s next seven games are against Top 25 ranked teams, with three of those matchups on the road (Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss) and Tennessee at home in mid-November.
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Publish date : 2024-09-15 14:40:00
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