ATHENS – After an unexpected but welcome week off, the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs resume play Saturday with a noon kickoff at Kentucky. (SEC Network).
The Wildcats (2-3) will be playing their sixth consecutive game while the Bulldogs (3-1) were off Saturday following their 41-24 road loss to No. 2 Alabama on Oct. 17. Georgia’s bye was the result of the SEC shuffling the schedule after Florida and Vanderbilt had to postpone games because of COVID-19 outbreaks. The Bulldogs are still scheduled to play the 10th-ranked Gators (2-1) on Nov. 7 in Jacksonville, Fla. Florida plays host to Missouri at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network-Alternate).
Here are five things to consider for the Bulldogs' 74th matchup against Kentucky:
No QB change for Georgia
There has been some grousing in the Bulldog Nation about Stetson Bennett’s poor performance against Alabama in Georgia’s most recent outing. The 5-foot-11, 198-pound junior quarterback threw his first three interceptions of the season in the 41-24 loss to the No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide and completed only 45 percent of his passes.
But while coach Kirby Smart hasn’t fully endorsed Bennett as the Bulldogs' starter this week, he has defended him at every turn. Meanwhile, reps in practice the past two weeks indicate Georgia intends to stick with Bennett, who played well in the first three outings.
“Stetson is our quarterback,” Smart said on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Wednesday. “He did a good job in the off-week of working to improve and gain more experience. We were also able to get some more of the other guys reps during the off-week. So that was a good thing.”
Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis is the only other Georgia quarterback to play this season. Sophomore JT Daniels, a transfer from Southern Cal, has yet to make an appearance.
QB change for Kentucky
Meanwhile, it appears the Wildcats will be going with new starter against Georgia. Joey Gatewood, a first-year transfer from Auburn, is expected to get first call Saturday.
The 6-foot-5, 221-pound sophomore has gotten spot duty in three of Kentucky’s five games as it is. But it was revealed this week that quarterback Terry Wilson suffered a hand injury late in the Missouri game Saturday and has not practiced all week. John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader tweeted Thursday that coach Mark Stoops announced that Wilson won’t play Saturday.
It’s a bit of a moot point anyway because Kentucky’s offense has been so ineffective this season. Wilson has completed 61.4% of his passes for 602 yards and four touchdowns and an interception. But the Wildcats' passing game has been almost non-existent (120 ypg), and Wilson had up-and-down performances.
Meanwhile, there has been buzz surrounding Gatewood since his arrival from Auburn. The Jacksonville, Fla., resident was rated the nation’s No. 3 dual-threat quarterback and No. 26 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class, but couldn’t find the field on The Plains because of the presence of Bo Nix. He has attempted only five passes with the Wildcats, completing two, but has rushed for 34 yards on eight attempts.
Early wake-up call
Georgia hasn’t had lot of noon games under Smart thanks to their lofty status the past three season. But it’s obviously not the Bulldogs' favorite time of day to play.
The Bulldogs are 2-3 in noon games under Smart. Two of those three losses came in his first season. The other one was last year against South Carolina, when UGA was upset at home 20-17.
Smart downplayed the kickoff time.
“We have to do a great job preparing for Kentucky, regardless of the start time,” Smart said. “We do different stuff every time we play at noon. There’s not like there’s a magic wand you wave. Your team has to do a good job of preparing mentally for a 12 o’clock kickoff. The NFL starts at 12 or 1 most games. It’s not something they shouldn’t be aware of or used to. It is what it is.”
Running the rock
Georgia needs to do a lot of things better on offense, but improving the run game definitely is one of them. Entering the fifth game of the season, the Bulldogs have only 25 rushes of 10 or more yards, which ranks 57th in the country. UGA’s longest run from scrimmage (43 yards) was logged by flanker Jeremy Burton on a reverse.
As a team, the Bulldogs' 165.3-yard rushing average ranks 52nd nationally and fifth in the SEC. They rank 56th in yards per carry (3.96). That’s not customary for a program that bills itself “RBU.”
Smart offered a vote of confidence this week for sophomore starter Zamir White. The back known as “Zeus” is averaging 66.5 yards rushing per game and leads the Bulldogs with five touchdowns. But he has the lowest per-carry average of the regulars, at 4.2 yards.
Don’t be surprised to see more of Kendall Milton. The 6-1, 220-pound freshman from Fresno, Calif., leads the running backs with a 6.4-yards-per-carry average and has the longest run from scrimmage (24 yards) by a back this season.
Injury update
Georgia’s unexpected off date after playing Alabama came at a good time. Not only were the Bulldogs able to reset after the humbling defeat, but they also were able to heal.
It turns out several key players were dealing with injuries after playing four consecutive SEC games. The wounded include receivers George Pickens (shoulder) and Matt Landers (shoulder), running back Kenny McIntosh (knee), linebacker Monty Rice (foot), cornerback D.J. Daniel (ankle) and offensive tackle Owen Condon (ankle). Georgia already had five players out with season-ending injuries or academic issues.
McIntosh was injured on a kickoff return early in the Alabama game and has been sidelined since. He’s doubtful for Kentucky. Rice, Georgia’s senior defensive captain, played a limited role against the Tide, but appears to be making his way back to the field.
Pickens' injury was a revelation this week. He was limited in practice and wore a black, non-contact jersey. But Smart indicated the Bulldogs' best offensive playmaker should be available to play.
“George will be fine,” Smart said. “He’s in and out based on being dinged up a couple of times, but we have a lot of guys that way. But he practiced (Tuesday).”
