ATHENS — Once again, No. 1-ranked Georgia will have a bunch of streaks on the line when it visits Bobby Dodd Stadium to play Georgia Tech on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ABC).
The most historically significant is Georgia’s consecutive win streak of 28 games. Should the Bulldogs (11-0) make it 29 on Saturday, that will break the tie that coach Kirby Smart has with coaches Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings, each of whom won 28 consecutive in different eras at Alabama. Bryant did it with the Crimson Tide from 1978-80 and Stallings matched it from 1991-93.
Georgia’s streak under Smart started with the Bulldogs’ 34-11 win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl semifinal at the end of the 2021 season. Clemson won 29 consecutive before losing to LSU in the College Football Playoff Championship game in the 2019 season. Florida State also won 29 in a row from 2012-14. That streak ended with a loss to Oregon the first playoff.
The Bulldogs also have the longest regular-season win streak in FBS at 38 games. That dates to a 31-24 home win over Mississippi State in 2020. Georgia also has won 27 regular-season SEC games in a row.
“Honestly, we’re just trying to go 1-0 every week,” quarterback Carson Beck said. “I know that’s super cliche, but we’re not worried about a streak. We’re worried about getting a win each week and then moving on to the next.”
If Georgia does that Saturday, it will be six in a row over Tech. But the Yellow Jackets own the longest streak in the series, winning eight consecutive from 1949-56.
Here are five more things to know about the Bulldogs heading into Saturday:
Records beckon for Beck
Though obviously not interested in streaks, Beck could continue an impressive one for himself if he’s able to throw the football as effectively against Tech as he has everybody else this season. Beck is the only quarterback in SEC history to pass for 250 yards or more in each of his first 11 games as a starting quarterback, according to USA Today. The next closest is Texas A&M’s Kenny Hill, who had seven consecutive of 250 or more in 2014.
Beck is averaging 301.8 yards passing this season and has recorded five games over 300, including three in a row and a high of 389 versus Kentucky. His lowest passing output this season was 254 yards in a 30-21 win over No. 9 Missouri.
Tech is giving up 215.9 yards passing per game, which ranks 51st among FBS teams. The Jackets allow 438.3 total yards per game.
Slow starting ‘D’
Smart claims that he can’t recite Georgia’s defensive numbers on opponents’ opening drives, but that he doesn’t need to because the media reminds him every week.
“We’re 11-0, so maybe they’ve scored 11 straight,” Smart joked.
For the record, the Bulldogs’ opponents have scored touchdowns on their first offensive series in each of the past five games. For the season, Georgia has fallen behind in games against SEC opponents seven of eight times. That included No. 21 Tennessee on Saturday, as the Volunteers scored on a 75-yard run on their first play from scrimmage.
It hasn’t exactly held back the Bulldogs. Georgia is undefeated, and its average victory margin is 25.3 points. The Bulldogs outscored Tennessee 38-3 after that opening score.
“It doesn’t bother us because we know we can fix it,” Smart said of early-game hiccups. “There’s a lot of confidence when they jog off the field. ‘Take a deep breath, get it fixed, we’ll get it right.’ And the kids believe in that. A lot of teams, that’s when the landslide happens.”
Tech hasn’t exactly shot out of the gate this season. The Jackets are averaging 5.4 points per game in the first quarter.
Bobo and Buster
They won’t be going head-to-head, necessarily, but there will be a lot of interest in how the opposing offenses perform Saturday under the guidance of Georgia’s Mike Bobo and Tech’s Buster Faulkner. Both were analysts for the Bulldogs and offensive coordinator Todd Monken last season.
Faulkner accepted coach Brent Key’s offer to take over the Jackets’ offense in December, and Bobo succeeded Monken as Georgia’s play-caller in February when Monken left for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
Tech ranks 38th among FBS schools in scoring, but its 31.9-point average represents a 14.5-point improvement over last season. The Jackets also are averaging a much-improved 435.1 yards per game.
Georgia is almost exactly where it was last season, averaging 40.4 points and 501.8 yards per game, both of which rank in the FBS top five. The Bulldogs lead the nation in third-down conversion rate (57%) and have recorded 131 explosive plays, defined by UGA as a rush of 12 or more yards or a completion of 16 or more yards.
Faulkner and Bobo each were among the 51 nominees for the Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. Bobo this past week made the cut to semifinalist.
“I am happy for Mike; I’m happy for Buster,” Monken said this week. “They both did a great job, and they both deserve all the recognition they’re getting.”
Bowers watch
Once again, producing a 1,000-yard receiver is proving harder than expected for the Bulldogs. It’s certainly not over yet, but time and opportunities are quickly running out.
Wide receiver Terrence Edwards remains the only 1,000-yard pass-catcher in Georgia football history. He caught 59 passes for 1,004 yards in 2002. Others who have come close include Brice Hunter in 1993 (970), A.J. Green in 2008 (963) and Tavarres King in 2012 (950).
Then, of course, there’s junior tight end Brock Bowers. It seemed a shoo-in that the two-time All-American would become the next to pass the mark after he caught 63 passes for 942 yards last season. But, as it turned out, Bowers missed two games this season after sustaining an ankle injury early in the Vanderbilt game and having to undergo TightRope surgery in Week 8. He played sparingly in two other games earlier in the year, so he enters Georgia’s final regular-season game with a relatively low 661 yards on 51 receptions.
It certainly is not beyond the realm of possibility. With at least two games assured the rest of the way, and likely three, Bowers could average 113 yards the rest of the way to get to 1,000 yards. Bowers is averaging 73.4 yards in the nine games in which he has played this season and recorded three consecutive 100-plus-yard games earlier this year, including a season-best 157 yards against Auburn.
Georgia’s dearth of prolific pass-catchers over the years has become a negative-recruiting tool for rival schools. The truth is, though, that the Bulldogs’ pro-style offensive system favors a multitude of targets over only a main two or three. This season, Beck has completed double-figures passes to 10 receivers with 11 players recording TD receptions.
“This is a team that takes everybody to win,” said sophomore slot-receiver Dillon Bell, who has 19 catches for 217 yards and four TDs receiving and rushing. “I don’t think guys come in wanting to have 1,000 yards. I don’t think it’s about that, at the end of the day. It’s about winning championships and winning games.”
Injury report
The Bulldogs are expected to be without cornerback Julian Humphrey (shoulder) and starting inside linebacker Jamon “Pop” Dumas-Johnson (forearm) for Saturday’s game. Receivers Ladd McConkey (ankle) and Rara Thomas (foot) are questionable. So is Tate Ratledge.
Georgia’s starting right guard left the Tennessee game late in the first quarter with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. It turned out of be just a knee bruise with no structural damage, according to Smart. But Ratledge was not taking reps with the offense early in the week and his availability for the Tech remains uncertain.
If Ratledge can’t go, expect Dylan Fairchild to move from left guard to fill in and fellow sophomore Micah Morris to step in on the left side.
Defensive lineman Warren Brinson (calf) returned to the practice field this week after not making the Tennessee trip and is expected to play.
