ATHENS — It’s already being hyped. Not Georgia’s next game against Florida, mind you, but the one the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs will play in three weeks against Tennessee.
The No. 6-ranked Vols (6-0, 3-0 SEC) knocked off No. 3 Alabama 52-49 in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday to remain one of three undefeated SEC teams. Ole Miss (7-0, 3-0) and Georgia (7-0, 4-0) are the other two.
The thought is that Tennessee, which gets UT-Martin and Kentucky on Rocky Top the next two weeks, and the Bulldogs, who take on Florida after a bye this week, could be 1 and 2 – in either order – when they meet Nov. 5 at Sanford Stadium. Whatever the case, it will be Georgia’s first game against a ranked opponent since beating then-No. 11 Oregon 49-3 in the season opener.
But don’t bother bringing up Tennessee or any other future matchups to Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
“I’m worried about tomorrow, man,” said Smart, who delayed his postgame news conference several minutes while watching the conclusion of Bama-Tennessee. “I’m not looking down at that (late-season) run, because you start looking at that run, you get caught up. I’m looking solely at one thing. It’s not Florida or anyone else. It’s us. I’m gonna dig, chew, claw to get every player on our roster better because one of those guys is gonna be counted on to make a play in a tough game.”
Tough games would be a new thing for Georgia. With the exception of a four-point come-from-behind road win over Missouri, the Bulldogs’ other six victories were by an average of 37.3 points.
Florida, by the way, lost at home to LSU 45-35 on Saturday to fall to 4-3 (1-3).
Here are five other things learned in Georgia’s 55-0 win over Vanderbilt:
Tenacious ‘D’
A year after stifling opponents with a defense that produced eight NFL draft picks, the Bulldogs are back at the top of the mountain on that side of the ball.
With its second shutout of the season and 10th overall in the Smart era, Georgia’s points-allowed-per-game average dropped to 9.1. The Bulldogs led the nation last season with a 10.7-point average. They were fourth against the score coming into Saturday’s contest.
Georgia shut out Vandy and Arkansas in SEC play last season. They also shut out Georgia Tech.
“I don’t know what the consensus is on social media, but I know it’s appreciated on our team,” senior safety Christopher Smith said of the difficulty to shut out opponents. “That’s always our goal, so whenever we go out there and do it, it’s great. We never want to give up any points.”
The Commodores managed only 150 total yards and 10 first downs Saturday. They scored 28 points last week against Ole Miss.
On target
After failing to throw a touchdown pass in the previous three games, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett tossed two in the first half against the Commodores. The sixth-year senior from Blackshear was 24-of-30 passing for 289 yards.
“I had a good week of practice throwing with the guys, confident in the game plan, and we were just ready to roll,” Bennett said. “It always comes down to executing the game plan, and I thought we were able to carry that over from earlier in the week.”
Bennett’s production put him over 2,000 yards passing for the season. He now has 2,033 on a 70.7 completion percentage, with seven touchdowns and one interception.
Bennett completed his passes to 11 different receivers, all of whom had at least two receptions. Freshman Dillon Bell led the way with five catches for 54 yards and scored his second career TD on a 24-yard toss from quarterback Carson Beck in the fourth quarter. Bell thought he had a 66-yard TD in the first quarter, but the score was overruled by video replay review, which determined his elbow touched the ground on the initial tackle attempt. He was awarded an 11-yard catch instead.
‘Big O’
It was a big day as well for the Georgia tight end known as “Big O.” Darnell Washington, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound junior, established career bests with four catches and 78 yards in the game. He also recorded the day’s longest play from scrimmage with a 34-yard gain on a one-handed grab down the Georgia sideline.
Washington remains fourth on the team with 16 receptions. He still does not have a TD catch this season, however.
It was another good day for slot back Dominick Blaylock as well. The junior from Marietta, who is coming off his second ACL surgery, had a 25-yard catch for a first down and a 10-yard catch for a touchdown. The TD was Blaylock’s first since his freshman season.
“He has some of the best ball skills on the team,” Bennett said. “Just a player, just a dude who knows how to get open, how to catch the ball, knows what we’re trying to do. Great player.”
Arik Gilbert spotting
Tight end Arik Gilbert got a nice greeting from the UGA faithful just by entering the game in the fourth quarter Saturday. He got an even bigger ovation when he caught a 12-yard pass a short time later. When he finally scored the first TD of his Georgia career on a 4-yard pass from Beck, fans jumped to their feet. The celebration was just as strong on the UGA sideline.
Gilbert hadn’t played in a game for the Bulldogs since the second week of the season. The former five-star prospect did not make the travel roster for Georgia’s last two road games due to what Smart called “personal issues.”
“It was great for that kid confidence-wise,” Smart said. “We’re just trying to give him something to celebrate and be happy about. I was really happy for him.”
Gilbert was an SEC All-Freshman selection during his one season at LSU in 2020, catching 35 passes in eight games. He transferred to Georgia before last season but redshirted.
Five beat-up Bulldogs
Starting flanker Ladd McConkey and starting left guard Xavier Truss had to leave Saturday’s game with the help of trainers due to leg injuries. Smart insisted neither player was seriously injured and could have reentered the game if needed.
They joined a long list of Georgia players unable to compete Saturday. Linebacker Smael Mondon and split end Adonai Mitchell warmed up before the game but never left the Georgia sideline. Fourth-year junior Rian Davis got his second consecutive start at Mondon’s “Mac” linebacker position, and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint got the nod at split end.
The biggest omission continues to be preseason All-American defensive lineman Jalen Carter. He did not dress out for the second consecutive week with a knee injury.
The hope is all will be back on board for the Florida game.
“Some of these guys I don’t know if we’ll get them back,” Smart said. “I mean, there’s no off week that you magically get everybody back, that it’s time. Each injury’s different. We have to see how they progress and how much pain tolerance they have. Ultimately, some players handle injuries better than others.”
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