5 Things You Need to Know About the Georgia Bulldogs

Things have gone from bad to worse within Big Blue Nation and the Kentucky Football program. The Wildcats led the South Carolina Gamecocks 10-7 after one quarter, but allowed 21 unanswered points on the way to an ugly, embarrassing 35-13 loss. A scoop-and-score directly followed by a pick-6 early in the second quarter flipped the game on its head and the ‘Cats could never recover. Now, unfortunately, things don’t get any easier. The Georgia Bulldogs saw their 33-game home winning streak snapped last weekend at the hands of Alabama. Coach Kirby Smart will be as motivated as ever to get back in the win column and blow off some steam against Kentucky. Pulling off an upset between the hedges was unlikely to begin with, but the idea of the ‘Dawgs losing back-to-back seems nearly impossible.
From an optimistic point of view, there is some symmetry between Kentucky’s spot on Saturday and last season’s upset win at Ole Miss. The week prior the ‘Cats were embarrassed at home by South Carolina before heading to Oxford and defeating #6 Ole Miss. Kentucky backed up that performance by narrowly missing an upset of #1 Georgia the following Saturday at Kroger Field. Now, this time around, the ‘Cats are once again coming off of an embarrassing loss to the Gamecocks. Could Saturday’s trip to Athens be this season’s upset? If history repeats itself it is possible, but reason would indicate it remains unlikely.
As always, Kentucky Sports Radio’s football experts Nick Roush and Adam Luckett have spent the week providing in-depth breakdowns of the Wildcats’ opponent. 11 Personnel and the KSR Football Podcast have you covered as well if you prefer preparing for Saturday’s game via audio. However, for those looking for a more surface level preview you have come to the right place. Here are five things you need to know about the Georgia Bulldogs.
Georgia’s Middling Offense is Holding Them Back
When you think about the Georgia Bulldogs you probably think about a dominant defense. However, the ‘Dawgs have had no issue putting up incredibly efficient offenses under Coach Kirby Smart. The 2023 team finished in the Top 5 of offenses nationally before a relatively steep decline in 2024. Through four games it doesn’t appear that this unit has improved from a year ago. Georgia was able to outscore Tennessee in what turned into a shootout, but they have otherwise put up pretty average numbers offensively on their way to a 3-1 record.
The Bulldogs rank 47th in scoring average putting up just shy of 35 points per game, but rank outside of the Top 50 nationally in several other key categories. Georgia is averaging 6.05 yards per game which is 57th in the county. Their average of 7.67 yards per drop back is 53rd nationally. They are 58th nationally right now when it comes to converting third downs coming in at just 42.59%. Opposing teams have been able to create some havoc as well. Georgia’s havoc rate allowed of 10.7% is 65th nationally while their five turnovers is 56th. Finally, they are 66th in explosive plays of 20+ yards with 20 so far in four games.
Kentucky’s defense will need to be very opportunistic between the hedges on Saturday. Limiting big plays, winning the line of scrimmage battle, and forcing a couple of turnovers would go a long way towards an upset, or at least keeping it close, against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Bulldogs’ QB1 Has Waited His Turn
Gunner Stockton is one of the most decorated high school football players in the history of the state of Georgia. He owns the records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, and rushing touchdowns in a career at Rabun County High School. Now, as a redshirt junior, he is getting his chance to be the full time starter for the Georgia Bulldogs. After getting his feet wet in the College Football Playoff against Texas and Notre Dame last season, Stockton has settled in as a reliable threat for the ‘Dawgs.
Through four games, Stockton has completed just shy of 70% of his passes for 851 and five touchdowns with no interceptions. The Bulldogs’ offense hasn’t asked a lot of him through the air, but they have utilized his rushing ability at times. Stockton is averaging 5.7 yards per attempt on the ground and is a real threat to extend plays with his feet. If the Wildcats are able to keep him in the pocket and limit the explosive plays it could become harder for Georgia to move the ball offensively.
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Talented Weapons at Wide Receiver
The Georgia Bulldogs have tried to keep things as simple as possible for Gunner Stockton. His average depth of target has been just six yards, but there have been five explosive plays in four games due to having such talented pass catchers. USC transfer Zachariah Branch has been the favorite target so far. He leads the team with 21 targets which has been good for 14 catches and 216 yards with a pair of scores. An incredible 196 of those 216 yards have come after the catch for Branch. He is a big time playmaker. Colbie Young is back for a second year at Georgia and has already exceeded his production from an injury-shortened year in 2024. The former Miami (FL) transfer has hauled in a team-leading 17 catches for 238 yards and a touchdown. Branch and Young will be the two primary targets for the Bulldogs on Saturday night.
London Humphreys and Dillon Bell are two more pass catchers to know. Humphreys is primarily a vertical threat with blazing speed. Meanwhile, Bell can be utilized in a variety of ways. Georgia will utilize him both as a rusher and a receiver with some creative packages. Bell has yet to break any big ones this year so the ‘Cats must continue to contain him. Forcing the ‘Dawgs to be more methodical will open up opportunities for Kentucky’s defense to create havoc.
Underperforming Defense
The good news for Kentucky is that this isn’t a typical Georgia Bulldogs defense. They’ve allowed a success rate of 41.2% which is 85th nationally. Their 7.48 yards per drop back allowed is 106th in the country. They also haven’t been able to put much pressure on the opposing quarterback. Georgia has a havoc rate of just 10.2% (96th overall) and has forced just three turnovers (110th overall). Getting off of the field on third down and limiting red zone touchdowns have been weaknesses as well. However, the ‘Dawgs do still stuff the run which is where the ‘Cats generally look to find success. Georgia allows just 3.26 non-sack yards per rush which ranks sixth in all of college football. If Kentucky can’t establish the run they will have to hit on some big plays through the air or it could be a long day offensively.
Georgia Features Star Power at Linebacker
It could be fair to call the 2025 Georgia Bulldogs’ defense a bit of a disappointment heading into Week Six. However, their linebackers have lived up to the task so far. CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson, a pair of juniors, could be among the best one-two punches in the country. Those two combined haven’t missed a tackle all season and have 12 quarterback pressures. It will be hard for Kentucky to climb beyond Allen and Wilson in the running game. The two star linebackers have 30 and 29 tackles respectively through four games and each have recorded a sack.
True sophomore Chris Cole is one to watch in the linebacking corps as well. He is a true playmaker registering four tackles for loss, three sacks, and 10 pressures in just 139 snaps. The former five-star recruit is the perfect change of pace behind the consistency of Allen and Wilson. As mentioned earlier, Georgia’s 10.2% havoc rate leaves a little to be desired. However, when they do get pressure, it generally is coming from some combination of the Bulldogs’ linebackers. Getting these guys blocked will be critical for the Big Blue Wall on Saturday.
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