FanDuel Sportsbook presents 3 Things 2 Watch 4: Kentucky vs. Georgia

For the third straight year, Kentucky will face the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Can the Cats pull off the upset between the hedges for the program’s fourth-ever win over No. 1? We’ll share a few things to watch for tonight at Sanford Stadium.

Kickoff: 7 pm EST
TV: ESPN
FanDuel line: Kentucky +14.5, Total 47.5

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Can Kentucky Run the Football?

In previous matchups the Wildcats’ strength has been in the running game. Dominant Georgia defenses forced Kentucky to be one-dimensional. In 2021 Chris Rodriguez had 7 yards on 7 carries, and last fall he tallied only 51 yards on the ground. This isn’t the same Georgia defense.

The Georgia defense ranks 77th in EPA against the run. Opponents average 3.97 yards per carry, ranking ninth in the SEC. Ray Davis does not have to repeat his 280-yard performance for Kentucky to win in Athens. Davis just needs to be explosive enough on the ground to give the Wildcats a balanced offensive attack.

Defensive Havoc

The calling card for Brad White defenses is limiting big plays. This year they’ve cranked it up a notch by creating havoc behind the line of scrimmage and forcing turnovers. The Wildcats have 14 sacks from eight different players and have forced nine turnovers, the third most in the SEC, with seven different players.

Two Georgia turnovers kept Auburn in the game until late in the second half. Even though this Georgia defense is not as dominant, they’re still good. The shorter the fields for the Kentucky offense, the better. This defense can give the offense opportunities to put points on the scoreboard with timely turnovers.

Rowdy Sanford Stadium

This is not the first road game of the 2023 season for the Kentucky Wildcats, but Sanford Stadium is nothing like FirstBank Stadium. How will Mark Stoops’ team respond in front of 100,000 barking Bulldog fans? Georgia has not lost a night game at home since 2009 when the Wildcats forced four turnovers. Kentucky cannot flinch when faced with adversity, or this game could get sideways in a hostile environment.

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