Kentucky (4-6) vs. Georgia (8-2) Preview

Game Facts Georgia finished the 2010 season 6-7 including a victory over UK 44-31. The Bulldogs enter the game on an eight-game winning streak. Kentucky lost to Vanderbilt 38-8 last week. Game will be played at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. Game will be televised on the SEC Network at 12:21pm EST. Georgia snapshot Mark Richt entered the season on the hot seat. His team suffered back-to-back losses to Boise State and South Carolina to begin the season. At that time, many felt Richt’s job was in jeopardy. His team quickly turned the things around and won eight consecutive games since. Georgia enters Saturday’s game against Kentucky in the SEC East’s driver’s seat. It’s simple, win and play for the SEC Championship in Atlanta. If the Bulldogs lose, then South Carolina heads to Atlanta instead. Georgia has played several close games. In fact, they easily could easily be 9-1. Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Florida all played Georgia fairly close. However, Richt’s offense is rolling now. In their last two games, they have scored 108 points. To put that in perspective, the Cats have scored 170 points all season. In the SEC, Georgia’s offense ranks 3rd in scoring, 4th in rushing, 3rd in passing and 2nd in total offensive production. They are averaging 35 points per game and have a very balanced offensive attack led by Aaron Murray. Murray is one of the top quarterbacks in the conference. He ranks 2nd in the SEC in passing yards averaging 228 yards per game. His quarterback rating is 158.22 which ranks No 1 in the SEC and 12th in the nation. Let me remind you, Murray is only a sophomore. Georgia has four receivers with more than 20 receptions. Tavarres King leads the unit with six touchdowns, but tight end Orson Charles has more receptions. Georgia also has two freshmen with more than 20 receptions so far this season. Isaiah Crowell was the gem of Mark Richt’s 2011 recruiting class. He was a 5-star recruit who held offers from every major college in the country. He has done pretty well for a freshman too. He currently ranks No 3 in the SEC averaging 91 rushing yards per game. He did not play against New Mexico State for disciplinary reasons, but bounced back with a 132-yard rushing performance against Auburn last week. Georgia’s defense may be just as good as their offense. On the season, they are allowing just 18 points per game, which ranks 3rd in the SEC. They have been solid against the run, only allowing 87 yards per game. Their defense ranks 3rd in the SEC allowing 273 yards per game. Michael Gilliard and Jarvis Jones are the Bulldogs leading tacklers. Todd Grantham’s defense is designed for the linebackers to make plays. He likes to run three man fronts and will blitz his linebackers a lot. Jarvis Jones leads the SEC in tackles for loss and sacks. The sophomore linebacker is having a huge season. Bacarri Rambo leads Georgia’s secondary. He currently has seven interceptions on the season and managed to return one for a touchdown. The one area Georgia has not been solid is special teams. Blair Walsh is connecting on 56% of his attempts. Brandon Boykin ranks 9th in the SEC in kick-off return average. Special teams play will be crucial for Georgia as it has hurt them a bit this season. Kentucky snapshot Joker Phillips’ team suffered a disappointing loss to Vanderbilt last weekend 38-8. The Cats struggled in just about every aspect of the game. Now the Cats have their backs up against the wall and need to defeat the No 13 team in the country to keep their bowl chances alive. It appears UK’s game against Tennessee will likely become the program’s bowl game this season. Maxwell Smith remains the starting quarterback. However, Morgan Newton’s ankle is getting better and he could see action against Georgia too. Smith struggled against Vanderbilt. He only managed to complete 48% of his passes. Still, to his credit, he has not thrown an interception in 100 attempts. Vanderbilt won the battle at the line of scrimmage last week and did a good job of disguising their packages. Georgia will present a bigger challenge on Saturday. CoShik Williams remains the Cats leading rusher. He only recorded 10 rushing attempts last week. Jonathan George was actually UK’s leading rusher last week with 46 yards on six carries. I expect several running backs to see action tomorrow. La’Rod King remains UK’s playmaker. He ranks 5th in the SEC in receiving yards and 3rd in touchdowns. King needs to have a big game Saturday if the Cats are going to keep it close. After recording 20 receptions in his last two games, Matt Roark only recorded one catch against Vanderbilt. Nick Melillo burst onto the scene last week and recorded his first career touchdown. UK’s defense struggled last week. They allowed 410 total yards of offense. It’s scary to think UK will be playing without two starters against an explosive Georgia offense. Both Ridge Wilson and Martavius Neloms will not make the trip to Athens. Danny Trevathan and Winston Guy currently rank 1st and 2nd in the SEC in tackles. Both have recorded over 100 stops on the season. Both guys are playing hard and will need to force turnovers on Saturday if the Cats have any chance to pull off the upset. Keys to the game No one is giving the Cats a chance on Saturday. Georgia is currently favored by 31 points. Given the Cats performance last weekend, it’s hard to believe they have a chance. Still, I’ll be watching to see how this team responds. After all, they are still playing for bowl eligibility. Has this team quit? Will they look prepared? Georgia’s defense is much faster than Vanderbilt’s. If Maxwell Smith felt pressure last week, he hasn’t seen anything yet. Georgia will run zone schemes and some man to man. They will bring a lot of pressure. Look for UK to run more screens and quick passes against an aggressive Georgia defense. The Cats have struggled to run the football. Georgia held Auburn to 51 yards rushing a week ago. This is a tough challenge for UK’s offensive line. Georgia has everything to play for and the Cats are not a very good football team. Georgia 55 Kentucky 13 As always, you can check out Bleed Blue Kentucky or follow me on Twitter.