The Georgia Bulldogs will be no easy task for Kentucky Football this Saturday.

 The No. 10 ranked Bulldogs (5-1, 2-1 SEC) will welcome the Cats (3-3, 1-3 SEC) at Sanford Stadium this Saturday. While the then-No. 3 ranked Bulldogs came off of a 20-17 upset loss against the South Carolina Gamecocks in double overtime at home last Saturday, UK head coach Mark Stoops says he knows that’s not who the Bulldogs really are.

“I know they didn’t play to their standards last week, but they’ll get that fixed in short order,” Stoops said in his weekly press conference Monday afternoon. “They have such a good pro style attack, where guys are unbelievably strong, big, offensive line with as deep of a running back corps as anyone in the country.”

One of the most notable letdowns from the Bulldogs came from quarterback Jake Fromm. The nationally recognized senior had three interceptions on Saturday – one of which was returned for a touchdown – and lost a fumble. His three interceptions were his first and only ones so far this season.

Nonetheless, Stoops knows who he’ll be going up against.

“Jake is really great player, a one-of-a-kind player in college football as far as you don’t see that many with that style where he is so accurate and such a good player. He’s very, very accurate,” Stoops said.

The main question surrounding the Cats this week is who will go under center for Kentucky. Wide receiver Lynn Bowden, who dazzled with his quarterback performance against Arkansas on Jared Lorenzen Day, could be under center again. Bowden had 24 carries and a career-high 196 rushing yards while going 7-of-11 in the air with 78 yards last Saturday. 

Quarterback Sawyer Smith is still in the cards. According to Stoops, he received an update from the training staff Monday morning who told him that Smith is “further along.” Stoops also added that he was “given a percentage” for Smith’s progress but couldn’t remember the number.

Another point of praise for Stoops on Monday was the progress of his secondary. Already struggling with inexperience, the loss of star safety Davonte Robinson and other various injuries, the secondary pleased Stoops last weekend. Safety Yusuf Corker led the Cats in tackles against Arkansas while cornerback Brandin Echols broke up two passes.

“I felt like we challenged them [our secondary]. That’s good growth by our secondary. Just because we’re getting some tough calls on or getting sticky or having some bang-bang plays come against us, we’re still coming out and playing aggressive and tight,” Stoops said.

The Cats this week will be preparing for arguably their most challenging opponent up to this point in the season. Sanford Stadium broke its record for its largest attendance in stadium history against Notre Dame on September 21st, so UK will undoubtedly be met with a warm welcome this weekend.

Depth Chart

Stoops said that tackle Landon Young is struggling with an ankle issue. He said that he hopes it’s “nothing major” but added it’s always a concern with a lower-extremity issue with a “big man.” 

Offense

LT

1. Landon Young (6-7, 321, Jr.)

2. Naasir Watkins (6-5, 302, So.)

LG

1. Logan Stenberg (6-6, 312, Jr.)

2. Kenneth Horsey (6-3, 321, Fr.)

C

1. Drake Jackson (6-2, 312, Jr.)

2. Quintin Wilson (6-1, 302, Fr.)

RG

1. Luke Fortner (6-6, 305, Jr.)

2. Mason Wolfe (6-6, 323, Sr.)

RT

1. Darian Kinnard (6-5, 325, So.)

2. Naasir Watkins (6-5, 302, So.)

TE

1. Justin Rigg (6-6, 263, Jr.)

2. Keaton Upshaw (6-6, 255, Fr.)

WR – X

1. Ahmad Wagner (6-5, 237, Sr.)

2. DeMarcus Harris (6-1, 176, Fr.)

WR – Y

1. Allen Dailey Jr. (6-3, 204, So.)

2. Clevan Thomas Jr. (5-11, 213, So.)

WR – F

1. Lynn Bowden Jr. (6-1, 206, Jr.)

2. Clevan Thomas Jr. (5-11, 213, So.)

WR – Z 

1. Josh Ali (6-0, 193, Jr.)

2. Bryce Oliver (6-1, 208, Fr.) 

QB

1. Lynn Bowden Jr (6-1, 206, Jr.) OR Sawyer Smith (6-3, 219, Jr.)

2. Walker Wood (6-0, 191, So.)

RB

1. A.J. Rose (6-1, 218, Jr.)

2. Kavosiey Smoke (5-9, 220, Fr.)

OR

Chris Rodriguez (5-11, 224, Fr.)

Defense

SLB

1. Jamar “Boogie” Watson (6-3, 224, Jr.)

2. Jared Casey (6-3, 224, Fr.)

DT

1. Calvin Taylor Jr. (6-9, 300, Jr.)

2. Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald (6-6, 290, So.)

NG

1. Quinton Bohanna (6-4, 361, Jr.)

2. Marquan McCall (6-3, 371, So.)

DE 

1. TJ Carter (6-4, 287, Sr.)

2. Kordell Looney (6-3, 292, Jr.)

DE/OLB

1. Josh Paschal (6-3, 285, So.)

2. Jordan Wright (6-5, 238, So.)

MLB

1. Kash Daniel (6-1, 226, Sr.)

2. Chris Oats (6-3, 231, So.)

WLB

1. DeAndre Square (6-1, 217, So.)

2. Jamin Davis (6-4, 228, So.) 

NB

1. Jordan Griffin (6-0, 197, Sr.)

2. Tyrell Aijan (6-0, 195, So.)

CB

1. Cedrick Dort Jr. (5-11, 182, So.)

2. Jamari Brown (6-1, 196, Fr.)

CB

1. Brandin Echols (5-11, 178, Jr.)

2. M.J. Devonshire Jr. (5-11, 175, Fr.)

SS

1. Jordan Griffin (6-0, 197, Sr.)

OR Quandre Mosely (6-2, 193, Jr.)

FS

1. Yusuf Corker (6-0, 195, So.)

2. Moses Douglass (6-2, 205, Fr.)

Special Teams

K

1. Chance Poore (6-2, 223, Fr.)

2. Matt Ruffolo (5-11, 213, Jr.)

P

1. Max Duffy (6-1, 194, Jr.)

2. Grant McKinniss (6-1, 192, Sr.)

LS

1. Blake Best (6-1, 221, Sr.)

2. Cade DeGraw (5-11, 209, Fr.)

PR

Lynn Bowden Jr. (6-1, 206, Jr.)

KR

Lynn Bowden Jr. (6-1, 206, Jr.)

Holder

1. Grant McKinniss (6-1, 192, Sr.)

2. Max Duffy (6-1, 194, Jr.)