Kentucky football is scheduled to face off against No. 1 Georgia in Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 7.
The Wildcats enter the game following a 33-14 win over rivals Florida in which the No. 20 Cats improved to 5-0 on the season.
Several notable storylines came out of the win for the Wildcats, the first of which is that UK’s two leading receivers, Tayvion Robinson and Barrion Brown, both exited the game with injuries.
“No, I can’t get into all of that right now,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said about their status on Monday. “We really don’t know. We’ll see how the week goes.”
Despite the caginess from Stoops, both of the receivers are still listed in their respective positions in the depth chart.
Another big storyline for the Wildcats was the performance of senior running back Ray Davis, who took over the game by racking up 280 yards on 26 carries while also finding the end zone three times.
With the game against the Gators behind them, the Wildcats will be faced with their biggest challenge of the season thus far in the two-time reigning national champions.
“I think it goes without saying, the challenge to go on the road, to Athens, to play Georgia, what a great opportunity,” Stoops said. “You have to credit Coach Kirby Smart, his staff, his players for what they have done and the consistency that they have had for many years. In particular the past two, to go on and win back-to-back national championships is very difficult to do and they do a great job.”
While Georgia may not be the same team as last year, there are certainly similarities.
Once again, the Bulldogs present a formidable defense. Through the five games, the Bulldogs have only allowed 65 points total, which shakes out to an even 13 points-per-game. They have also only allowed 287.2 yards-per-game.
The Wildcat defense is not too far behind as it has allowed 297.2 yards-per-game and 76 points, which is around 15.2 points-per-game.
Another mainstay from the national-championship-winning Bulldogs has been junior tight end Brock Bowers.
“Wow. Absolute freak,” Stoops said about Bowers. “I mean that in the most complimentary way. What an incredible player. He’s selfless. You could tell he’s a complete player. He plays well without the football. He plays well with the football. He’s a team guy.”
Bowers was the difference for the Bulldogs in their week five matchup as he hauled in a game-winning 40-yard touchdown to secure a 27-20 win against the Auburn Tigers.
Bowers has recorded 30 catches on the year and tallied 413 total yards to lead the Bulldogs in receiving while also averaging 13.8 yards-per-catch. He has also found the end zone three times this season.
“I think Brock is going to get his, he’s going to make plays,” Stoops said. “It’s kind of like going up against Michael Jordan or someone like that — you know they’re going to get theirs. But, we have to compete at a high level.’’
One major thing that has changed for the Bulldogs is the man under center.
The new quarterback is junior Carson Beck, who has thrown for 1,497 yards and seven touchdowns while only surrendering two interceptions.
For comparison, Kentucky’s quarterback Devin Leary has thrown for 1,129 yards and 10 touchdowns, but has surrendered five interceptions.
The ground game has remained the same for the Bulldogs as senior Daijun Edwards headlines the backfield. His 260 yards on 51 carries is good for 5.1 yards-per-carry, which he has used to tally five touchdowns.
Kentucky’s Davis holds an advantage on paper as he has gained 594 rushing yards on 76 carries, which is good for 7.8 yards-per-carry and eight touchdowns.
Looking at the offenses as a whole, the Bulldogs have accumulated an average of 481.2 yards-per-game, while the Wildcats have averaged 396.2 yards-per-game.
ESPN currently gives the Wildcats a slim 13.9% chance to pull off the upset against the No. 1 team in the country while Vegas has them set as 14.5-point underdogs.
Kentucky and Georgia are scheduled to kick off from Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 7. The game will air live on ESPN.
