Tag: Georgia Football

Georgia loses ground in US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 3

Georgia football loses votes in the Coaches Poll after a narrow 13-12 road win against Kentucky

The Georgia Bulldogs remain the No. 1 team in the US LBM Coaches Poll despite a 13-12 win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Georgia gained just 12 first downs in a rough showing on the road, but the Bulldogs emerged from Kentucky 3-0.

Georgia lost eight first-place votes after their close call at Kentucky. The Wildcats were truly one play away from upsetting Georgia.

Week 3 did not feature any upsets, but it featured a pair of ranked versus ranked battles. The Kansas State Wildcats beat the Arizona Wildcats, 31-7, in a Big 12 clash. The Missouri Tigers picked up a 27-21 win over Boston College.

Georgia continues to receive the vast majority of first-place votes, 42 of the 55. The No. 2 Texas Longhorns jumped the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes. Texas and Ohio State are the only other teams to receive first-place votes outside of Georgia.

Georgia has a bye scheduled for Week 4. Following its bye week, Georgia has a massive road game in Week 5 at the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide in what is projected to be a top five clash.

“We’ve got to find a way to improve and get better,” said Kirby Smart after Georgia’s win over Kentucky. “You know, we were really beat up coming into this game, specifically at one position, and it was a really tough week for us.”

Georgia will look to get healthier along the defensive line for the Alabama game. However, Georgia’s offense is the main reason the Bulldogs were unable to pull away from Kentucky.

Week 3 US LBM Coaches Poll

Ranking Team Record Points
1 Georgia Bulldogs 3-0 1,358 (42)
2 Texas Longhorns 3-0 1,301(10)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 2-0 1,293 (3)
4 Alabama Crimson Tide 3-0 1,193
5 Ole Miss Rebels 3-0 1,153
6 Oregon Ducks 3-0 1,019
7 Tennessee Volunteers 3-0 1,009
8 Penn State Nittany Lions 2-0 968
8 Missouri Tigers 3-0 968
10 Utah Utes 3-0 834
11 Miami Hurricanes 3-0 831
12 USC Trojans 2-0 808
13 Oklahoma Sooners 3-0 697
14 Kansas State Wildcats 3-0 662
15 Oklahoma State Cowboys 3-0 642
16 LSU Tigers 2-1 466
17 Michigan Wolverines 2-1 439
18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2-1 404
19 Clemson Tigers 1-1 340
20 Louisville Cardinals 2-0 333
21 Iowa State Cyclones 2-0 235
22 Nebraska Cornhuskers 3-0 204
23 Memphis Tigers 3-0 176
24 Texas A&M Aggies 2-1 85
25 UNLV Rebels 3-0 78

Schools Dropped Out
No. 18 Arizona; No. 22 Washington;

Others Receiving Votes
Illinois 75; Washington State 38; Arizona 37; Northern Illinois 34; Syracuse 32; UCF 27; Pittsburgh 17; Iowa 17; Boise State 17; Arizona State 15; North Carolina 14; North Carolina State 12; California 10; Indiana 7; Michigan State 6; Liberty 6; Boston College 6; BYU 3; Washington 2; Toledo 1; South Florida 1; San Jose State 1; James Madison 1;

Is the end of the Billy Napier era here?

An NCAA investigation and lawsuit from a Georgia player could save Florida from having to pay Florida coach Billy Napier’s huge buyout

The world feels like it is ending for many Georgia fans after the Bulldogs’ 13-12 road win over the Kentucky Wildcats. However, it could be worse, much worse for Georgia fans. Just look at how life is for fans of the Florida Gators.

Florida appear to be reaching a breaking point. Head coach Billy Napier and the Gators have struggled against Power Four opponents for years. Napier’s 7-15 record against Power Four teams is awful. After the Gators’ loss to Texas A&M, it appears Florida may be ready to move on from Napier.

“A group of Florida boosters have pulled together money to cover the expense of firing coach Billy Napier, two people with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports,” said Matt Hayes.

Just how much money would it cost Florida to fire Napier? Napier would be owed around $26 million in buyout money, which is a historic amount, but is nothing compared to the $75 million that Texas A&M, which beat Florida 33-20, shelled out to fire Jimbo Fisher.

“The two spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the process, which will begin when interim Florida president Kent Fuchs makes an official decision. The only variable is when,” Hayes said.

Florida could have a way out of the buyout money. It involves Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada, who has ongoing litigation with the Napier and Florida.

“If Florida fires Napier, he will be owed approximately $26 million in buyout money,” said Hayes. “But that number could be mitigated because Florida is currently being investigated by the NCAA for its recruitment – and Napier’s role in the recruitment – of former high school recruit Jaden Rashada.”

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Could the Rashada situation prolong the Napier era as Florida looks to find resolution with that case? Or will the Gators, who are probably out of patience, move on from Napier?

No. 1 Georgia survives Kentucky, but must be better

Georgia football’s offense enters its bye week with numerous questions after an ugly performance against Kentucky

The Georgia Bulldogs did just enough in the fourth quarter to earn a gritty 13-12 SEC road win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Georgia (3-0) will have a lot to work on entering its bye week.

Kentucky outplayed Georgia on Saturday. It is that simple. The Bulldogs trailed 9-6 entering the fourth quarter. Kentucky outgained Georgia 284 to 262. The Wildcats won the time of possession battle and held the football for over 35 minutes. Kentucky recorded 11 more first downs than Georgia (23-12).

Kentucky outrushed Georgia 170 to 102. Kentucky averaged 3.8 yards per carry to Georgia’s 3.4. The Wildcats limited possessions with their rushing attack, but the UGA defense played well and kept Georgia in the game.

Georgia has gone three weeks without allowing a touchdown, but quarterback Carson Beck and the Georgia offense have to be better. Beck went 15 of 24 for 160 yards. He threw no touchdowns or interceptions as Georgia’s offense struggled to be productive.

“Well, I thought we got on rhythm a little bit,” said Smart on Georgia’s offensive performance. The Dawgs recorded their fewest offensive yards in the first half against Kentucky since 2009. “When we hit plays, we were able to do some drop back passing. We hit a couple plays, went fastball with it. But we never really found any rhythm the whole night, and that’s disappointing because we’re a better offense than we played tonight.”

It is safe to say that Georgia has a lot of improving to do ahead of Sept. 28’s road game  at the Alabama Crimson Tide. Georgia’s offense will have to be more efficient against Alabama, who also has a bye week in Week 4 and is coming off a much more impressive 42-10 road win at Wisconsin.

“I can’t answer why,” said Smart on UGA’s offensive woes. “I’ll have to watch it and see, but we’re better than the level we played to.”

In Georgia’s two first halves against Power Four opponents, the Bulldogs have just nine total points. That won’t get it done against Alabama or any high-level offense.

Kirby Smart did give a lot of credit to Kentucky. Many folks wrote off the Wildcats after their 31-6 loss to South Carolina in Week 2.

“I mean, say what you want about Kentucky’s defense. Kentucky’s defense is pretty good to me,” said Smart. “We’ll judge that at the end of the year. I think people are looking at it the wrong way of the South Carolina game.”

“I actually think Kentucky’s got a really good defense, and I think Clemson’s got a really good defense,” said Smart. “I think we’ve got a really good offense. So we’ve got to do a better job of starting faster.”

Georgia needs more production out of its offense. The Dawgs will be in trouble if they don’t score a touchdown in the first half against Alabama. Georgia will look to return a healthy Tate Ratledge for the Alabama game, but his status is unclear for now.

 

 

Kirby Smart updates status of injured All-American OL

Georgia football All-SEC offensive guard Tate Ratledge did not return after going down with a leg injury against Kentucky

Georgia Bulldogs star offensive guard Tate Ratledge left Georgia’s 13-12 win over Kentucky with a leg injury. Kentucky outplayed Georgia for much of the game, but the Bulldogs prevailed.

Georgia will need Ratledge later in the season. Fortunately for Georgia, the Dawgs have a bye this week before heading to play the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept. 28.

“Don’t know,” said Kirby Smart. “I was told ankle and knee, but I don’t know which is worse or how bad it is. I don’t know much about it.”

Georgia’s offense has not been productive in three of the four halves it has played against a Power Four defense this season. The lone exception was Georgia’s second half against the Clemson Tigers.

“But we were resilient, man,” said Kirby Smart on Georgia’s fourth quarter road comeback. “We responded to them. That’s the true sign of a great fighter is not how hard you punch, but what punches can you take.”

Update: Ratledge reportedly suffered a MCL sprain and an ankle sprain. He is projected to miss several weeks, per Rusty Mansell of DawgsHQ. Georgia is reportedly targeting a Nov. 2 return against Florida.

Social media reacts after No. 1 Georgia barely beats Kentucky

UGA football’s 13-12 win over Kentucky is the talk of social media, Here’s how Georgia fans and more reacted

The Georgia Bulldogs secured a 13-12 road win over the Kentucky Wildcats to move to 3-0. Georgia trailed 9-6 entering the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs found a way to move the football and to make stops when it counted the most.

Georgia running back Branson Robinson scored the game’s only touchdown to give Georgia a 13-9 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Georgia maintained its lead from there on out.

However, it was not easy. Kentucky outgained Georgia, 284-262. The Wildcats possessed the football for more than 35 minutes and recorded 11 more first downs than Georgia.

Kentucky outrushed Georgia, 170-102. Georgia limited Kentucky to 3.8 yards per carry. The Bulldog defense played well and kept UGA in the game.

Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson showed impressive range throughout the game as he recorded five tackles and one sack. Georgia’s pass rush looked strong. The Dawgs recorded three sacks and allowed 114 passing yards to Georgia transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff.

Now, Georgia will look to heal up as the Bulldogs have a bye week ahead of their Sept. 28 game at the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Through three games, Georgia’s defense has not allowed touchdown.

David Pollack reacts to the UGA game

A win is a win

NFL defensive end Micah Parsons shouts out linebacker Jalon Walker

Kirby Smart and Brock Vandagriff

Go Dawgs!

 

 

 

 

What ‘College GameDay’ said about Georgia

‘College GameDay’ analysts state their opinions on the matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats and how UGA looks

“College GameDay” is unfortunately not heading to Athens this week. It instead went to Columbia to see the South Carolina Gamecocks play the LSU Tigers. However, that didn’t mean the matchup between Georgia and Kentucky wouldn’t be brought up. Kirk Herbstreit and former Alabama coach Nick Saban had several things to say about the matchup and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Herbstreit, on what he expects from the matchup:

“One of the big things Nick Saban talked about earlier was playing to a standard. … Steve Sarkisian showed some video about the Notre Dame loss to remind his team ‘Hey, don’t look past your opponent.’ … I think some of these games are that kind of game. … It’s a real test, to me, of the maturity of how teams handle these kind of games.”

Nick Saban answered with confidence on UGA:

“I think that’s what Georgia really has. Georgia has established an identity as a team. They’re physical up front on both sides of the ball. They can make explosive plays. They have a good quarterback. They were concerned about the running back situation. Well, Nate Frazier solved that as a freshman. … They play the same kind of defense they’ve always played. If you’ve ever seen them play in the past, they’ve created that same kind of identity now. That’s what Kentucky has not been able to do. They couldn’t run the ball, the quarterback struggled, they struggled in protection, and they couldn’t stop the run. I think Georgia, right now, to me, is the team that has the best identity of any team in the country.”

It’s strange to see Saban be so optimistic about Georgia after years of tormenting them as Alabama’s head coach, but Georgia looks dominant on both sides of the ball this season, outscoring their opponents 82-6 so far.

The two teams will duke it out at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Paul Finebaum ‘all-in’ on the Georgia Bulldogs

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum explains that he is “all-in” on UGA football

With the Georgia Bulldogs now being No. 1 on the US LBM Coaches Poll, there are several people considering them as the favorites to win the national championship. One of those people is ESPN anchor Paul Finebaum, and a few days ago, he doubled down on it. According to a recent interview he did on SportsCenter, he is “all-in” on Georgia football.

“I’m all-in, and I know that is saying a great deal after watching Texas play (against Michigan), but I feel like Georgia is a notch above,” Finebaum said.

“They’ll get each other in the middle of October and we can settle that. By the way, there’s a chance Georgia and Texas could play three times this year: in October, in Atlanta in December, and some time, probably for the national championship. I think they are that elite, but I think Georgia is in a class of its own and that’s why I am all-in.”

It appears that Paul Finebaum is not straying away from his preseason national championship prediction. He predicted that Georgia would win it all ahead of the 2024 college football season.

It’s interesting that he mentions the Texas Longhorns, considering that some people, like Joel Klatt, consider them on the same tier as Georgia. Texas is currently No. 3 on the US LBM Coaches Poll.

College football model predicts the winner of Georgia vs. Kentucky

Model projects that the Georgia-Kentucky game will be much closer than projected

For people that trust technology more than people when it comes to making predictions, this is for you: SP+, a statistical model made by ESPN (subscription required) has predicted how the matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats will go.

SP+ is a model created by ESPN analyst Bill Connelly to predict the outcome of college football games. “SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing,” according to Connelly. “It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling — no good predictive system is.”

“It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you’re lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you’re strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.”

The model has predicted that the Bulldogs will come out of Kroger Field with a 38-26 victory over the Wildcats. Considering Georgia is a 22-point favorite over Kentucky (on BetMGM), it would go just over the spread.

UGA fans that don’t travel to Lexington will be able to watch the game at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

FSU decommit plans visit with Georgia, more

Four-star Florida State decommitment is expected to visit the Georgia Bulldogs this fall

Florida State Seminoles decommitment Javion Hilson plans to visit with several college football programs this fall including the Georgia Bulldogs. Hilson is one of the premier pass rushers in the class of 2025.

The four-star edge rusher is the second-ranked player at his position in the country. Hilson, who is the No. 34 recruit in the country, is just a few ranking places away from being a five-star prospect, per 247Sports. The elite edge rusher is the No. 6 recruit in Florida.

Hilson plays for Cocoa High School in Cocoa, Florida. Cocoa is one of the most competitive high school programs in the state.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound edge rusher plans to visit Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Texas A&M and Syracuse this fall. Hilson will be in attendance for the Texas A&M Aggies at Florida Gators game this weekend.

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Head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia football have the No. 4 recruiting class in the country. The Bulldogs are always looking for top edge rushers like Javion Hilson.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy ranks the top four SEC football teams

Former Alabama QB Greg McElroy has ranked the top four teams in the SEC including the Georgia Bulldogs

Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy has his top four teams in the SEC ahead of Week 3. McElroy, who is an ESPN college football analyst, ranked his top SEC teams on the “Always College Football with Greg McElroy” podcast.

“This is just a power ranking,” said McElroy. “And what I think a team might be capable of as they move forward, so it’s also a little bit based on strength of record. Because it’s hard for me to, for example, put Ole Miss in the top four in the SEC when they haven’t played anybody.”

The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in McElroy’s SEC power rankings, but he considers the Bulldogs to be the best team in the SEC.

Greg McElroy’s SEC power rankings (top four only)

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
McElroy and most other college football experts have the Georgia Bulldogs as the team team in the country. Georgia dominated Clemson in Week 1 and faces its first SEC road game of the season in Week 3. However, McElroy thinks Texas can compete with UGA for the title of best team in the SEC.
“I think that gap between one and two, in the SEC, got really close this past weekend with Texas’ performance on the road at Michigan,” said McElroy.

2. Texas Longhorns

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Texas’ road win at Michigan is one of the most impressive wins this season. Quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns will host McElroy’s No. 1 team in the SEC, Georgia, on Oct. 19.

3. Tennessee Volunteers

The Knoxville News-Sentinel

“Really liked what I see from their (Tennessee’s) defense,” said McElroy. “Now, offense a bit of a work in progress, but they have the personnel and the pieces along both the offensive line, at running back and at wide receiver to make life a little bit easier for Nico Iamaleava.”

Tennessee’s 51-10 drubbing of NC State is one of the most impressive performances of any team this season.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

Will McLelland-USA TODAY Sports

“You’re going to say, well, they looked really, really rough last week against USF. Fair enough,” said McElroy. “USF made them look really bad last year, too. This year, the big difference is they ran away from them in the fourth quarter and that showed growth.”

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Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide aren’t having too much of a drop-off from the Kalen DeBoer era. However, McElroy failed to bring up Alabama’s schedule. The Crimson Tide have not played a Power Four opponent yet just like Ole Miss and Missouri, so that’s not a great reason to rank Alabama over those teams.