Georgia vs. Kentucky: The Complete Game Preview

After having a much-needed week off, the Georgia Bulldogs will be back in action when they face the Kentucky Wildcats. According to experts, it should be a dominating win for the Bulldogs, but the Wildcats will not go down without a fight.

The important thing for the Bulldogs is to have a better showing than the South Carolina game. They also need to get back on a winning streak in order to stay in the SEC East race.

Who: Georgia vs. Kentucky

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Commonwealth Stadium (67,942)

TV: FSN

Radio: Sirius 92, XM 200

Internet: GTV at Georgiadogs.com

Depth Chart for Georgia

QB: Aaron Murray, Hutson Mason, Christian LeMay

RB: Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, Ken Malcome

FB: Merritt Hall, Richard Samuel

FLK: Tavarres King, Rantavious Wooten, Chris Conley

SE: Marlon Brown, Michael Bennett, Malcolm Mitchell

TE: Arthur Lynch, Jay Rome

LT: Kenarious Gates, Mark Beard, Austin Long

LG: Dallas Lee, Ben Reynolds

C: David Andrews, Chris Burnette

RG: Chris Burnette, Greg Pyke

RT: John Theus, Watts Danztler

DE: Abry Jones, Garrison Smith

NT: John Jenkins Kwame Geathers

DE: Cornelius Washington, Ray Drew, Mike Thornton

OLB: Ramik Wilson, Chase Vasser, Josh Dawson

OLB: Jarvis Jones, Jordan Jenkins, T.J. Stripling

ILB: Michael Gilliard, Amarlo Herrera

ILB: Alec Ogletree, Christian Robinson

CB: Malcolm Mitchell, Sanders Commings, Devin Bowman

CB: Branden Smith, Damian Swann

SS: Shawn Williams, Corey Moore, Josh Harvey Clemons

FS: Bacarri Rambo, Connor Norman

P: Colin Barber, Adam Erickson

PK: Marshall Morgan, Jamie Lindley

PR: Branden Smith, Damian Swann

KR: Branden Smith, Todd Gurley, Malcolm Mitchell

Depth Chart for Kentucky

QB: Jalen Whitlow, Morgan Newton

TB: Jonathan George, Raymond Sanders

FB: D.J. Warren, Cody Jones

WR: La’Rod King, A.J. Legree

WR: Demarco Robinson, Marcus Sweat, Aaron Boyd

WR: Darly Collins, Gene McCaskill

TE: Tyler Robinson, Ronnie Shields

LT: Darrian Miller, Jordan Swindle

LG: Zach West, Teven Eatmon-Nared

C: Matt Smith, Max Godby

RG: Larry Warford, Jack Gruenschlaeger

RT: Kevin Mitchell, Trevino Woods

DE: Collins Ukwu, Farrington Huguenin

DT: Donte Rumph, Mike Douglas

DT: Tristian Johnson, Mister Cobble

E/LB: Taylor Wyndham, Alvin Dupree

WLB: Alvin Dupree, Khalid Henderson, Malcolm McDuffen

LB/S: Miles Simpson, Kory Brown

CB: Cody Quinn, Fred Tiller

S: Daron Blaylock, Ashley Lowery

S: Zack Blaylock, Mikie Benton

CB: Cartier Rice, J.D. Harmon

PK: Craig McIntosh, Joe Mansour

P: Landon Foster, Joe Mansour

KR: DeMarcus Sweat, Raymond Sanders

PR: Demarco Robinson, Gene McCaskill

What Happened to the Bulldogs Last Week

As mentioned earlier, the Bulldogs were off last week, but they needed it after taking one on the chin against South Carolina the week before.

The Bulldogs fell to the Gamecocks 35-7 and it was game that was over for the Bulldogs as soon as the first kickoff.

The Gamecocks scored 21 points in the first 10 minutes of play and never looked back. They got great production for quarterback Connor Shaw and running back Marcus Lattimore. Shaw threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one, while Lattimore rushed for 110 yards and scored once.

On the flip side, the Bulldogs could never get anything going on offense. Aaron Murray was 11-of-33 with 109 yards, one interception and was sacked twice. The Gamecocks also shut down the two freshman running backs as Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley rushed for a combined 76 yards on 25 carries.

What Happened to the Wildcats Last Week

Kentucky did not have a bye week, but they could have used it as they got hammered by Arkansas, 49-7.

The Wildcats had a tough time stopping Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson as he was 21-of-31 for 372 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.

Kentucky quarterback Jalen Whitlow did not have the same type of game as he went 2-of-10 for 83 yards.

The Wildcats only totaled 170 yards of offense and gave up 533 yards on defense. They also only gained six first downs while the Razorbacks gained 24.

What’s even worse (or better depending on the way you look at it) is they called the game in the third quarter due to inclement weather. So it could have been a lot worse for the Wildcats.

What It Means for Both Teams

This game means a lot for both teams, but Georgia needs this game more than Kentucky.

Why is that? Georgia is still in the hunt for the SEC East title. They need to win the next four games and hope that Florida beats South Carolina. If that happens, they will be back at the Georgia Dome in December, but they have to take it one game at a time and it starts with a win against the Wildcats.

As for Kentucky, the Wildcats are fighting for respect, but they are also fighting to save head coach Joker Phillips’ job.

Things have not been going well for Phillips and the Wildcats this season, and they need a win in the worst way. If they could pull the upset, it would do so much for this program in terms of building for the future.

Key Player for the Bulldogs

After one of his worst games in his college career, Aaron Murray needs to have a bounce-back game in order to get the Bulldogs back on track.

This will be the right time to do it because he is going up against a young defensive secondary in Kentucky.

The Wildcats have struggled on defense, giving up 32 points and over 415 yards per game. These are games where Murray plays is best, so expect him to have a 250-yard, three-touchdown performance on Saturday.

Key Player for the Wildcats

There aren’t too many playmakers for the Wildcats but La’Rod King is one of the better receivers in the conference.

The senior wideout has 351 yards and four touchdowns so far this season including the lone touchdown scored last week against Arkansas last week.

King has caught 117 passes, which makes him the 13th player in school history to have 100 or more receptions in their career. He also has 17 career touchdown catches, which ties him with Steve Meilinger for fifth place on the Wildcats' career list.

The Bulldogs Will Win If...

The Bulldogs will win if they just simply play their game, which is a balanced attack on offense and applying pressure on defense.

They could not do it against South Carolina because the offensive and defensive lines could not win the battle up front. But they should have that same problem against the Wildcats who do not have great line play on either side of the ball.

The Wildcats Will Win If...

The Wildcats will win if Georgia comes out flat, and they are able to get off to a quick start.

It’s likely that freshman Jalen Whitlow will get the start at quarterback for the Wildcats, so he will have to play with more confidence and not get down on himself when things don’t go the Wildcats way.

The defense will also need to apply pressure on Murray. The Gamecocks were constantly in Murray’s face, which led to the offense only scoring seven points. If they frustrate Murray and force some early turnovers, then the Wildcats have a shot.

Prediction

On paper, this game should not be close, and by the way things are going for the Wildcats, it probably going to be what experts are predicting.

Georgia is coming off a disappointing loss and need to take their frustrations out on someone. This maybe the Wildcats’ homecoming and Bulldogs linebacker Jarvis Jones may not play due to an ankle injury. But that’s not going to matter because from the top to bottom, the talent difference between the Wildcats and the Bulldogs is night and day.

Murray, Marshall, Gurley and the Bulldogs defense will have a big day, and this game should be over midway through the third quarter.

FINAL SCORE: Georgia 45, Kentucky 10