For as frustrating as the home loss was last weekend to Alabama, the Georgia Bulldogs cannot afford to drop its next game in any capacity. This is because the Kentucky Wildcats are arguably the easiest of six SEC opponents Georgia has left on its schedule. The fact that the Dawgs have won 15 in a row dating back to 2010 means this team needs to be locked in to avoid another amazing streak ending.
Truth be told, it remains to be seen where the Georgia players' heads are at. Yes, Georgia is infinitely more talented than Kentucky, but entering a game with that type of attitude can get you beat. Georgia can afford one more loss this season, but it absolutely cannot come at home to Kentucky. It is why when players say something that is the epitome of bulletin-board material should have us all worried.
Wide receiver London Humphreys likes noon games, calling the Kentucky date as a "doughnut" game.
"You kind of wake up, eat a doughnut, play some football, like you did when you were a kid. I’m a fan of them, honestly, the noon games. You get out there and just get to play. There’s not too much time to think.”
Defensive lineman Jordan Hall echoed Humphreys' sentiment by wishing that he could play right now.
“Man, if I could play right now, I would, you know what I’m saying? Like, if I go out there and play right now, I would. But like I said, preparation is needed. We need preparation. We need to go review the game, what we did wrong, what we did right.”
However, head coach Kirby Smart did say that Kentucky always plays Georgia with great physicality.
“Every time we play Kentucky, we always say it’s one of the most physical games of the year. I think all SEC games are physical, but this one over the years, doing about a nine- or 10-year history, whatever it’s been, it’s been super physical, a lot of runs, been some tough weather games, been some really tight battles, some low-scoring battles.”
Georgia has an opportunity to let the Alabama game be the turning point, or settle for mediocrity...
Georgia giving off the impression it is going to be taking Kentucky lightly
When Stewart Mandel and Seth Emerson of The Athletic contemplated if Georgia has peaked under Kirby Smart, this concept was not factored into the equation. Humphreys' comment may have been harmless, but you cannot say something like that with your team's season on the brink after you just ended a 33-game home-winning streak. He briefly went to Vanderbilt! Be smarter than this, please!
For those who think Georgia is going to cake walk to a victory over Kentucky, does anyone care to remember what happened in Lexington around this time last year? It was a horrendously ugly game for the offense. Georgia willed its way to victory in the end, but Kentucky loves to muddy it up vs. the Dawgs, especially at home. This game may be at Sanford Stadium, but Mark Stoops is still in charge.
Supposedly, Stoops is Smart's closest friend among SEC head coaches. They are sort of cut from the same cloth. They are ultra-competitive in battle, but the Dawgs always come out on top. With Stoops' job very much on the line this season, Smart's team cannot let Kentucky get a program-defining win under any circumstances. How about after they win by 22, they can all have doughnuts?
If Georgia wants to be a seen as a serious College Football Playoff contender, go dominate Kentucky.