Grading Georgia Football's Performance vs. Western Kentucky

Sep 12, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Khamari Brooks (15) reacts with safety Khalil Barnes (7) after recovering a fumble against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Georgia Bulldogs just beat Western Kentucky 70-20 on Saturday. This comes a week after beating Tennessee State 63-3. The Dawgs are off to a historic start in terms of points scored and margin of victory. Georgia scored on offense, defense and special teams this weekend. Let’s grade the Dawgs. 

Offense: A

Last week, we broke this down between starters and reserves. Let’s keep it simpler. Georgia was up 42-0 in the middle of the second quarter. Gunner Stockton played six drives and, like last week, Georgia scored a touchdown on every single drive that he has played. Georgia has been extremely efficient on that side of the ball.

There was a noticeable drop off when the second unit started to rope in, but this is a case where you can cut them a break. There was a downpour of rain that the starters did not experience, and it was clear that the plan was to chew the clock and get out of the game once the reserves were in. 

Defense: B+

Just like with the offense, we are going to keep it simpler and just grade the unit as a whole. The starters, like their offensive counterpart, played about as close to lights out as you can get. Second string players were subbing in by the time points were allowed to Western Kentucky. 

The reserves allowed Western Kentucky to put 20 points on the board and let them get into the end zone twice, so there is a knock there. The B+ was earned because of the defensive touchdowns. That was worth a half-grade bump. 

Special Teams: A+

There were no special teams blunders this week. In fact, the Dawgs excelled in this phase of football on Saturday. Linebacker AJ Kruah forced a fumble on the opening kickoff. Georgia recovered it and the offense was able to get the football right away inside the redzone. 

True freshman defensive back Tyriq Green took a 91-yard kickoff return to the house in the second half. It was the first time that a Georgia player returned a kick for a touchdown since 2016. In addition to this all kicks were made on Saturday. Between scoring and forcing a turnover on special teams, this will be a difficult performance for the Dawgs to top this season, earning a rare A+.