Keys to The Victory - How Georgia's Offense Gets the Job Done on Saturday
The No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs enter Saturday's contest against the No. 20 ranked Kentucky Wildcats as 14.5 point favorites at home. Georgia has won the last 13 football games, the longest active winning streak in the series's 80-year history, covering a total of 76 games, 62 of which Georgia has won.
If Georgia is going to handle business Saturday against this Mark Stoops-led football team, they will need several keys to the victory.
Offensive Keys to the Win - How UGAs OIffnese Gets the Job Done vs. Kentucky
Pass to Run
Through five football games, this Georgia team has not run the football effectively, or at least not to the standards they've become accustomed to. They've dealt with a multitude of injuries at both the running back position and along the offensive line with starting right tackle Amarius Mims suffering a high-ankle injury. They haven't exactly seen heavy boxes this season, but the recipe for rushing success this season hasn't been from the usual "We are Georgia and we are going to lean on you" style of football.
Kentucky is a big and physical front. They will play multiple 330+ pounders that have elite athleticism. They are leading the conference in rushing yards allowed per game, allowing just 71,8 yards per game (5th in FBS).
This is an offense that's going to rely this season on extensions of the run game on the perimeter — arrow screens to Brock Bowers, tunnel screens to Ladd McConkey/Dominic Lovett — and they have to be elite in the perimeter blocking department for that extension of the run game to continue. Passing to run.
Carson Beck prepares for the snap vs Auburn / Photo - Tony Walsh/UGAA
Stay Ahead of the Sticks
Sure, Carson Beck was 8/10 on this down last week on the road vs Auburn, and sure he's completed 14/18 passes on 3rd & 7+ on the season, but those kind of astronomical performances in historically difficult situations aren't subject to continue, are they?
Either way, ideally as an offense you manage to get in a 3rd and manageable situation a lot more often moving forward as the season progresses and the defenses continue to get better, like this one in Kentucky. Just because Beck has proven the ability to survive in the toughest of times doesn't mean you shouldn't work to let him thrive in simpler situations.
Play Complementary Football
There will be a 15+ scoring drive from Kentucky on Saturday. It's bound to happen. Back in 2021 when Kentucky came to Athens with the same offensive coordinator in Liam Coen, the Wildcats had one scoring drive of 13 plays, and another scoring drive of 22 plays, against THAT historic 2021 defense.
So, when it happens, it's important that Georgia's offense play complementary football and protect their defense with a death drive of their own in that moment. You don't have to meet Kentucky where they are, you don't have to play in the mud like them, but you can't have a three and out in that moment either. You can't afford to allow them to compound possessions like they did a week ago against Florida. Florida took 7 offensive snaps in the first quarter of last week's football game. That cannot happen. You will gas out any defense at that point.
Writer's note: If you like this, we did the defensive keys on Wednesday.
How to Watch Georgia vs. Kentucky
- Gameday: Saturday, Oct. 7. 2023
- Game time: 7:00 pm ET
- TV: ESPN
- Location: Dooley Field aat Sanford Stadium (Athens, Georgia)
- Live stream on fuboTV: Start with a 7-day free trial!
- Stream on ESPN - HERE
Other Georgia News:
- WATCH: Carson Beck Speaks Following UAB Win
- Georgia's Perfect Redzone Efficiency Key to 49-21 Victory Over UAB
- BREAKING: Kirby Smart Makes SEC Coaching History
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