No. 1 Georgia faces ex-Bulldogs QB Vandagriff, Kentucky
No. 1 Georgia puts its 41-game regular-season winning streak to the test on Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Lexington, Ky., for an SEC matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats.
Georgia (2-0) hasn’t lost in the regular season since falling to Florida on Nov. 7, 2020. The Bulldogs made sure the longest streak in SEC history stood last Saturday, breezing past Tennessee Tech 48-3. Including a blowout of then-No.14 Clemson in Week 1, Georgia has outscored its first two opponents 82-6.
In Saturday’s rout, Carson Beck tied a school record with five touchdown passes in just over a half. Now preparing for the conference opener, head coach Kirby Smart’s team faces its first road test.
“That’s a tough place to play,” Smart said of Kentucky’s Kroger Field. “As you can see from every time we’ve played there, it’s been really tough. Lot of excitement playing an SEC opponent on the road, I think we know how hard that can be. It’s going to be really loud, and we’ve got to prepare for a tough, physical game, which is the way it is every time we play Kentucky.”
Saturday marks a reunion for former Georgia quarterback and current Kentucky starter Brock Vandagriff. In three seasons as backup for the Bulldogs, Vandagriff threw for 165 yards and two touchdowns in mopup duty.
The Georgia native and former five-star recruit transferred to Kentucky in December.
“What Brock did for this university was awesome,”
Smart said. “He was a wonderful teammate and a great kid who always put the team first. I have a lot of appreciation for what he did here.”
Vandagriff’s second touchdown as a Bulldog came in last year’s 51-13 win over Kentucky.
After an efficient performance in the Wildcats’ Week 1 win over visiting Southern Miss, Vandagriff and company had an abysmal offensive showing in Saturday’s 31-6 home loss to South Carolina.
Vandagriff completed just 3 of 10 passes for 30 yards and threw an interception before being replaced by Gavin Wimsatt, who was 3-for-7 passing for 14 yards and a pick.
Facing a team he knows well, Vandagriff knows a repeat of Saturday’s loss won’t cut it.
“Georgia’s got a good squad, and we’ve got a good squad, as well,” Vandagriff said. “The main thing on the mind is putting that game to bed. Making sure we get our corrections, going through those at full speed on Monday, and then we’ll attack Georgia when it’s time.”
In his 12th year as Kentucky’s head coach, Mark Stoops has yet to beat Georgia, with all but one meeting decided by double digits.
“We better turn the page quickly,” Stoops said. “But we have to own that performance first, and that’s what we’re going to do . ... We must improve. The schedule only gets harder with playing Kirby’s No. 1 team in the nation. We’ll be up for that challenge. I do expect our team to respond.”
Georgia has dominated the series, owning a 6312-2 record. Kentucky’s last win versus the Bulldogs came in 2009. The Wildcats are 3-17 all-time against No. 1 teams, most recently upsetting LSU in 2007.