Kentucky vs. Georgia football game first look: Story lines, key players, odds and more
LEXINGTON — For only the fifth time in the past 70 years, Kentucky football is 5-0. More than half of those starts have come under Mark Stoops (2023, 2021, 2018).
This week is a callback to the 2021 campaign, as UK hits the road to face an undefeated Georgia squad. Two years ago, both teams were 6-0 when they met at Sanford Stadium. After a close first half, the top-ranked Bulldogs pulled away to win 30-13.
The 20th-ranked Wildcats hope to flip the script Saturday night. Kentucky (5-0, 2-0 SEC) enters Saturday off its best game of the season, beating Florida 33-14 at home. Not only was it the Wildcats' third straight win over the Gators — only the second time that's been done since the end of World War II — but it was their largest margin of victory in the series since a 31-3 triumph in 1979.
Top-ranked Georgia (5-0, 2-0) remained among the ranks of the unbeaten after rallying on the road to beat its oldest rival, Auburn, 27-20.
Here are three story lines to watch ahead of Saturday's SEC clash:
Numerous streaks on the line
Stoops is 0-10 against Georgia as Kentucky's coach. The Bulldogs are 31-4-2 in home games against the Wildcats. UK hasn't beaten the Bulldogs since 2009, a 13-game skid.
Kentucky looks to end many lengthy streaks as it heads to Athens, Georgia.
The Bulldogs have won 22 consecutive games, the longest win streak in school history and tied for the fifth longest by an SEC school, alongside the Tim Tebow-led Florida teams of 2008 and 2009.
Georgia's last loss came to Alabama in the 2021 SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs avenged that loss in the College Football Playoff national title contest a month later.
Georgia also owns the longest active regular-season win streak among FBS teams, now at 32. Its last regular-season setback came in 2020 against Florida. That doubles as the Bulldogs' last loss in a regular-season conference game; since then, they have won 21 consecutive SEC regular-season games.
Georgia is also chasing a program record for home victories. The Bulldogs have won their last 22 games in Athens, which is two away from the mark (24) set from 1980 to 1983. (The first triumph in Georgia's current home win streak was a 21-0 win over Kentucky in 2019.)
A shared nonconference opponent
While Kentucky and Georgia are both SEC schools, the only common opponent they've played so far comes from another league: Ball State, of the Mid-American Conference.
The Wildcats eased past the Cardinals 44-14 in their season opener. A week later, Georgia topped Ball State 45-3.
Though only one point separates the Wildcats and Bulldogs' totals in those games, they did so in different ways. Georgia scored three rushing touchdowns and passed for two more. Kentucky had two rushing touchdowns and a passing TD, but scored once on defense (a fumble return by Jalen Geiger) and once on special teams (a kickoff return by Barion Brown).
While the Wildcats recorded a defensive touchdown against the Cardinals, the Bulldogs were far stingier in their matchup, allowing Ball State fewer yards (224; UK gave up 295), first downs (13; UK allowed 18) and forcing more turnovers (three; UK had one).
What can Ray Davis do for an encore?
Ray Davis' 280 rushing yards against Florida were the third-most in a single game in UK's modern history (post-World War II). His four total touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) tied a single game school mark. His rushing yardage is the most by any FBS player in a game this season.
Davis will face a Georgia run defense coming off its worst performance in nearly half a decade: Auburn ran for 219 yards, the first team to eclipse 200 rushing yards against the Bulldogs since LSU in 2018 (275 yards).
Davis has logged at least one touchdown in all five games this season, making him the first Wildcat to score in each of UK's first five games since fellow running back Artose Pinner (2002).
Three Kentucky players to watch
Ray Davis, fifth-year senior running back: After last week, Davis obviously is the top Wildcat to follow Saturday. Putting last week's epic performance aside, Davis has been UK's most consistent offensive weapon all season. And he's on pace to shatter the program's single-season touchdown record. He has 11 heading into the Week 6 game.
Devin Leary, sixth-year senior quarterback: With Davis in the spotlight last week, Leary remained in the background, posting season lows in multiple statistical categories: completions (nine), attempts (20), yards (69) and completion percentage (45%). With the Bulldogs likely to stack the box to try to slow Davis, Leary will be asked to do far more Saturday night. And he'll have to be at his best — Georgia is allowing only 173.8 passing yards per game and has an SEC-best eight interceptions, which is tied for third most nationally.
Trevin Wallace, junior linebacker: The Georgia native picked off a pass last week, but has notched just three tackles in the past two games (after collecting 24 in Kentucky's first three contests). He'll be looking to reassert himself in his home state in a high-profile matchup against the country's No. 1 team.
Three Georgia players to watch
Carson Beck, fourth-year junior quarterback: Beck has thrown for 1,497 yards, which ranks second in the SEC to LSU's Jayden Daniels (1,710), this season. He has completed 72% (116 for 161) of his attempts for seven touchdowns and two interceptions. While he's not a dual-threat quarterback, he has added a pair of rushing scores.
Brock Bowers, junior tight end: In the argument for college football's best player regardless of position, Bowers is a headache for opposing defenses. He led the Bulldogs in receptions (nine) last week for a career-high 157 receiving yards and a touchdown. He has 23 TD receptions at Georgia, which ranks third in the program's record book.
Smael Mondon, junior linebacker: Mondon led the Bulldogs in tackles (76) last season and is at the top of the charts through five games this fall (25). He tallied 11 tackles in last week's win over Auburn, tying his single-game career high.
Kentucky vs. Georgia odds
Georgia is a 17-point favorite at home against Kentucky, according to the DraftKings college football odds.
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How to watch Kentucky vs. Georgia football game
Who: No. 20 Kentucky (5-0, 2-0 SEC) at No. 1 Georgia (5-0, 2-0)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7
Where: Sanford Stadium; Athens, Georgia
TV: ESPN
Radio: Tom Leach (play-by-play), Jeff Piecoro (analyst) and Dick Gabriel (sideline) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington and online at UKAthletics.com. The game also will be carried on satellite radio: Sirius (Channel 138), XM (Channel 190) and the SiriusXM app (Channel 961).
Streaming: Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football, Mark Stoops vs. Georgia Bulldogs in Week 6 SEC game
