Top-ranked Bulldogs hardly expect to relax during open week
There is good news this week for most college football fans.
Nobody gets to lose to Georgia.
The top-ranked Bulldogs have reached their lone open date of the season with a 7-0 record, having reeled off six consecutive double-digit wins since their opening 10-3 triumph over Clemson in Charlotte. Georgia ascended to the top spot in the rankings after Alabama lost at Texas A&M on Oct. 9, with the Bulldogs showing no jitters as the nation’s premier team during this past Saturday’s 30-13 thumping of No. 11 Kentucky inside Sanford Stadium.
“We’re proud of what we’ve done,” fifthyear senior quarterback Stetson Bennett said. “It would be silly not to be, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have each and every opportunity to get better at each and every position.”
Georgia’s impressive run to this point also includes a 5-0 record in Southeastern Conference games by the average score of 41-7. Before defeating Kentucky for a 12th consecutive occasion, the Bulldogs prevailed 34-10 at No. 18 Auburn, holding the Tigers to their lowest point total inside Jordan-Hare Stadium in more than six years.
In the opener, Georgia held Clemson to its lowest point total and rushing yardage total (2) in the Dabo Swinney era that began midway through the 2008 season.
“We’ve got a lot of things we think we can improve on,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. “We’ll work on all of our upcoming opponents on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We’re going to visit with the team, and we’re going to give them a choice — ‘Do you want to flatline and stay where you are, or do you want to continue and ascend and get better?’
“There are a lot of things we can get better at, and we need to for this stretch run. We also need to get healthy.”
Despite his continued drive, Smart is appreciative of a defense that is allowing just 208.4 yards per game, saying, “There is no selfishness. They all buy in.”
The 46 points allowed by the Bulldogs so far is their lowest seven-game total in 50 years. They lead the nation comfortably in scoring defense (6.6) and total defense.
Georgia’s stretch run includes longtime SEC Eastern Division rivals Florida (Oct. 30) and Tennessee (Nov. 13), as well as state-rival Georgia Tech (Nov. 27). All three of those games will take place away from Athens, but that unranked trio has a combined mark of 11-9.
The Bulldogs plan to take nothing for granted.
“I feel like we’ve done nothing,” junior inside linebacker Nakobi Dean said. “Being No. 1 doesn’t matter. Nothing changes at all, so we’ve got to keep working.”
HONORS CONTINUE
Georgia sophomore Jalen Carter was named Monday as the SEC defensive lineman of the week, while tight end Brock Bowers was named SEC freshman of the week for a second time.
The Bulldogs already have amassed 10 SEC weekly honors through their first seven games.