Georgia Football news and notes for Wednesday

Three games, three impressive victories.

Yes, the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs appear to be rolling, heading into Saturday’s game against Kent State (Noon, ESPN+, SECNetwork+).

It also raises the question: just how good are they?

Head coach Kirby Smart will tell you—correctly, mind you—that there is still plenty of work yet to do. Nevertheless, that hasn’t kept some from pontificating whether or not this year’s Bulldogs might actually be better than last season’s national championship squad.

Such statements Smart naturally takes exception with.

“I don't do comparisons. I've said that repeatedly,” Smart said. “You can't compare anybody to last year's. Because last year's team, 15 of them are in the NFL. It's one of those things that this team has a long way to go. The worst thing that can happen to this team is to start believing what people say about them.”

Fortunately, it does not appear the Bulldogs are buying into any hype.

When asked to compare the talent to this year’s team and last, wide receiver Ladd McConkey shrugged.

“The talent is always there. Any powerhouse school, you’re going to have talent. Talent is never the question. It’s all about execution and whether you can go out there and do it,” McConkey said. “But otherwise, we’re a different team from last year. We’re not the same people. We’re just going out to do what we do. If it happens, it happens. We’re different, but we can still be really good, too.”

However, for that to happen, Smart said there are countless improvements that need to be made.

For the Bulldogs, that begins with Saturday’s contest against the Golden Flashes.

“This is a week we need to have growth. We have to get better in a lot of spots,” Smart said. “You guys (media) don't get to see it from our perspective, and the fans don't get to see it in our perspective in terms of what we see on tape and how many mistakes we make, and how many guys we need to get better. We're certainly going to need them to get better this week.”

…Dan Jackson the reaction he received after intercepting his first career pass last week at South Carolina: “Once I realized I came down with it, they just swarmed me. I really just kind of ran off the field, but I was so excited. Seeing them support me and pat me on the back means everything"

… Jackson also offered his take on backup quarterback Carson Beck, who has completed 15 of 19 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns: “He’s got one of the best arms I’ve ever seen,” Jackson said. “He can zip the ball out to the flat really quick, or expose you with the long ball. He’s really talented.”

... Darnell Washington is bigger than we thought: Georgia’s junior tight end is listed at 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds in the Bulldogs’ media guide. Actually, he’s bigger than that. After practice Wednesday, Washington revealed that he’s actually 6-7-1/2 and 280.

… Defensive tackle Zion Logue credits those years going against former teammates now in the NFL for making him the player he is today: “Two thousand nineteen—that was the year that molded me. Andrew Thomas, Solomon Kindley, Trey Hill, Cade Mays, Ben Cleveland, Isaiah Wilson … you look across that line, there’s nothing more that can prepare you for SEC football,” Logue said. “That played a big thing in my life because that’s what I tried to make myself my first two years, a run stopper. It’s what built me to what I am today."

… Another award for Bowers: Tight end Brock Bowers picked up another honor Wednesday when he was named the Mackey Award Tight End of the Week. Bowers posted the fifth 100-yard receiving game of his career and scored three touchdowns in a game for the second time during the 48-7 rout at South Carolina. He had a team-high five receptions for 121 yards and two scores, including a 78-yard touchdown catch that put Georgia up 31-0 in the third quarter.

… During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Smart cited Kendall Milton’s improvement as a receiver out of the backfield: “Kendall is a hard worker and does a great job each and every day. He’s had some banged up injuries that have held him back a couple of times,” Smart said of Milton, who has four catches for 65 yards and a score. “He’s worked so hard to catch the ball better out of the I in the last year. He picked that as something he wanted to work on and has shown a lot of maturity to improve in that area.”

... Kearis Jackson, Kent State linebacker C.J. Harris: old friends: Georgia's senior wide receiver and the transfer linebacker at Kent State will renew acquaintances Saturday. “I played with C. J. Harris growing up," Jackson said. "He plays defense there. Growing up, we used to battle a lot, because we played on the same team."

Jackson said he's been impressed by what he's seen from the Golden Flashes. "When I came in on Sunday I went to Bryan McClendon's office and we were watching the first series of the (Kent State versus) Oklahoma game. Those boys out there were flying around, so I have a lot of respect for Kent State and the way they play," Jackson said. "They have played against multiple power-five opponents already: Washington, Oklahoma—if you watch those games, they play hard."