WHERE: Sanford Stadium

WHEN: Saturday, Noon

RECORDS: Georgia 3-0; Kent State 1-2

TV/RADIO: SEC Network+/ESPN+ (Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stincomb, Tera Talmadge); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, D.J. Shockley); Sirius/XM – 137 or 190

The top-ranked Bulldogs will be looking for their 13th-straight home victory when they entertain Kent State at noon on Saturday.

Georgia comes into the contest second in the SEC in total offense (532.2), with an SEC-best 7.9 yards per play.

Of course, much of that is due to quarterback Stetson Bennett who along with backup Carson Beck, leads the SEC in passing offense (376.7 yards per game). Bennett has five touchdown passes with no interceptions and is completing 74 percent of his passes for 952 yards despite only playing in the first three quarters of Georgia’s three games.

Defensively, the Bulldogs come into play leading the nation in scoring defense at 3.3points per game and is one of only three FBS teams to allow just one touchdown this year.

RB Andrew Paul – ACL, out for the year

WR Arian Smith – Ankle, doubtful

CB Nyland Green – Hamstring, doubtful

DL Jalen Carter – Ankle, questionable

WR AD Mitchell – ankle, questionable

TE Arik Gilbert - not injured but did not travel last week to South Carolina and not expected to play this week as he is being held out while he deals with personal issues.

Offense

QB Stetson Bennett—Off to a great start, completing 65 of 88 passes for 952 yards and five touchdowns.

RB Kenny McIntosh—Leads Georgia in receiving with 15 catches for 192 yards. Has rushed 16 times for 63.

RB Kendall Milton – Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 28 carries for 167 yards and two touchdowns

TE Brock Bowers— Coming off his biggest day of the year after catching five passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns against South Carolina. He also rushed for a score.

TE Darnell Washington—Devastating blocker is also playing a bigger role in the passing game with five catches for 81 yards.

WR Ladd McConkey—Has 10 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.

LT Broderick Jones—Finally reaching his potential. Consistently grades out among the highest of Georgia’s offensive linemen

RT Warren McClendon—Underrated by some, many believe McClendon is the best offensive lineman on the team. Showed his versatility by playing both right and left tackle against both Oregon and Samford.

C Sedrick Van Pran—Quarterback of the offensive line is becoming one of the best at the position in the SEC.

Defense

DT Jalen Carter—Was limited to nine snaps against South Carolina due to a minor ankle injury. Coaches may decide to limit him once again before the Bulldogs resume SEC play next week at Missouri.

DE Mykel Williams—Has Georgia’s one and only sack of the year.

LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson—Anchors the defense at middle linebacker with 10 tackles.

LB Smael Mondon—Has started three straight; tied with Malaki Starks for the team lead in tackles with 11.

OLB Nolan Smith—Two of his six tackles have both been for lost yardage.

CB Kelee Ringo—Sophomore cornerback has rarely been thrown on three games into the season.

CB Kamari Lassiter—Has been solid opposite Ringo, despite a pair of personal foul penalties.

S Christopher Smith—Veteran is the eyes and ears of the secondary. Picked off a pass against Oregon, almost taking it to the house. He’s also got two tackles for lost yardage.

S Malaki Starks—True freshman is off to a great start. Tied for the team lead in tackles with 11 and leads the team with two interceptions.

Stay Healthy: With SEC play set to resume next week at Missouri, keeping the troops healthy is Job 1 for the Bulldogs. There are some bumps and bruises, with a couple of players likely to miss the game. Georgia doesn’t need any more.

Clean up any defensive alignment issues: Although you probably cannot tell due to the fact the Bulldogs have only allowed one touchdown, this is an area where head coach Kirby Smart would like to see his defenders clean up some things and be in better position to make plays.

Keep the good times rolling: Georgia’s offense has been one of the country’s best. Nobody expects it to be any different Saturday, but Smart will want to see his team execute with the same proficiency ahead of next week’s game at Mizzou.

…Collin Schlee takes over from Dustin Crum as the Flashes starting quarterback. While Schlee has seen action over the last two seasons, he had never started a game in college until this year. So far, he has completed 33 of 55 passes for 508 yards and three touchdowns. Schlee is the only Kent State quarterback to have thrown a collegiate pass, firing 38 prior to this season.

…The Golden Flashes are the ONLY team in the nation to face three power-5 teams in the non-conference (Washington, Oklahoma, Georgia). All three teams have made the College Football Playoff, (Washington-2017), (Oklahoma: 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020), (Georgia: 2018, 2022). Kent State joins Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers as teams that will face three former CFP teams over the course of the season.

…Kent State’s high tempo offense produces some lightning quick scoring drives. All nine of the Flashes’ scoring drives against LIU were under five minutes, eight were under four minutes and three were under two minutes.

…Wide receiver Dante Cephas had a breakout year in 2021. He became the first Golden Flash to top 1,000 yards receiving since 1997. His 82 catches and 1,240 yards were third in the Mid-American Conference. His 1,240 yards last year are eighth-most in the FBS for a receiver returning for the 2022 season. For the second-straight season, Cephas was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, given annually to the best receiver in college football, regardless of position.

Expecting absolutely no problems with this one. Yes, Kent State played Oklahoma tough for a half, trailing only 7-3. But if the Golden Flashes didn't score a touchdown against the Sooners, they won't do it against the Bulldogs.
It will be another big day for Stetson Bennett who will throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns.

Georgia 49, Kent State 0.