Stats Crunch

After the schedules were switched around, the Georgia Bulldogs will be taking on the Kentucky Wildcats this Saturday afternoon a Halloween treat. The last time the Dawgs played on All Hallows Eve was in 2015, against the Gators, and Georgia lost pretty bad—27-3. The last time Georgia won on the holiday was in 1981 when they defeated Temple 49-3. The last time Georgia defeated a team from the SEC on that date was in 1942 against Alabama 21-10 in Atlanta (in 1970, they defeated South Carolina, which wasn’t yet part of the conference). So here are some more treats for you, as the Dawgs and Cats get ready to battle in this week’s Stats Crunch.

Georgia has a commanding 59-12-2 record against Kentucky, including a 28-7 record in Lexington. The Bulldogs won every meeting against the Wildcats last decade, and their ten straight wins matches their longest win-streak against the Cats (1978-1987). If the Bulldogs win on Saturday, the Wildcats will become the third team against whom the Dawgs have 60 wins.

Kirby Smart is a perfect 4-0 against Kentucky as a head coach. As a player, he was 3-1 against the Wildcats. In his career, he picked off future No. 1 draft pick Tim Couch four times (two in 1997 and 1998). Here's a list of how he's done against the SEC and Georgia Tech as both a player and as a head coach.

The last decade was the first time the Bulldogs ever won ten meetings in a decade against a single opponent. During that time, the Dawgs have dominated, as you can see here.

The current Bulldogs need to regroup after losing to the Crimson Tide. Under Kirby Smart, Georgia has not lost back-to-back to conference opponents since his first season as head coach.

Stetson Bennett suffered his first loss as a starter, but overall has played quite well. Here's how Bennett has done by quarter, leading up to Alabama and against the Crimson Tide.

Georgia had 145 yards rushing against Alabama, averaging 4.8 yards per run. Zamir White led the way with 57 yards, and Kendall Milton added 44 more. White also scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the season. He is one of four players in the SEC that have at least one rushing touchdown in every game their team has played this season (he also had one in the Sugar Bowl, so his streak is five games). Here's my weekly list of Georgia’s five main running backs and how they have fared each quarter this season.

As a receiver, running back James Cook had a big night, hauling in a career-high four receptions for another career high: 101 yards. He also scored his first career touchdown reception. He became the first Georgia running back to have one hundred yards receiving in a game since Tyson Browning in the 2003 regular season game against LSU. Here are the top eight games in terms of yards receiving by a Georgia running back since 1996.

George Pickens led the way with five receptions, and Jermaine Burton added his first career touchdown reception. Pickens is a sophomore, while Burton is a freshman. Check out this graphic showing which Georgia classes are receiving the ball this season.

Despite the loss, Georgia’s defense is still among the leaders in many categories. Najee Harris had a rushing touchdown (his FBS-leading 14th of the season) against the Bulldogs. It was the first time the Dawgs defense allowed a rushing touchdown by an opposing running back since the 2018 SEC Championship game (also Alabama). Georgia has allowed three rushing touchdowns total since the beginning of last season. Here are the five best in that category. As you can see, the Bulldogs have played more games as well among the others on this list.

Georgia’s defense also registered three sacks against Alabama. The Bulldogs have had at least three of these in each of their last three games. The Dawgs are second in the SEC with 13 sacks this season (LSU has 14). In the Bulldogs' eight regular season contests against conference foes in 2019, the Dawgs had just 15 sacks. This season, Azeez Ojulari leads the team with three, followed by two apiece from Adam Anderson and Channing Tindall. Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith have one and a half, and Malik Herring, Jermaine Johnson, and Monty Rice have one.

Georgia has led the SEC in sacks just three times since the statistic has been kept (2002, 2004 and 2007).