Most fans hate it, but according to left guard Justin Shaffer, the fact Saturday’s key SEC game against No. 8 Arkansas kicks off at noon is an advantage for the No. 2 Bulldogs.

The reason?

Just last week, Georgia kicked off at 11 a.m. CT against Vanderbilt. The early wake-up call was no problem, as the Bulldogs exploded for 35 first-quarter points en route to their 62-0 win.

‘I feel like having back-to-back early kickoffs is going to be an advantage, just because we already had to wake up early last Saturday” Shaffer said. “So, I don’t think it’s going to be a struggle or as hard as it was last week. We’ll be prepared for the game.”

Punter Jake Camarda does not believe it will be a big issue, either.

"It helps having one last weekend. No matter what time we are playing at, pretty much all of us have played at just about any time, any time slot that we've been given. Having it last weekend was cool,” Camarda said. “Adjustments wise, it really doesn't change too much for us. The only thing it changes is just that you have to wake up a little bit earlier, which isn't really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Other than that, it's really not that much different, just a little bit earlier in the day."

Shaffer was asked if it’s ever been hard to drag himself out of bed early on Saturday mornings.

“I’m always ready to go,” Shaffer said. “I always set my alarm way before we have to get up, so I can get my mind right and ready to go play ball.”

Kirby Smart is always the first to tell you he does not put a ton of stock in recruiting evaluations that aren’t his own.

No offense to those who do that for a living. It’s when it comes to offering scholarships and deciding what players to bring to Georgia, the eye test is always the determining factor.

So, although you'll see the stars align (no pun intended) where coaches and evaluators will agree, Smart says the secret to Georgia’s recruiting success is determined by what they see for themselves.

“I mean, I don't know how other organizations do it, so it's hard to compare,” Smart said. “I do know how we do it, and I mean, I don't think any college coach would tell you, they make decisions based on what the recruiting rankings say.”

A quick perusal of Georgia’s depth chart will show that to be true.

While you certainly see numerous five-stars dotting the Georgia roster, there are also plenty of contributors that didn't receive the same hype, who are doing quite well.

Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was a four-star. However, when Smart first saw his film, he was not necessarily impressed. It was only when Mitchell made it to campus for camp that Smart and Georgia’s other offensive coaches changed their minds.

“I really have found that if you go off camp, it’s a hell of a lot better accuracy than any ranking or anything, even the tape you see in high school,” Smart said. “We didn't love Adonai Mitchell’s high school tape, and we were like, man, I got question marks, but we loved him in camp, and we loved his Covid workouts, and I get a lot more accuracy with information.”

That was all Smart needed to see.

“To me information removes arrows, and we're in a game of not making mistakes, right? We're trying to get the right kind of kids, talk about mentally and physically, and we go through a lot of evaluation,” Smart said. “We’ve been wrong, we've made mistakes, as much as anybody. But I do think character matters more now than ever.”

Three-star wide receiver Ladd McConkey is a great example.

The redshirt freshman only had a handful of mid-level offers before Smart brought him onto campus for a workout.

“You know, guys like Ladd, who do a tremendous job and have speed,” Smart said. “I'm like, 'Shoot, man, why would this guy not be a good player?' He is. “

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has had plenty to say about Georgia’s defense, particularly the front seven.

“They’ve always played extremely hard. It just seems like this year that they’re playing with so much confidence, and they’re running to the ball,” Pittman said on Wednesday. “That’s a staple of Dan Lanning and Kirby Smart. It’s how Georgia plays.”

Pittman knows the challenge his offensive line will be facing better than most. Most of Georgia’s front seven were still around when he was the offensive line coach of the Bulldogs.

“They have just outstanding talent, very physical, a very big defense, and all 11 of them can really run. But I think more importantly is they are playing so well together,” Pittman said. “They’re playing good team defense. The stats don’t lie; they’re kicking a lot of butt right now.”

After his team was defeated 62-0 by Georgia last Saturday, many took Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea’s comments as if he were not giving the Bulldogs their proper due.

That certainly was not the case during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. When asked by an Arkansas writer to give his take on Georgia, Lea had plenty of positive words to say.

“The defense is as good as I’ve competed against in a while,” said Lea, who came to Nashville from Notre Dame, where he was the defensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish.

“They’re big, physical, well-coached; they play hard. They create issues at the line of scrimmage with both size and athleticism,” Lea said. “It’s a good formula they have.”

Lea was impressed with the Dawgs' offense as well.

“Offensively, they were more than we could handle. Their quarterback gets the plays out, gets the offense in rhythm. The tight end (Brock Bowers) is really good. They’ve got tools. It’s a well-coached team, and Coach Smart has done a nice job building and developing that roster,” Lea said. “They came into our stadium and played really soundly. They were ready when the ball was put on the tee, and they earned the victory. We’ve got to get better on a competitive level, but they’re a good team, and I’m sure will continue to represent themselves well as the season goes on.”

… Punter Jake Camarda on Scott Cochran being back in town and hopefully returning to the team soon: “Coach Cochran is awesome; he's a huge part of the family here. Everybody on this team loves him. We're just continuing to support him, and everybody on this team is here for him. We all love him dearly, and it's awesome to hear he's doing so much better. We're really looking forward to him just continuing to be the guy he is."

… During the SEC Teleconference, Smart said his defense is not buying into the hype: "I don't know that we are playing to our full potential. We're going to face better offenses than we've already faced, so we're not really buying into all that hype. We have to play. We have to play better. So I think that verdict is still out."

… Smart on Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles’ offensive concepts: "Everything. You have to defend the entire field. He does a good job. He's not limited to what he does. He does what the players do well. When you have a quarterback like KJ (Jefferson), it creates issues and problems for defenses. Then you have good match-up guys. Speed at running back. He has a really good team."