Three storylines
Bus rolls on. The Bulldogs arrive at Saturday's game against Kentucky having won eight consecutive games since dropping their first two to No. 5 Boise State and No. 10 South Carolina. The winning streak was possible, coaches and players say, by adhering to the team credo this season, "Get on the Bus," as in "get on or get off because we're rolling on." That attitude has put Georgia in position to clinch the SEC East title and a championship-game berth with a victory Saturday.
Senior Day. Twenty-four players will be recognized in Senior Day ceremonies before the game. Among the seniors who will play his last home game are six starters: offensive linemen Justin Anderson, Cordy Glenn and Ben Jones; fullback Bruce Figgins; defensive end DeAngelo Tyson and cornerback/kick returner Brandon Boykin. They're 32-17 over the past four seasons.
Mark Richt's milestones. A victory Saturday will go a long way toward assuring that Richt will continue as Georgia's head coach beyond this season. Richt has only two years remaining on his contract after this season and was not extended last season after his first losing season (6-7). A win would give him his fifth shared or outright SEC East title in 11 seasons and fourth championship-game appearance. As East champs, UGA almost certainly will extend Richt's deal after the season.
A Georgia win would ...
- Clinch its first SEC championship-game berth since 2005
- Be the 33rd for the Bulldogs' senior class
A Kentucky win would ...
- Be its third in past six games against Georgia and second in row in Athens
- Be its second SEC victory this season
Keep an eye on ...
For Georgia: Boykin. He will start his 35th game for the Bulldogs — tops among defensive players — while also returning kickoffs, punts and taking occasional snaps on offense as a running back or receiver. He owns the school record with 2,469 yards in kickoff returns and with 30 yards Saturday, will move into second all-time in the SEC.
For Kentucky: CoShik Williams. The 5-foot-9, 178-pound tailback from Hiram has provided a spark in the Wildcats' running game after a pair of fellow Georgians — Josh Clemons and Raymond Sanders — went down with injuries. In the past four games Williams has averaged 86.3 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns.
The numbers game
4 National rank for Georgia's defense
9 Wins in a row for the Dogs, should they defeat Kentucky. That would be their most in a season since going 11-0 in 1982.
The history book
Series record: Georgia leads 50-12-2, including 24-4-2 at Sanford Stadium
Last time: On Oct. 23, 2010, in Lexington, Ky., Georgia tailback Washaun Ealey set a school record with five rushing touchdowns, and Boykin added a 100-yard kickoff return as the Bulldogs overwhelmed Kentucky 44-31.
The bottom line
A 30 1/2-point favorite, Georgia (8-2, 6-1 SEC) should win easily. The Wildcats (4-6, 1-5) rank 109th or worse nationally in six statistical categories and are coming off a 38-8 loss to Vanderbilt, and the Bulldogs are among the top 10 in five categories. Expect a big day for quarterback Aaron Murray and the Georgia defense.
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