NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Georgia Bulldogs swear they’re not mad. They say they were merely disappointed, but not angry, when Vanderbilt canceled on them last year.
Twice.
The Bulldogs’ seniors lost out on a final home game in Sanford Stadium, a Senior Day and a chance to tie a Georgia record for wins over a four-year period. But, no, they’re not upset.
Instead, No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) will resume its ancient SEC series with the Commodores (1-2, 0-0) at noon Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium (SEC Network) with grace. It will be the first time since 1952 that the Bulldogs and Vanderbilt have met in consecutive games in Nashville. Of course, there were 20 years between those games, and there will be two years separating these meetings.
“I think frustrated is the better word,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said this week of not getting to play that game last year. “Guys were just frustrated with the whole process. It was a long year, and this was at the end of it.”
Said junior tight end John FitzPatrick: “It was disappointing because we were excited to play. It happened and we moved on.”
To review, Georgia was scheduled to play Vanderbilt on Dec. 5 in Athens. But the Commodores postponed one day before, citing the SEC’s COVID-19 roster-minimum exception. The next week, the Bulldogs played a makeup game against Missouri in Columbia, while Vanderbilt played a makeup game against Tennessee. But when Georgia tried to get the Commodores to come back to Athens on Dec. 19, they declined again, also citing the SEC’s COVID policy.
Therefore, Georgia’s pandemic-shortened regular season ended at 7-2. Vandy, which had long since fired coach Derek Mason, ended the year 0-9.
“No resentment,” senior safety Christopher Smith said. “COVID took out a lot of teams and put a lot of others in a difficult position. But I’m looking forward to playing them this week.”
The Bulldogs were posted as a 35-point favorite by VegasInsider.com Wednesday afternoon. Don’t be surprised if they cover.
Here are some other considerations heading into Saturday’s contest:
Music City takeover
Georgia fans traditionally flock to “Music City” by the tens of thousands and secure the majority of the tickets in tiny Vanderbilt Stadium. The last time the Bulldogs played there, in the 2019 season opener, it was estimated that 30,000 Georgia fans were in attendance.
The Bulldogs won 30-6 in the first game of a 12-2 season that ended with a win over Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.
“Our fans travel,” senior linebacker Quay Walker remarked. “I remember last time we played Vandy, and it pretty much felt like a home game. So we enjoy that. But the main focus is to go in and win the game.”
Wreaking havoc
The Bulldogs will come out victorious if their defense continues to play the way it has to date. That is, by wreaking havoc.
For the past several years, “havoc” has been the defense’s stated goal. It’s not just a philosophy. It’s an actual statistic that Georgia keeps that quantifies turnovers, deflections, tackles for loss, quarterback pressures and sacks.
The Bulldogs have been able to meet their goal in each of the first three games. They head into the Vandy game tied for fourth in the nation with 13 sacks. They also have produced 60 quarterback pressures, five interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), nine pass deflections and 20 tackles for loss.
“We went a long time without getting a lot of sacks and getting a lots of TFLs,” Smart said. “The whole havoc thing came about probably two or three years ago. If you want to be a good havoc team, then you’ve got to move, you’ve got to stunt people, you’ve got to bring people.”
Tightening up
Perhaps one negative outcome of that attacking philosophy has been allowing more explosive plays in the passing game. South Carolina completed three passes of 31 or more yards against Georgia, including a 36-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Josh Vann. Vann beat senior cornerback Ameer Speed one-on-one down the sideline on the play. It was the first touchdown allowed by the Bulldogs’ defense this season.
Georgia defensive backs also allowed isolated explosive pass plays in wins over Clemson and Alabama-Birmingham.
“They got a couple of deep shots in the game, but we’ve just got to go back to the drawing board,” said Smith, who has a 74-yard interception return touchdown against Clemson. “On Saturdays in the SEC, guys are going to make plays. They’ve got good players, and we’ve got good players, too. Like we like to say, ‘we’re going to go to the doctor’ and get those things fixed.”
Run game concerns
Georgia heads into Game 4 looking for its first 100-yard rusher of the season. But while that may seem incredibly deficient for a program known as RBU, it’s not.
The Bulldogs did not have a 100-yard rusher until Week 5 last season, when Zamir White broke loose for 136 and a touchdown in a 14-3 win at Kentucky. White would have two more 100-plus yard games. Then-freshman Daijun Edwards was the only other Georgia back to go over the century mark, with 103 in a 49-14 win over Missouri.
While the Bulldogs are more focused on passing the ball downfield his season, they still would like to see one of their five running backs get hot.
Georgia ranks ninth in the 14-team SEC in rushing at 156 yards per game. Smart argues that the Bulldogs still are an efficient running team. He points to them running out the final 4:49 of the 10-3 win over Clemson and its nationally renown defense on nine consecutive running plays.
But, he said, “We’ve got to be better.”
Tight end U
It has been 15 years since Georgia came out of a season with a tight end as the team’s leading receiver. That was Martrez Milner, who had 30 receptions for 425 yards and three touchdowns in 2006. Milner’s work came one season after Leonard Pope led the Bulldogs with 39 catches for 541 yards and four TDs in 2005.
Tight end Brock Bowers is on pace to obliterate those marks this season. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound freshman from Napa, Calif., currently leads Georgia in receiving with 14 catches for 203 yards and two TDs. He has led the Bulldogs in receptions in each of the first three games, including five in the win over South Carolina on Saturday.
Smart was asked if that was a function of philosophy or just that Bowers has proved to be such a talented and versatile player. He said it’s the latter.
“I think it’s just based on who the tight end is,” Smart said. “… If you got a tight end that runs 4.5 (40-yard dash), then you know he presents a viable option. It’s a threat in the passing game. If he’s physical and tough enough to block and block on the perimeter, you give me any player that’s 235 pounds and can run 4.5′s, we’ll find a way to use him.”
