UGA Football: Bulldogs Playing ‘Like We Have Something To Prove’

It’s not like the Georgia football team isn’t aware of the incredible run the Bulldogs have been on for more than two years. The guys know, and the returning players have a big national championship ring to remind them of what happened last season, but one of the keys to sustaining success is not being caught up in that success.

Easier said than done.

“It’s just our standard,” senior running back Kenny McIntosh said this week as the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Bulldogs wrap up SEC play at Kentucky. “Every week, we know what we’ve got to do. It’s just another opponent, somebody in our way. … You go out and practice hard, and the game should take care of itself.”

Fifth-year wide receiver Kearis Jackson said he tries to savor the success when he can, “but at the same time, you have to keep your mind locked in on what’s the main point of this season. With us going to the national championship last year, and all we went through at that point, we kind of have a great feel of what it takes to get to that next level again.”

Georgia had a record 15 players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, but plenty of starters, particularly on offense, were back, as were defensive veterans like linebacker Nolan Smith, defensive backs Christopher Smith and Kelee Ringo, and defensive tackle Jalen Carter. This season also shows off the Bulldogs’ recruiting depth, with the defense right back among the top 10 in the country — as is the Georgia offense — both in scoring and yardage.

“A lot of guys that we had on the team last year are still on the team this year, so they already know the expectations that we have to have to get to where we want to go,” Jackson said.

And by expectations, Jackson means the expected level of work and commitment — in practice, in the weight room, in the film room, in how they take care of their bodies. The Bulldogs’ practices, under the direction of coach Kirby Smart and his staff, are high-energy and high-intensity. The team puts on full pads on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the offense and defense going at each other like it was Saturday.

“I feel like the way we prepared through the week, man, the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday practices, those days we get after it — we practice hard, we really practice hard. I feel like the game isn’t won on Saturday, the game is won throughout the week,” sophomore defensive back Javon Bullard said following the Bulldogs’ 27-13 over then-No. 1 Tennessee on Nov. 5.

Georgia (10-0, 7-0 SEC) is facing a Kentucky (6-4, 3-4) team that reached as high as No. 7 in the polls in October but has struggled since. The Wildcats may be coming off a home loss to Vanderbilt — it was the Commodores’ first SEC win since 2019 — but the Bulldogs aren’t about to treat Mark Stoops’ squad lightly.

“I think there’s a major league respect for Kentucky in our program because the kids that have played against Kentucky, it’s been a bloodbath, man,” Smart said this week. “Like, the game last year was so physical, so tough, rugged, and they run a lot of physical runs, we like to run a lot of physical runs, and you end up just clanging against each other. … So, our guys respect Kentucky, I respect Coach Stoops, and what they did last week has no relevance to what they’ll do this week.”

On Nov. 7, 2020, the Bulldogs lost to Florida, 44-28. The eighth-ranked Gators took down fifth-ranked Georgia, 44-28, on a rough day all around for the men in red and black. Georgia hasn’t lost a regular-season game since.

Following last week’s 45-19 win at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs have won 28 of their last 29 games. It’s the greatest run in the history of Georgia football.

When senior offensive lineman Warren Ericson was informed of the specific numbers recently, he said he wasn’t aware of them. He and his teammates don’t dwell at that type of stuff much, he said. That’s for another time, on down the road, but not today, and not tomorrow or anytime soon.

“It’s hard to focus on that type of stuff, just because week-in and week-out, it’s almost like you have to play, have to practice, have to prepare like you’re either the underdog or you’re going to be in a dogfight for four quarters. No matter who it is,” Ericson said.

“I didn’t even know that stat was a thing, but I think it just goes back to the preparation and how we do things, and, honestly, our mindset. We don’t want to be complacent and be like, that’s good enough. We want to take each week and try to be 1-0.”

Redshirt sophomore center Sedrick Van Pran said the pursuit of perfection will always keep the Bulldogs humble and focused on every step in the process they follow to get to 1-0 each week.

“I think the truth is, we are an underdog. I think that is relevant because we go over our goals every Monday after a game, and truth be told, there hasn’t been a game yet, I don’t think, where we’ve hit every single one. Maybe the first game.”

You mean the 49-3 thumping over an Oregon squad that has spent most of the season ranked in the top 10? For the fans and casual observers, that game looked pretty perfect.

“My point is, I don’t think there’s been a complete game where we just played absolutely clean and flawless. For us, we’re still trying to prove to ourselves, OK, we can do this, we can play a clean game,” Van Pran said. “Until then, we’re going to play like we have something to prove.”