Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart will face Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Brock Vandagriff in Week 3. The Bulldogs are 2-0 and play a 1-1 Kentucky team that is coming off an ugly 31-6 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Georgia’s Sept. 14 road trip to Kentucky won’t be easy. It will be Georgia’s first road game of the season and will also be UGA’s first SEC opponent.
Kentucky is known for playing physical games against Georgia that are low scoring with the exception of Georgia’s 51-13 win over the Wildcats in 2023. Kentucky will be desperate to turn things around against Georgia and to prove that they are the real deal.
Improved quarterback and offensive line play would go a long way for the Wildcats. Kentucky’s physicality is something that stands out to Kirby Smart.
“Really physical,” said Smart. “They add the extra element with the quarterback, both quarterbacks are good runners and throwers. They’ve done a tremendous job of mixing that up and using those guys legs. They’re a physical team. I think they had 18 consecutive runs against South Carolina.”
Establishing the run will be critical for Kentucky, but the Wildcats need to get more production out of starting quarterback Brock Vandagriff. Vandagriff has only three touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He’s passed for only 199 yards this season and is coming off a lackluster three of 10 performance where he totaled just 30 passing yards and threw an interception.
“I think that’s part of their identity is figuring out who Brock (Vandagriff) is as well as their other quarterbacks that’s playing,” said Smart. “So, I think that’s something (Kentucky’s offensive identity) that they’ve got to answer, and our job is to stop whatever they do, and we’ve got to work hard on that.”
Kentucky’s definitely looking to run the football, but the Wildcats can’t try to get through SEC play as a one-dimensional team. Georgia’s defense is quite familiar with Vandagriff after playing against him in practice for several years. Vandagriff, who transferred to Kentucky, graduated from Georgia recently. He transferred to the Wildcats looking for more consistent playing time.
“Very little,” said Smart on if facing Vandagriff in practice over the years will impact the Georgia-Kentucky game. “I have a lot of respect for Brock, his dad, his family. What Brock did for this university was awesome. He was a wonderful teammate and just a great kid. Always put the team first and would do anything to help the team, and really helped our culture while he was here.”
Georgia plays Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 14. The Georgia-Kentucky game will be televised nationally on ABC.
