ATHENS — Georgia is a monster favorite over Mid-American Conference foe Kent State on Saturday, but the real intrigue will be the game within the game.
Just so everyone is clear, the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs are a 42-point favorite over the Golden Flashes in the noon kickoff at Sanford Stadium.
Kirby Smart might talk about how Kent State “won’t be intimidated” having already been paid off to take beatings at Washington (45-20) and Oklahoma (33-3) to help fund its athletic department.
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The only solace the Golden Flashes can take is that Smart’s teams usually take it pretty easy on overmatched opponents.
The first big question for Smart and his staff are how they want Stetson Bennett’s statistics to look before they pull him. Bennett has not played in the fourth quarter of a game this season through three games.
Bennett had exactly 300 yards passing when he was pulled out of a 33-0 win over FCS Samford this season.
The Georgia quarterback is a bonafide Heisman Trophy candidate, and Smart has the power to help him enhance his standing among the other elite favorites — Alabama QB Bryce Young, Ohio State QB CJ Stroud and USC QB Caleb Williams.
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The next question is how Smart manages the quarterbacks, and how many passing opportunities he’ll allow Carson Beck and maybe Brock Vandagriff.
The Georgia pass game has not missed a beat when Beck has entered the contests.
Indeed, Beck actually has a higher QB rating (192.38) than Bennett (183.49), and his 20-yard scamper at South Carolina was UGA’s longest run of the season.
The third-year quarterback’s numbers:
Oregon: 5-6, 71 yards, TD
Samford: 5-7, 52 yards
South Carolina: 5-6, 55 yards, TD
Vandagriff has only thrown 2 passes this season despite the blowout nature of Georgia’s games.
The other player fans will be looking for in the game is tight end Arik Gilbert, who did not travel to South Carolina for what Smart said were personal reasons.
Smart said “I”m hoping he gets back with us,” which seems somewhat vague, in terms of the player’s status with the team.
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As hard as it might be to imagine Georgia’s offense looking even better than it has through three games, Gilbert is a player with the talents to further elevate the team.
Here are the lines on the other SEC games:
Missouri at Auburn -7
Bowling Green at Mississippi State -30
Florida at Tennessee -10
Tulsa at Ole Miss -20
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M -2.5
Northern Illinois at Kentucky -25.5
New Mexico at LSU -30
Vanderbilt at Alabama -40.5
Charlotte at South Carolina -23
