How No. 20 Kentucky football and No. 1 Georgia match up — with a game prediction

How the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats (5-0, 2-0 SEC) and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0 SEC) match up at each position — with a game prediction:

Quarterbacks

▪ Kentucky’s Devin Leary (1,129 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, five interceptions, 57.74 completion percentage) had meager statistics in the Wildcats’ 33-14 pasting of then-No. 22 Florida last week. The 6-foot-1, 217-pound super-senior completed 9 of 19 passes for 69 yards with a 9-yard touchdown throw on a swing pass. For UK to have a viable shot at an upset in Athens, the Wildcats will need more efficient passing numbers from Leary.

▪ As the replacement of back-to-back national championship-winning QB Stetson Bennett, Georgia’s Carson Beck (1,497 passing yards, seven touchdowns, two interceptions 72.1 completion percentage) is off to a positive start. The 6-4, 220-pound junior overcame an early interception last week at Auburn to throw for 313 yards and rally the Bulldogs from a 17-10 second-half deficit to a 27-20 victory. A product of Jacksonville, Florida, Beck has thrown for at least 269 yards in all five games.

Advantage: Georgia.

Running backs

▪ Ray Davis produced one of the best individual performances in UK football history in the win over Florida. The 5-10, 216-pound graduate transfer from Vanderbilt ran for 280 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries and scored Kentucky’s fourth TD on a 9-yard pass reception. As a result, Davis was named SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week, Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week, Maxwell Award National Player of the Week and Walter Camp FBS National Offensive Player of the Week. A season ago while playing for Vandy, Davis did not have much success against Georgia: He gained 29 yards on 12 carries and caught two passes for 20 yards in a 55-0 loss.

▪ In spite of missing two games due to injury, Georgia’s Daijun Edwards is the Bulldogs’ leading rusher. The 5-10, 201-pound senior from Norman Park, Georgia, has run for 260 yards and five touchdowns and is averaging 5.1 yards a carry. Sophomore Dillon Bell, listed as a wide receiver, carried four times for 25 yards at Auburn. Veteran Kendall Milton (knee) is considered “questionable” vs. UK. Milton (96 yards, one TD, 4.2 ypc average in 2023) ran for 31 yards on six attempts in Georgia’s 16-6 win at Kentucky last season.

Advantage: Kentucky.

Wide receivers

▪ Kentucky coach Mark Stoops indicated Monday he was uncertain of the playing statuses of Barion Brown and Tayvion Robinson for Georgia. Both left last week’s win over Florida early due to injuries. Robinson (19 catches, 308 yards, three touchdowns), a super-senior slot receiver, and Brown (19, 251, one), a dynamic sophomore from Nashville, are tied for the team lead in receptions. Last season, Brown had a monster game vs. Georgia, catching 10 passes for 145 yards and a TD. If Robinson and Brown are out, sophomore Dane Key (13, 196, two) would be the only proven wide-out available for UK.

▪ A transfer from Missouri, Dominic Lovett has caught more passes (20, for 194 yards) than any other Georgia wide receiver. Last season, UK held Lovett without a catch in the Wildcats’ 21-17 win at Mizzou. Mississippi State transfer Rara Thomas has nine catches for 167 yards. Two seasons ago, Thomas caught a 25-yard touchdown pass vs. UK in Starkville. A 6-2, 195-pound senior, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint has averaged 17.38 yards on 13 catches, one of which has gone for a TD.

Advantage: Georgia.

Tight ends

▪ Kentucky tight ends did not catch a pass in the win over Florida. However, led by super-senior Brenden Bates (two catches, 46 yards for the season), sophomore Josh Kattus (two catches, 24 yards, one TD) and redshirt sophomore Jordan Dingle (five catches, 105 yards), the UK tight ends were praised for their blocking as UK ran for 329 yards vs. the Gators.

▪ Georgia star Brock Bowers (30 catches, 413 yards, three TDs) is, pound for pound, the best player in college football. In the Bulldogs’ narrow escape at Auburn last week, the junior from Napa, California, caught eight passes for 157 yards and scored the game-winning TD on a 40-yard pass with 2:52 left in the game. Bowers has had mixed success vs. UK. Two seasons ago, in a 30-13 Bulldogs victory, Bowers caught five passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Last season, Bowers caught only two passes vs. the Wildcats for 10 yards.

Advantage: Georgia.

Offensive line

▪ Kentucky right tackle Jeremy Flax was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week and Outland Trophy National Player of the Week for his play against Florida. The 6-5, 325-pound senior from Detroit graded at 87 percent and was credited with five knockdown blocks vs. the Gators. Since senior Eli Cox shifted from right guard to center two games ago, the UK offensive front seems to have jelled.

▪ After an ankle injury suffered in Georgia’s 24-14 win over South Carolina on Sept. 16 sidelined Georgia starting right tackle Amarius Mims, Xavier Truss has shifted from left guard to to replace him. Junior center Sedrick Van Pran has made a team-high 35-consecutive starts.

Advantage: Even.

Defensive line

▪ Kentucky sophomore Deone Walker, the 6-6, 340-pound Detroit product, continues to be a disruptive presence. Walker has three QB hurries, 2.5 sacks and a pass breakup. Senior end Octavious Oxendine has 10 tackles and two QB hurries. The North Hardin product made an impressive open-field tackle in the Florida game on a swing pass when he ran down Gators running back Trevor Etienne from behind.

▪ Georgia’s Mykel Williams had a robust 31 QB hurries and 4.5 sacks last season to help the Bulldogs march to their second straight national title. This season, the 6-5, 265-pound sophomore has two sacks in four games.

Advantage: Even.

Linebackers

▪ Both of Kentucky’s starting inside linebackers are returning to their home state. WLB Trevin Wallace, a product of Jesup, Georgia, is 37th in the SEC in tackles (27) and seventh in the league in sacks (3.5). The 6-2, 241-pound junior intercepted a pass against Florida that led to a short-field UK touchdown. MLB D’Eryk Jackson, a product of Dublin, Georgia, is third on the team with 24 tackles. “A lot of (good) things he does goes unnoticed sometimes,” Mark Stoops says.

▪ Georgia ILB Smael Mondon leads the Bulldogs in tackles (25) and has recorded two tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup. He had a big game at Auburn with 11 stops. Hybrid linebacker/safety Tykee Smith, a former West Virginia Mountaineer, leads the Dawgs in tackles for loss (four) and interceptions (three)

Advantage: Kentucky.

Defensive backs

▪ A week after returning two interceptions for touchdowns in UK”s 45-28 win at Vanderbilt, Kentucky sophomore CB Maxwell Hairston came back and led the Wildcats in tackles vs. Florida with 10. The 6-1, 181-pound redshirt sophomore from West Bloomfield, Michigan, is second in the SEC in interceptions (three) and third in passes defended (six).

▪ After missing two games due to an ankle injury, Georgia safety Javon Bullard returned and played big at Auburn. The 5-11, 195-pound junior had 10 tackles and was credited with two passes defended in the win over the Tigers. Sophomore safety Malaki Starks has two interceptions and is credited with four passes defended. The 6-1, 205-pound product of Jefferson, Georgia, had eight tackles vs. UK last season.

Advantage: Georgia.

Special teams

▪ Kentucky place-kicker Alex Raynor boomed a career-long, 50-yard field goal last week vs. Florida and is now 6-of-6 on field-goal tries as a Wildcat. Punter Wilson Berry is averaging 45.7 yards a kick and has stopped four of 15 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. With the availability of both Barion Brown and Tavyion Robinson unclear, UK could be using new returners on both punts and kickoffs — which would seem less than ideal in such a big game.

▪ Georgia place-kicker Peyton Woodring has been good on field goals from 30-to-39 yards (5-of-5) and not so good from 20-to-29 yards (1-of-3) or from longer than 40 yards (0-of-1). Punter Brett Thorson is averaging 44 yards a kick. On 16 punts, he’s pinned foes inside their 20-yard line eight times. Mekhi Mews is second in the SEC in both punt returning (16.7 yards a return) and kickoff returning (29 yards a return).

Advantage: Even.

Prediction: Georgia 21, Kentucky 16.

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