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ATHENS - If you are willing to bet that Georgia will trip up Alabama this week, someone will take your bet.
You might find it more difficult to have someone set odds on the Dawgs taking out Alabama by 20-plus points. Although that’s happened 17 times for Kirby and the Dawgs since 2017 in conference play, no one expects that sort of lopsided victory Saturday night by either team.
Still, since the start of Kirby’s second season in Athens until now, Georgia dropped 17 teams by more than 20 points in SEC play. That’s in the SEC, not ACC; That’s by 20 or more; That’s amazingly impressive.
In that same time Alabama and Nick Saban have done only slightly better - winning 18 games by 20 points or more. The team the two programs have bullied the most? Tennessee - the Vols have not come within 20 of the Tide or Dawgs in the last seven combined games. Georgia has more 20-plus point wins over Auburn than Bama, which makes sense as the Tigers have beaten Bama twice in their last three meetings.
Back to Kirby - what Georgia has done under his watch in terms of taking care of business is stellar. Again, since 2017 the Dawgs have won 17 games by 20 points or more in SEC games. If you count backwards from 2016 you would have to go all the way back to the Blackout game against Auburn in 2007 to get to another 17 games where Georgia won by 20 or more.
In other words, it took the Dawgs 46 games to do what it took them 145 to do previously. You want to talk about success in analytics? That’s some serious data there.
Why? Why is Georgia succeeding the way they are in so many games? Recruiting, but more specifically depth across the board. Consider that Stetson Bennett is the starting QB at Georgia right now. D’Andre Baker was a starting defensive back lately. Tae Crower, a former 3-star, was a starter for the Dawgs.
Yes, Kirby has recruited at a level the likes of which few have in college football history, but his program has also developed players. Eric Stokes was an afterthought in the recruiting world a few years ago (that happens). He’s about to be an NFL high-round draft pick (that’s not nearly as common as recruiting services getting something wrong).
No coach is perfect, but Kirby has been a pretty good fit at Georgia. The results speak for themselves.
A particular result would speak volumes Saturday night.
