UGA Football Releases Final Hype Video Before SEC Play - "Elite Don't Get Bored"
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and UGA football are set for a noon kickoff on Saturday, and Kirby has a message for his team.
Bulldogs Prepare ForThe Cardinals Of Ball State
For the second straight week, Georgia will face a new foe as Ball State battles Georgia for the first time Between The Hedges Saturday at noon (SEC Network). The 2023 Bulldogs return nine players with starting experience on offense, including junior C Sedrick Van Pran and All-American and John Mackey Award winner junior TE Brock Bowers, who was the 2021 and 2022 leader in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns.
Georgia ranked fifth nationally averaging 41.1 points per game last season and opened 2023 with a 48-7 win over UT Martin. A few offensive veterans did not suit up in the season opener and should bolster the unit when they return. These Bulldogs were starting wideouts junior Ladd McConkey and senior Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint along with senior running back Daijun Edwards. Also of note, senior Kendall Milton was not 100 percent but that wasn’t going to stop him from playing in the opener. He finished with a team-high 53 yards on nine carries including a 37-yarder.
Junior QB Carson Beck made his first career start and led the Bulldogs to a win over the Skyhawks. Georgia tallied 559 yards of total offense (149 rushing, 400 passing). Quarterbacks Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton garnered some playing time too after the Bulldogs built a 31-0 advantage.
About Ball State
The Cardinals, who are based in Muncie, Ind., are members of the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC). Ball State went 5-7 last season, including 3-5 in the MAC. They are coached by Mike Neu who is in his eighth season at the helm with a record of 33-49 (.673).
The Cardinals started this season against Kentucky in Lexington. The Wildcats topped Ball State 44-14 after trailing 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. Kentucky reeled off 27 straight points to take control of the game. Ball State gave up both a 69-yard fumble recovery for a score as well as a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the closing minute of the third quarter.
The Cardinals started graduate transfer quarterback Layne Hatcher and then turned to true freshman Kadin Semonza in the second half. Semonza directed a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to make it 30-14 with 42 seconds in the third quarter. He finished 15-for-21 for 165 yards and one TD. BSU finished with 295 yards of total offense (72 rushing, 223 passing).
The Cardinals limited the Kentucky offense to just three touchdowns and forced three field goals. Other Kentucky scoring came on a 69-yard fumble return and a 99-yard kickoff return. The Wildcats offense reached the red zone just twice.
Ball State continues its two-week grind against Southeastern Conference foes - battling two-time defending national champion Georgia this week after falling to Kentucky in last Saturday’s opener.
Ball State faces SEC opponents in consecutive weeks for just the second time in its history. The Cardinals opened the 2001 season on Sept. 1 at Auburn, then Sept. 8 at Kentucky. Saturday’s game is the Cardinals’ first football matchup with the Bulldogs.
The Cardinals fared well in Lexington, but for a pair of turnovers before halftime that saw a 10-7 deficit bulge to 20-7, and eventually 23-7 before intermission when the Wildcats tacked on another late field goal. But for those miscues, Ball State outgained Kentucky in first downs, 18-17, and consumed 38:02 elapsed time compared to 21:58 for the Wildcats. The Cardinals led in time of possession in all four quarters and ran 20 more plays than UK (71-51). Kentucky outgained Ball State 357 yards to 295.
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Bulldogs Among The Leaders In Scoring Defense
Since the arrival of Kirby Smart in 2016, the Bulldogs have featured talented defenses. From 2016-2018, Mel Tucker served as the DC before leaving to take the head coaching job at Colorado (now at Michigan St.). Dan Lanning assumed the DC role from 2019-2021 until being hired as the head coach at Oregon in 2021. Now Glenn Schumann is in his second season as the Fain & Billy Slaughter Defensive Coordinator. Also, the 2023 defensive staff features Will Muschamp (co-Defensive Coord.), Fran Brown (DB), Tray Scott (DL) and Chidera Uzo-Diribe (OLB). The Bulldogs return 12 players who have starting experience from a corps that ranked fifth nationally in 2022 allowing opponents only 14.3 points per contest.
In the season-opening win over UT Martin, Georgia carried a shutout to the fourth quarter. However, UT Martin scored with 6:39 left in the contest. In the first half, the Skyhawks were limited to 89 yards on 24 plays as the Bulldogs enjoyed a 17-0 lead. The Skyhawks finished with 260 yards of offense on 63 plays.
Georgia’s leading tacklers were sophomore safety Malaki Starks with eight and senior star Tykee Smith with six including a TFL. Sophomore DE Mykel Williams had a sack as he led the team last year with 4.5 sacks. Freshman DB Kyron Jones registered a pick-six after collecting a tipped pass, racing 26 yards for the final score.
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Piling Up The Points Again
*The 2023 Bulldogs: Averaging 48.0 points/game, which ranks 18th nationally *Have outscored their opponents 48-7, including 17-0 in the opening half *Own a +41 point differential
*5-for-5 in the Red Zone (T1st nationally 100%) with 3 TDs, 2 FGs
* The 2022 Bulldogs: Averaged 41.1 points/game, which ranked 5th nationally *Outscored their opponents 616-214, including 341-105 in the opening half *Second consecutive year led the nation in point differential at +402
*81 of 83 in the Red Zone (98% led nation) with 57 TDs and 24 FGs
* The 2021 Bulldogs: Averaged 38.6 points/game, which ranked ninth nationally *Outscored their opponents 579-153, including 358-65 in the opening half
*Led the nation in point differential at +426
*59 of 69 in the Red Zone (86% ranked 50th) with 42 TDs and 17 FGs