No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs Gear up for First Night Game of 2018
ATHENS – Following a two-hour Georgia football practice on Wednesday evening, the number of days standing between the Bulldogs and their Homecoming matchup with the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday night has dwindled to two.
“I like the night part,” senior wide receiver Jayson Stanley said. “I do enjoy night games...I always wake up and watch College GameDay. I’ve been doing that since I was a kid. I like continuing to do that, watching GameDay and then watching all the games.”
When it comes time for the Georgia slot on SEC Network at 7:30 p.m., Stanley will be part of a Bulldog receiving corps with numerous numbers to call on, including senior wide receiver Terry Godwin.
“We see that [talent] every week in practice,” Stanley said. “It’s amazing. I don’t think anybody else can do what he does – one-handed catches from any direction. Yeah, he’s got something special.”
The depth continues in the backfield, where a stream of several tailbacks make up a Georgia team that relies heavily on four different rushers: juniors Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien, sophomore D’Andre Swift, and freshman James Cook.
“There’s so much talent right now,” redshirt sophomore tailback Prather Hudson said. “That’s probably the most exciting thing about it, that everybody has something to bring to the game, whether it’s power or speed. I think we’re all very talented.”
As far as point production on the offense, junior place kicker Rodrigo Blankenship leads the Bulldog scoring with 48 points. In addition to a 7-for-9 field goal clip, the offensive weapon has drilled 27 consecutive extra points this season, including a unique chip-in on Saturday against Tennessee.
“Pretty special to be able to do it in front of that many people, and not panic and have a poor reaction,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “He did a really good job of keeping his composure and keeping his cool and drove it through there.”
The offense – which has averaged 43.2 per game through five games – will be tested on Saturday against a “much-improved defense,” as per Smart, in the Bulldogs’ first night contest.
