It’s hard to completely buy that anyone in Athens isn’t peeking just a little bit past Southern and to the month of October.
After Saturday’s tilt with the Jaguars of the Football Championship Subdivision, the Bulldogs jump into the thick of SEC play, starting with a visit from Alabama on Oct. 3. Georgia then plays Tennessee and Missouri on back-to-back Saturdays, before getting a week off ahead of their annual showdown with Florida. It’s a brutal stretch, but should the Bulldogs come out of unbeaten, they’ll be in thick of the playoff race heading into November.
Georgia has to feel more confident about its quarterback after Greyson Lambert, a transfer from Virginia who didn’t arrive in Athens until July, completed 24 of 25 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 52-20 win over South Carolina. Lambert set a new NCAA record for accuracy, breaking the mark previously held by former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin and former West Virginia quarterback Gino Smith.
It helps to have Georgia’s running game. Sophomore running back Nick Chubb, a Heisman candidate rushed for 159 yards against the Gamecocks, his 11th consecutive game of 100 or more yards.
Southern enters the game at 2-1, with an opening 62-15 loss at Louisiana Tech in the Jaguars’ only other games against FBS competition.
“We hear it around campus, but in this building we’re focused on Southern,” junior tailback Keith Marshall said. “They offer a good challenge. Coaches will make sure that we stay focused and the older guys will make sure we stay focused, so it won’t be a problem.”
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
RB Nick Chubb — The sophomore rushed for 159 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns against South Carolina. The Heisman candidate has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in his last 11 games, the longest such streak in the nation.
QB Greyson Lambert — A transfer from Virginia who didn’t arrive in Athens until July, Lambert set an NCAA record for efficiency by completing 24 of 25 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
WR Malcolm Mitchell — Hampered by injuries throughout his career, Mitchell is off to a good start to his senior season. He caught eight passes for 122 yards in the win over South Carolina.