Georgia hasn’t lost a game in 699 days
- Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterNov 3, 2023, 07:00 AM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of 7 books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
ATHENS, Georgia– Georgia hasn’t lost a football game in 699 days.The Bulldogs have not been beaten in the regular season in 1,091 days. And they haven’t fallen in your home in 1,483 days.Heading into Saturday’s game versus No. 12 Missouri at Sanford Arena, two-time safeguarding nationwide champ Georgia has actually won 25 successive games. With a triumph over the Tigers, Georgia would tie for the 14th-longest winning streak in the AP poll period(given that 1936), matching Alabama( 2015-16 )and Nebraska (1994-1996). Georgia’s last loss was a 41-24 defeat to Alabama in the SEC national championship Dec. 4, 2021. Its winning streak started when it beat Michigan 34-11 in a CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve in 2021. In the next game, the Bulldogs lastly removed the Crimson Tide with a 33-18 win in the CFP Championship game to catch their first nationwide title in 41 years.The Bulldogs have been winning ever since.Along with a school record 25 straight wins, they have actually captured 35 successive regular-season games, 24 straight SEC regular-season games and 23 in a row in your home. They’re 41-1 in their past 42 games. “Like I’ve stated all the time, that’s going to come to an end,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
“I have actually been part of a great deal of streaks. That’s going to pertain to an end at some point, and when it does, we’ll stress over the next game. I do not believe you can be taken in with that thought procedure or think that method. You have actually got to believe [about] what you can do to help your team win.”So how do you beat the Bulldogs, who have actually been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for 20 consecutive weeks, the third-longest streak ever and the longest in the SEC?Make quarterback Carson Beck uncomfortable Carson Beck has thrown for 2,462
backyards and 14 goals this season. David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire Among the greatest concerns about Georgia heading into the season was how Beck would hold up as a replacement for Stetson Bennett, a previous walk-on, who directed the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships.So far, so excellent. Beck is seventh among FBS quarterbacks with a 73%conclusion rate and 307.8 lawns per game. He is 10th in overall QBR(81.8 )with 14 goals and 4 interceptions. The junior has actually been sacked just five times in 283 dropbacks.
“Everybody discuss the quarterback, however he’s extremely composed and extremely precise,”said one SEC head coach, whose team played Georgia this season.” No one has really had the ability to put the game on his shoulders, and I still believe that’s what you have actually got to do to beat them since they don’t have what I ‘d call Georgia running backs. They’re excellent, but not in the method you would think of a few of the great Georgia backs.”In recently’s 43-20 victory over Florida, the Gators pressured Beck on simply four of his 30 dropbacks (13 % )and had simply one sack, according to ESPN Statistics & Details. Florida entered that game with a 42%pressure rate, which was third greatest in the SEC and ninth finest in the FBS.Georgia’s offensive line has enabled just 6 sacks in eight games, which is tied for sixth least in the FBS. Beck is finishing 78.7%of his passes when the pocket is tidy, compared to just 50 % when he is pressured.Beck had his greatest moment in Georgia’s first road game, at Auburn on Sept. 30. After falling back 10-0 in the first quarter, Georgia rallied to go on 20-17 in the fourth. The Tigers connected the game with a field goal, then Beck tossed a 40-yard goal to tight end Brock Bowers with 2:52 to play. Beck finished 23 of 33 passes for 313 backyards with one interception and one touchdown in the game.”He might not be the runner that Bennett was when things break down, however you don’t get to him much, either,”an SEC assistant coach said.”In that Auburn game, when the game was on the line in a hostile environment, he looked really poised.”Beat the Bulldogs on the roadway It may be tough to believe that the Bulldogs lost 3 times in the house during Smart’s very first season as his university’s coach in 2016. Georgia fell to Tennessee 34-31 after
Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs threw a 43-yard Hail Mary goal to Jauan Jennings. Special groups mistakes cost the Bulldogs in a 17-16 loss to Vanderbilt, which beat them for just the third time in the previous 22 conferences. Then Georgia blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 28-27 loss to Georgia Tech, which scored the winning goal with 30 seconds left.Editor’s Picks 1 Related Georgia has lost just when in 40 home games considering that the start of the 2017 season. That came versus South Carolina in 2019, a 20-17 loss in double overtime, in
which the Bulldogs had four turnovers and missed out on a 42-yard field goal in the second overtime. The Gamecocks, coached by existing UGA co-defensive planner Will Muschamp, were 24 1/2 -point underdogs in the game.Georgia has actually won 23 straight games at Sanford Arena ever since. It has defeated 11 straight challengers ranked in the Leading 25 of the AP poll in your home, winning by an average of 19.4 points. Just three of the 11 games were
decided by
fewer than 14 points.Sanford Arena can get loud, particularly when there’s a ranked opponent in the area. In Georgia’s 23-17 success over Notre Dame in 2019, the Battling Irish were whistled for six false-start charges. Arkansas had false starts on its first two plays in a 37-0 loss at Georgia in 2021. Last season, No. 1 Tennessee had 7 incorrect starts in a 27-13 loss to the Bulldogs.Don’t make errors Georgia has actually been ranked No. 1 in the AP survey for 20 successive weeks. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Last season, Missouri unexpectedly gave Georgia its biggest challenge in the regular season.
After defeating each of their very first four opponents by 17 points or more, the Bulldogs dealt with a pair of 13-point deficits in the first half and routed by 10 entering into the 4th quarter. The Bulldogs lost 2 fumbles in the very first half and went simply 4-for-13 on 3rd down in the game. Georgia rallied, nevertheless, and won 26-22 after scoring two touchdowns in the final
10 minutes.Missouri is one of
only 3 groups since 2021 to lead the Bulldogs through three quarters, according to ESPN Statistics & Info.
Just Alabama handled to win in the 2021 SEC national championship. Each of those three opponents won the turnover battle through the first 3 quarters: Bama and Missouri were plus-2. Ohio State was plus-1 through three quarters of a CFP semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl last season.Georgia turned it on in the 4th quarter of the 2 games it won. It outgained Missouri by 155 backyards in the 4th quarter; it had 90 more backyards than Ohio State in a 42-41 victory.The Bulldogs don’t make many errors. This season, they’re the least-penalized group in the SEC with 38.1 lawns per game.”I suggest, when you do not beat yourself, you’ve got an opportunity,”previous Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “When you don’t turn it over, you’ve got an opportunity. And when you don’t have foolish penalties, you have actually got a chance. A lot of games are given away by simply self-inflicted wounds and there hasn’t been a lot of that going on, clearly. “Strike some huge plays Although Georgia’s defense may not have the star power of
the previous two editions– there were a record 5 Bulldog protectors chosen in the preliminary of the 2022 NFL draft and two more this year– it’s still pretty stingy.
Georgia ranks seventh in the FBS in scoring defense(14.8 points), eighth in overall defense(272.1 backyards)and 12th in run defense(93.6 lawns).
One location where the Bulldogs have actually excelled this season is third-down defense. Challengers have transformed only 25% of 100 third-down plays. It’s going to be challenging to drive the ball down the field.” Where they’re constantly unsafe on defense is getting you in bad down-and-distance scenarios,”an SEC head coach said.” It appears like when you play them, that’s always
the case. If you can run the ball simply a little bit against them, then it certainly gets a little much easier. But how many individuals have been able to do that?”I still think that’s the first thing you’ve got to do– stay client, dedicate to running the ball and mix it up enough in the pass game to keep them truthful. You’ve also got to make some explosive plays on them.” Since the start of the 2021 season, only five opponents have actually held a halftime lead versus Georgia (Alabama did it twice ). The 2 teams that had 10 plays of 10 lawns or more in the very first half either beat the Bulldogs or took them all the way to the wire, according to ESPN Statistics & Info.
Ohio State had 11 such plays in the first half of last season’s CFP semifinal. The Crimson Tide had 15 in the very first 2 quarters of their success over Georgia in the 2021 SEC championship game.This season, Georgia suddenly trailed South Carolina 14-3 at halftime in your home. The Gamecocks struck 9 plays of 10 backyards or more in the first half but were shut out in the final
2 quarters.”They’re not as great up front [defensively] as they were in 2015,” an SEC assistant stated.” They’re still excellent, but do not have as numerous pros up there as Kirby has actually had in the past. They don’t run NFL guys in and out like they used to. So that provides you a possibility to have some success on offense if you can get the game to the 2nd half. “For how long will Georgia’s winning streak last? It’s about to face among its most tough stretches of any of the past three routine seasons. After hosting the Tigers, the Bulldogs play No. 10 Ole Miss at home and No. 17 Tennessee and surging Georgia Tech on the road to close the regular season.”Listen, they’re still talented, probably as skilled as anyone,”an SEC head coach said.
“But I do believe they’re beatable. I’m not saying they’ll get beat, however it wouldn’t amaze me like it would have a year earlier.”ESPN reporter Chris Low contributed to this report.