ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — With a daunting schedule ahead, this is a chance for No. 1 Georgia to do some fine-tuning.
Call it a glorified scrimmage.
The Bulldogs (1-0) play their home opener Saturday against FCS opponent Tennessee Tech, which took on a game it has no chance of winning to essentially to help pay the bills.
Coach Bobby Wilder know what the Golden Eagles (0-1) are up against. The $475,000 paycheck is small consolation for the whipping his overmatched team is likely to ensure.
“If I was being honest, I would tell you that I’m not thrilled to be headed to Athens, Georgia this weekend,” Wilder said with a faint smile. “So I’ll be dishonest and say I’m very excited to be playing a game in Sanford Stadium in front of 93,000.”
Georgia opened the season with an impressive 34-3 victory over then-No. 14 Clemson, blowing out the Tigers over the final two quarters after leading only 6-0 at halftime.
That was just the first ranked opponent for the Bulldogs, who have one of the nation’s most challenging slates. There are road games against No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Alabama and No. 6 Ole Miss, not to mention home contests against No. 14 Tennessee and No. 23 Georgia Tech.
Coach Kirby Smart insists his players are only focused on what’s right in front of them. He noted that Tennessee Tech nearly pulled off an upset in its season opener, giving up a touchdown in the final minute to lose to Middle Tennessee 32-25.
“They played a really hard-fought game,” Smart said. “They had a great comeback and I’ve got a lot of respect for the way they played in that game, for sure.”
Etienne’s debut
Trevor Etienne is expected to make his Georgia debut after sitting out the opener against Clemson.
Etienne, a transfer from Florida, was apparently suspended for Week 1 after being arrested over the offseason, though Smart declined to discuss the reason for his absence.
It will be intriguing to see what kind of boost Etienne provides to a running game that took a while to get going against Clemson. A season ago with the Gators, he rushed for 753 yards and eight touchdowns behind a shaky offensive line at Florida, in addition to 172 yards receiving and another score.
Season streak
The Bulldogs have a school-record 40-game winning streak during the regular season, their last such loss coming on Nov. 7, 2020, when they dropped a 44-28 decision to Florida.
Georgia won its final three regular-season contests during the COVID-affected season, has gone 12-0 ahead of the postseason three years in a row and started 2024 with another victory.
The only losses during the streak are a pair of setbacks to Alabama in the SEC championship game. The Bulldogs have won 47 of their last 49 games overall.
“We focus on each game individually,” linebacker Jalon Walker said. “We don’t skip ahead in the season. We don’t backtrack.”
Portal bounty
Georgia reaped some immediate benefits from the portal.
London Humphreys, a transfer from Vanderbilt, had two big catches against Clemson: a 15-yarder over the middle for a key first-down conversion and a 40-yard touchdown in which he showed impressive speed down the sideline.
“The portal provides you (the opportunity) to go get a guy that’s been successful and played well in our conference,” Smart said. “He’s proven himself as a guy that can make plays, and he was ready when his number was called.”
Former Miami receiver Colbie Young also had a pair of catches, including a 7-yard scoring play for Georgia’s first TD of the season.
Super Starks
Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks appears headed for another stellar season.
He made a leaping, twisting interception in Week 1 that Smart described as “one of the best defensive football plays I’ve ever seen live in person.” Starks’ versatility in the secondary might be his leading attribute.
“Malaki can be our best player at five positions,” Smart said. “So it’s more a matter of what’s around him and what’s healthy, working, and what are we going to do defensively.”
Tech QB
The Golden Eagles lost their starting quarterback in Week 1 when Dylan Laible went down with an injury.
Jordyn Potts took over and nearly led his team to a comeback victory over Middle Tennessee, completing 27 of 38 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
Potts will get the start against the Bulldogs.