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Georgia holds on to top spot in AP Poll for another week

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•09/17/23•

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Georgia (3)
(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)

After staying in the top spot of the Coaches Poll earlier today, the same is true for Georgia in the AP Poll. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 for a 14th straight week dating back to last season.

Kirby Smart’s squad received 57 of the 63 possible first place votes – up from the 55 they got last week but lower than the 60 and 58 received in weeks 1 and 2 respectively.

The Bulldogs are followed by Michigan, Texas (up one spot), Florida State (down one spot) and USC in the top 5 with Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, Notre Dame and Oregon rounding out the top-10.

As for the rest of the SEC and Georgia’s schedule, LSU and Alabama come in at No. 12 and 13 respectively. Ole Miss, who Georgia plays on November 11th, is No. 15 while Tennessee, the Bulldogs’ opponent the very next week, is No. 23.

Florida is a new addition to the AP Poll top 25 with its victory over the Volunteers on Saturday. Winning 29-16 in The Swamp, the Gators make their first appearance of the season and give Georgia another top-25 opponent coming down the line (October 28th).

Missouri (No. 27 in the poll was extended out), Kentucky (No. 33) and Auburn (No. 38) are also receiving votes. Eliah Drinkwitz and the Tigers took down a ranked Kansas State team in Columbia thanks to a walk-off 61-yard field goal while Kentucky and Auburn both took care of business as well. Missouri, Kentucky, Auburn and Ole Miss are the only remaining unbeaten SEC squads outside of Georgia, and all four are on the Bulldogs’ schedule this season.

Georgia defeated South Carolina on Saturday by a score of 24-14. The Bulldogs outscored the Gamecocks 21-0 in the second half after trailing 14-3 at the break.

Carson Beck and company got going on the first drive out of the locker room, going six plays and 75 yards for the score. Beck found each of his transfer receivers – Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas – on the drive for first downs before the Bulldog running backs took over. Kendall Milton rushed to the right for a tough 15 yards before Daijun Edwards did his job, punching it in for seven yards out two plays later.

Edwards finished the day with 118 yards on 20 carries. Wide receiver Dillon Bell, who has lined up at running back at times each of the last two weeks, and Cash Jones each had rushing scores as well. Meanwhile, the Bulldog defense stepped it up forcing a trio of punts with a pair of South Carolina three-and-outs before taking possession on a turnover on downs and back to back interceptions. Georgia stepped up its pressure on Spencer Rattler, and it paid off.

Georgia’s next game is a return to the non-conference schedule for the time being. The Bulldogs take on UAB Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN2. Then, after that, it’s a stretch of seven straight SEC contests – starting with a road trip to Auburn later this month.

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