3 Kentucky players to watch against Georgia

No. 20 Kentucky will hit the road this weekend to face No. 1 Georgia in Sanford Stadium. Kirby Smart‘s team might be getting ready to face the toughest challenge on the schedule in 2023. Can the Wildcats play spoiler “between the hedges”?

Mark Stoops and his team will enter a game as an underdog for the first time this season on Saturday night. The Wildcats have covered four consecutive games in this series with Georgia but have yet to be in a one-possession game in the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs. Will that change on Saturday night?

These are the three players who could help Kentucky get into a winning situation on the road in the fourth quarter this weekend.

Vertical playmaking from Barion Brown

In last season’s meeting with Georgia, wide receiver Barion Brown had the best performance of his young career. The Nashville (Tenn.) Pearl-Cohn product recorded 10 receptions on 12 targets for 145 yards and a touchdown. The young receiver was able to make some competitive catches in the game.

Kentucky Freshman WR Barion Brown (6’1/166) caught 10-of-12 targets for 145 yards/TD against Georgia’s 3rd ranked Pass D

Brown’s 9.1 YAC ranks 2nd among 2022 WR while his 2.52 yards per route average checks in at 3rd best

Brown’s impressive ball tracking and agility stands out: pic.twitter.com/TmRGgagoDm

— Eric Froton (@CFFroton) November 23, 2022

Brown is currently dealing with an undisclosed injury, and his status is uncertain for Saturday. If the sophomore can go, Kentucky will need the wideout to make some more competitive catches against a Georgia secondary that isn’t afraid to play tight man coverage.

The Wildcats will need to create explosive plays to score on Saturday. Brown can create those.

Deone Walker must be Deone Walker

Kentucky has a unicorn in defensive tackle Deone Walker. The sophomore has quickly made a name for himself this season and is one of the dominant interior defensive line players in college football. Walker has been excellent against the run and continues to flash some surprising burst as a pass rusher. He is the type of player that can take over a big game.

The Wildcats will need a big performance from the Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech product this weekend.

Georgia is not creating explosive plays on the ground, but this offense is operating with efficiency. Walker and the rest of the Kentucky run defense must find a way to eliminate that efficiency. If that happens a slightly pass-first Georgia offense could get even more pass-heavy. That could allow an effective Kentucky pass rush to pin their ears back and try to rattle Carson Beck. Walker could have a big say in both.

In this matchup, Georgia has always had the more dominant defensive tackle. That is not the case this season. Walker might be able to wreck offensive coordinator Mike Bobo‘s game plan and that could lead to some playmaking opportunities if the Wildcats get the Bulldogs behind schedule.

Devin Leary must play one of his best games

Through five games this season, NC State transfer Devin Leary has been hot and cold at quarterback for Kentucky. There have been some wow moments with some big-time vertical throws, but there have also been some very bad decisions and poor throws. Drops have been a major issue, and Leary has had problems with batted balls at the line of scrimmage. The Kentucky passing game has a lot to clean up.

However, this group is not far off from a big performance.

We’ve seen Leary make explosive plays as a pocket passer and an off-script creator. In the contest with Georgia, the offense will need some high-level playmaking from the quarterback position. Kentucky needs a good Devin Leary game to win on Saturday night.