KSR Monday Huddle: Strap it up

Time to buckle up those chinstraps, folks. Kentucky is 6-0 and heading to Sanford Stadium with first place in the SEC East on the line. The Big Blue Nation could not ask for anything better.

College GameDay will be heading to Athens this weekend, and KSR will be in the house with the coverage. No. 11 Kentucky will be playing the No. 1 team in all of the land with stakes. No one could ask for anymore.

KSR’s Monday Huddle is here to get a historic week started as the Wildcats get set to play the most talented team in college football.

First down: Battle of physicality

Under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has prided itself at winning the battle at the point of attack and letting the rest of the chips fall where they may.

The strategy has resulted in a 43-26 record for the Kentucky head coach since 2016. However, Kirby Smart is 58-14 during that same time at UGA.

The Bulldogs brought in offensive coordinator Todd Monken from the NFL to modernize the offense and added quarterback JT Daniels from USC to bolster the vertical passing game, but the winning recipe has remained the same for the Bulldogs.

UGA wants to run the football and smother opponents on defense. Sound familiar?

The same strategy was used for years by Nick Saban at LSU and Alabama before moving to a more spread attack on offense. Smart is using that same blueprint now, and it’s resulting in a dominant year this season.

The Bulldogs are 6-0 and outscoring opponents by 34 points per game. UGA clearly has the best defense in college football allowing just 5.5 points per game and 3.60 yards per play.

In Saturday’s matchup on CBS, these two SEC East teams will be looking in the mirror. For Kentucky to have a chance, the Wildcats must match the home team in the battle at the point of attack.

That is something that has become a regular occurrence in the Mark Stoops era.

Second down: Creating extra possessions

Georgia is the most talented college football team in America. There is no denying that.

Kirby Smart has recruited at a top-five level since arriving in Athens and that has only been bolstered by the transfer portal. Smart has added some more five-star talents to his program, and it has allowed Georgia to become a legit threat to bring home their first national championship in four decades.

Kentucky will be heading to Sanford Stadium with a ton of confidence, but the challenge will be stiff to knock off the Bulldogs. For Kentucky to pull an upset as a three-plus touchdown underdog, the Wildcats must create some extra possessions.

That can only happen in the turnover department.

The Wildcats won the turnover battle against LSU and split with Florida. That allowed Kentucky to pick up their two biggest victories of the season. To have a chance against Georgia, UK must win the turnover battle on Saturday afternoon.

Third down: House money

Kentucky is walking into the Week 7 game with Georgia in a great situation. The Wildcats were not supposed to be here, and UGA looks like the best team in college football by a significant margin.

The Wildcats have house money heading to the trip at Sanford Stadium and need to play loose and with aggression.

In the 2018 matchup against Georgia at Kroger Field, the Wildcats were likely not ready for the moment. However, the program has matured since that heavyweight bout. Kentucky should be much better prepared this time around.

“We had a nice amount of star power but I don’t feel like we was ready for the moment,” said senior linebacker DeAndre Square about that 2018 meeting with Georgia. “I feel like we’ll be ready for the moment. It’s a big week — the guys are ready. We’ve been ready since the season started, attack every day. I feel like we’ve got a good bunch and we trust each other.

Georgia is a huge favorite for a reason, but Kentucky will make the trip with extreme confidence and some big-game experience under their belt. That should allow the Wildcats to play loose and let the chips fall where they may.

The week ahead at KSR

Another jam-packed football week full of content at KSR is set to be unleashed as Kentucky makes its second SEC road trip of the season.

On Monday afternoon, we’ll have coverage of Mark Stoops’ weekly press conference to go along with his radio show in the evening. Practice reports will come throughout the week. Podcasts galore will be available for your consumption.

On Friday, the KSR bunch will be hitting the road and taking on Athens for the biggest game in college football. What a time to be alive.