No. 2 Georgia passed its first test with flying colors in the season opener.
That doesn’t mean head coach Kirby Smart is close to satisfied ahead of a visit from Western Kentucky on Saturday in Athens, Ga.
In a glorified scrimmage, Georgia (1-0) bludgeoned Tennessee State 63-3 in Week 1 — jumping Oregon in this week’s Top 25 poll. Smart’s team won’t play another FCS team again this year and will use the Hilltoppers (0-1) as a tune-up before nine straight games against Southeastern Conference opponents.
“It should be a great opportunity for us to get better,” Smart said. “We have a saying around here: ‘You don’t have to be sick to get better.’ That’s been the motto of last week and this week.”
Georgia outgained Tennessee State 660-109 last week but should be met with more resistance in its first FBS matchup of the season. Always quick to remind his players of the severity of each week regardless of the opponent, Smart won’t allow his team to take Western Kentucky lightly.
“It shows you they have a tremendous evaluation process,” Smart said of the Hilltoppers having appeared in a bowl game in each of the last seven seasons.
“They’ve done a great job of developing players. The game has changed and (head coach Tyson Helton) has changed with it.”
Gunner Stockton threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns in just over a quarter of play in the Bulldogs’ first win, improving to 13-3 as a starter.
“We have guys that are explosive,” Stockton said. ” … I think that we have a bunch of guys that can play winning football. We have a lot of depth, and that’s a plus for a team.”
Five different Georgia players caught touchdowns in the season opener, while junior running back Nate Frazier rushed for three scores.
Western Kentucky, meanwhile, fell flat in a 49-14 loss at Nevada. Making matters worse is the daunting road ahead for Helton’s team, which will head to No. 5 Indiana next week. Before the Hilltoppers can worry about the defending national champions, plenty has to be corrected before Saturday.
“You learn a lot about who you are in Week 1 and what you have, and we need to get a lot better as a football team. I think that’s pretty obvious,” said Helton, whose team allowed 486 yards to the Wolf Pack. “I think we have an opportunity this year to have a good football team and a team that can compete and win a lot of football games, but sitting here today, we’ve got to get a lot better. I think that’s a pretty obvious thing for anybody that watched our game.”
On a roster with 41 new players, quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr. is a rare returner. After starting the team’s final six games last year, he threw for 203 yards in the first outing of his sophomore season.
“He’s got to play better. We’ve all got to play better. We’ve all got to coach better,” Helton said. “But I did see a lot of good things.”
The Hilltoppers will be making their second visit all-time to Athens, following a 48-12 loss in September 2006. Western Kentucky is 4-23 against current SEC teams, with its last win coming in 2019 against Arkansas.
