Kentucky running back Ray Davis had a career day against Florida this past Saturday, rushing for a career-high 280 yards and three touchdowns while also hauling in a catch for a score.
Davis’ huge performance against the Gators caught Georgia’s attention as the Bulldogs, who struggled defending the run this past Saturday at Auburn, will face the Wildcats this week.
“Good football teams don’t let people run the ball for over 200 yards. That’s one of the things that we knew they could do well,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said on Saturday after a 27-20 win. “I thought (Auburn) really ran the ball well and used the quarterback and rushed the ball on us. We can’t do that. We’ve got to be able to run the ball, too, but I’m proud of the way the guys fought.”
Auburn rushed 51 times for 219 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground. So, the Bulldogs’ defensive unit is looking to improve against the run this Saturday versus Davis and the Wildcats.
Davis, a Vanderbilt transfer who rushed for 1,042 yards last year for the Commodores, is the Wildcats’ leading rusher this season. He’s totaled 594 yards on 76 attempts and eight scores through five games. Davis is averaging 7.8 yards per rush, which is second-most on the team.
“He’s an exceptional back. As good a back I’ve seen in a long time. This guy’s smooth, explosive. He pass protects really well. He protects the ball,” Smart said of Davis. “He’s aggressive in the way he runs. It reminds me of Swift. He’s just a little bigger. But he has a lot of the same cuts. One-cut runner. And they do a tremendous job, now, blocking for him. So, it’s not all him. I mean, he has a run game – it seems like Kentucky’s always had a back, right? They had Benny (Snell), and he was unbelievable. And then they had a kid from Georgia the last couple of years (Chris Rodriguez). Their backs are really physical and are committed to running the ball. They do a great job at the point of attack.”
Overall, Kentucky rushed for more than 329 yards against Florida on Saturday – so far a season-high for the Wildcats, who will try to take advantage of Georgia, which also didn’t fare well against the run this past weekend.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has a reputation for developing physical teams on both lines of scrimmage, so the Bulldogs need to set the edge early on Saturday if they want to contain Davis.
“Yeah, that’s a Mark Stoops’ team. They’re going to be physical. He’s a defensive coach,” Smart said of his opponent’s coaching style. “They run the rock. I’ve always said our kids are the most sore they’ve ever been after playing them. It was that way last year. It was a bloodbath last year up there. It’ll be the same way. I have so much respect for the way his team plays.”
Kentucky (5-0, 2-0 SEC) and Georgia (5-0, 2-0 SEC) will kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.