Georgia is officially at the halfway point of its regular season. It’s hard to argue that the first six games could have gone any better, with the Bulldogs winning by an average score of 39.8 to 5.5. Georgia also holds the No. 1 ranking in both the AP and Coaches Poll.

The defense has clearly established itself as the top unit in the sport, overwhelming every opponent to date. Offensively, the story has been about injuries, though the group is still doing more than enough to win games in a convincing fashion.

The second half of the season begins this Saturday with a home game against No. 11 Kentucky. The Bulldogs will have four more SEC games before stepping out of conference against Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech.

1. What becomes of JT Daniels?

The status of Daniels has turned into a week-to-week saga. He missed the UAB game with an oblique injury. Then he played against South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Then he missed games against Arkansas and Auburn with a lat injury.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart provided an update on Daniels’ status on Tuesday evening.

“He got to throw a lot on Monday,” Smart said. “I want to say he threw 30-40 balls and he got upwards of 30 yards. He felt pretty good, took some snaps. Then today, he probably didn’t do as much and so he was a little more limited. He did some snaps, threw the ball some.

“We are kinda going off Ron’s (Courson) protocol - he has him on a pitch count daily and we are following that and we check and see if he swells or has any soreness after it. The good news is that he hasn’t had any soreness the last two days, not extensive soreness and we were able to go back the next day. He hasn’t been able to do a whole lot, but a little more than he did the week before.”

So while there is progress being made, it doesn’t sound like he’s close to being 100 percent against Kentucky this weekend. The Bulldogs do have their off week following the game against the Wildcats, which should give him more time to heal before a game against Florida.

With Daniels still being limited, that means more snaps for Stetson Bennett. That hasn’t been a bad thing for Georgia this year, as Bennett has guided Georgia to wins against UAB, Auburn and Arkansas. His play against Auburn this past week was his best to date, as he threw for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 41 yards.

The Georgia offense likely has a higher ceiling under Daniels. But Bennett continues to prove he’s more than capable. This isn’t some new revelation, as Bennett played well against Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee in 2020, before being stifled against Alabama, Kentucky and Florida.

Time will tell how or if Bennett improves against those teams going forward.

2. Does the injury situation ever get better?

It feels like we’ve been saying Georgia’s injury situation was going to turn for a while now. Yet six weeks into the season, Georgia is as banged up as ever.

Chris Smith is dealing with a shoulder injury that could keep him out against Kentucky. Jamaree Salyer has been limited this week due to an ankle injury. The wide receiver position has been a revolving door, though the Bulldogs expect to get Jermaine Burton and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint back this week.

Dominick Blaylock is yet to play in a game this season while Arian Smith hasn’t played since UAB. There’s also the looming possibility that George Pickens possibly returns over the second half of the season.

Georgia has seen some players return in recent weeks, such as tight end Darnell Washington and defensive back Tykee Smith.

“Darnell’s (Washington) a little bit different because the quick twitch and the speed is not as critical with Darnell,” Smart said of Washington and Smith. “He’s able to play with power on a lot of plays and Tykee has to be able to run, cover, and all those things.

“And again, I thought he had a nice practice last week and we were able to get him in so, he covered three or four kickoffs, he made a nice play on the ball. Hopefully, he’s in better shape this week.”

Georgia has been the best team in the sport even while battling the injury bug. Imagine what this team would look like if it ever gets fully healthy.

3. How does the SEC slate shake out?

As mentioned, Georgia has four games left against SEC foes. Those teams are Kentucky, Florida, Missouri and Tennessee.

The Wildcats are the highest-ranked of the four. Florida is the most talented, though it has close losses to the Wildcats and Alabama. Tennessee’s offense has exploded in recent weeks, but its schedule is about to get much tougher. Missouri meanwhile has struggled through the first stretch of the season, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Georgia and Kentucky are the last two unbeaten SEC teams, with the winner gaining the inside track to represent the SEC East in Atlanta. Florida will absolutely look to play spoiler, especially after the Gators beat Georgia 44-28 last season.

As for the SEC West, Alabama still looks like the class of the division, even after the shock loss to Texas A&M. Arkansas and Ole Miss are nice stories, but it would be a surprise if either of those teams were somehow able to advance to Atlanta.

Georgia’s had little trouble in its first four SEC games this year. But its final four conference foes figure to have more potent offenses and should be able to challenge this stout Georgia defense.

The first of Georgia’s many goals it aims to accomplish this season is winning the SEC East. Beating Kentucky on Saturday would go a long way into making sure that item gets checked off the list.

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