ATHENS — Georgia football has had a different vibe this season, both from an outside and inside perspective, as it turns out.
The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs are 9-0 this season and in the midst of a 26-game win streak, including 24 in a row at home entering into the Saturday night game with Ole Miss (TV: 7 p.m. ESPN).
Coach Kirby Smart shared some insight into this specific team on Friday that falls in line with what those close to the program have observed.
“This team has been the most different,” Smart said. “I felt like last year’s and the year before had some similarities.”
The Bulldogs went 14-1 in 2021 with a team featuring an NFL record 15 draft picks and a historically dominant defense. UGA followed that up with a 15-0 campaign in 2022, after which another 10 players were selected in the draft.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken and key offensive skill players moved on -- quarterback Stetson Bennett, tailback Kenny McIntosh, tight end Darnell Washington and receiver Adonai Mitchell, among them -- opening the door for a new-look offense for new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.
The Georgia defense, meanwhile, lost five first-round picks from the 2021 team, and another two lfirst-round picks in Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith off its 2022 defensive front.
The Bulldogs have not appeared as fearsome up front this season.
“This one has been off the radar, completely different,” Smart said of the 2023 team. “We’ve had more injuries than we’ve ever had, we’ve lost two O-linemen that were starters and several defensive players that have been starters.
“So it’s been a weird dynamic. It’s almost been a real resilient next-man-up kind of attitude, and the schedule has been different. So for our guys, I think different has been good.”
Here are four things to know about the Bulldogs upcoming game with Ole Miss.
Kirby on CFP rankings
Smart used purported disrespect to motivate his team the past two seasons, including where the team was ranked. But not so much this season.
“We haven’t had to use (CFP Rankings) as motivation, we’ve had plenty of (other) people doubting us,” Smart said on Friday. “We’ve had a star player that’s been out for a while in Brock (Bowers), so it’s like everybody has doubted us and given us motivation from that.”
The Bulldogs have been ranked No. 2, behind fellow unbeaten team Ohio State in the first two CFP rankings.
“The playoff ranking has literally not come across my desk, I don’t care, and I really don’t think our team cares,” Smart said.
“They just want to be in that four (-team playoff). It’s not been about where you put us or what you say about us, we have to go out and do it on the field.”
Pivotal first quarter
A Georgia lead after one quarter would be a very good thing for the Bulldogs on Saturday night, and it would also buck a recent trend.
UGA has allowed opening drive touchdowns to the past three opponents — Vanderbilt, Florida and Missouri — while Ole Miss has been a fast starter.
The Rebels have outscored opponents 117-38 in the first quarter, while Georgia holds only a 51-38 first-quarter edge over opponents.
Special teams weapon
Freshman kicker Peyton Woodring has become deadly accurate for the Bulldogs, recently named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, which goes to the nation’s top kicker.
Woodring has made 17 of 20 field goals, including a clutch, career-long 48-yarder in the fourth quarter last Saturday that helped Georgia seal a 30-21 win over Missouri.
Woodring has made 14 consecutive field goal attempts after opening the season 4-7.
Weather alert
Temperatures are expected to be falling into the low 50s as the 7 p.m. kickoff approaches, and there’s a 78 percent chance of rain throughout the game.
It’s hard to gauge which team that might favor more, as the Rebels feature elite tailback Quinshon Judkins, who is coming off three consecutive 100-yard games.
The Bulldogs, however, boast a strong offensive line and average more yards per carry this season (4.9) than do the Rebels (4.6).
Both quarterbacks have taken care of the ball well, as Carson Beck has just four interceptions on 295 pass attempts, while Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart has thrown four interceptions on 244 attempts.
