No. 1 Georgia hits the road looking to keep its unblemished record intact Saturday in an SEC East showdown with Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs are riding a wave of momentum after pummeling previously-unbeaten Kentucky last weekend and will look to keep it going against another SEC East foe. First-year staring quarterback Carson Beck has emerged as one of the game's top weapons, having topped the 300-yard passing mark in each of Georgia's last three games. Tight end Brock Bowers has established himself as a Heisman Trophy candidate -- a rarity for the position. The junior has 37 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns this season and is nearly impossible to cover.
Vanderbilt has had its fair share of struggles lately. The offense has actually been pretty solid despite some uncertainty at quarterback, but the Commodores have given up 36 or more points in their last five games. That includes last week's 38-14 loss to Florida that saw Gators rush for 215 yards and average 7.17 yards per carry.
Follow along with LIVE UPDATES on Saturday as Georgia meets Vanderbilt in an SEC East battle.
How to watch Georgia vs. Vanderbilt live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14 | Time: Noon ET
Location: FirstBank Stadium -- Nashville, Tennessee
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime (Try It Free)
Georgia vs. Vanderbilt: Need to know
Poise under pressure: A big part of Beck's maturation as a passer has been his ability to diagnose pressure. He has completed 69.2% of his passes against the blitz among players with at least 100 passing attempts, and part of his success in those situations stems from his previous success as a baseball player.
"Carson does a great job with that because he is very composed," coach Kirby Smart said on Monday. "I think, you know, a baseball background, I've learned, gives you the ability to handle pressure, because there's no greater pressure than you have to throw a strike. Nobody can help you throw that strike; no coach, no pitching coach. You gotta stand out there and throw a strike. And that pressure is not the same as a man running in your face, but it is pressure."
Vanderbilt has blitzed on 98 plays this season, tied for fifth-most in FBS. The Commodores only have 13 sacks, so that pressure doesn't always get home, but it will be interesting to see how Beck handles what will be significant pressure.
Quarterback questions: Ken Seals started at quarterback for Vanderbilt last week against Florida in place of AJ Swann and performed admirably. The veteran threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, with 107 of those yards and one of the two touchdowns going to star wide receiver Will Sheppard.
"They have really good wideouts. I didn't realize -- I was watching all the games [Sunday] -- how fast they are at wideout," Smart said. "And quarterback's done a great job getting them the ball. They've had some injuries up front and had some guys going in and out of the offensive line. But he buys more time. He's mobile. He's able to highlight the players they have. They have really good wide receivers, and he buys time to make throws, off-platform throws, scramble throws. He's got a really good arm, and he's a good athlete. So when he extends a play, it brings what the strength of their team is up because it gives them more time to make plays."
Will coach Clark Lea stick with Seals or will Swann come back if he's fully healed? That'll be an interesting storyline heading into kickoff. Swann threw for 1,290 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in five games, but has been sidelined with an elbow injury since the Kentucky game. At this point, Vandy might be better served to say with Seals considering his success over the last two weeks.
Winning third down: Success in key situations generally leads to overall team success, and one key area in this matchup will likely determine the outcome. The Commodores rank last in the SEC in opponent third-down conversion rate at 46.94%, while the Bulldogs offense has converted 54.67% of its third-down opportunities.
If Vanderbilt is going to have a chance, it's going to have to have defensive success when it matters the most -- something that it hasn't done all season.
Georgia vs. Vanderbilt prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
Georgia has covered once against an FBS opponent, and that was Kentucky. Is that the start of a new trend or the exception to the rule? It'll be the latter. Georgia will pump the brakes early in the third quarter after building a lead, and the Commodores will do enough to at least keep it within four touchdowns. Simply put, there is no reason for Georgia to even try to cover. Considering Smart likes to pull his starters when he's up three touchdowns, the possibility for a backdoor cover is significant. Pick: Vanderbilt +31.5
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