Georgia Bulldogs: Definitely Not Overlooking Vanderbilt

The Georgia Bulldogs are not taking the Vanderbilt Commodores lightly in their annual rivalry game, when the Dawgs venture up to Nashville for Saturday afternoon’s contest.

Georgia Bulldogs HC Mark Richt and upperclassmen WR Malcolm Mitchell, ILB Jake Ganus, OLB Jordan Jenkins, and C Brandon Kublanow met with the media before yesterday’s practice to give us the scoop on how the Dawgs feel about their next game against the ‘Dores in the Music City.

Mark Richt came away impressed with how Vandy kept a strong offense like Western Kentucky’s in check, even in defeat. Vandy lost to WKU 14-12 in Week 1. Richt felt that turnovers and missed opportunities in the red zone proved costly for VU in their home opener. For Vandy to rebound under second-year HC Derek Mason, their defense with have to anchor the ‘Dores. From his track record at Stanford, I think Mason will get Vanderbilt’s defense back to good here soon.

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WR Malcolm Mitchell viewed the Georgia Bulldogs’ last visit to Nashville from a different vantage point than he normally does. He was unable to travel with the team due to injury and had to watch the game on TV like the rest of us. Perhaps watching the infamous Ramik Wilson Targeting Game on TV while nursing a leg injury inspires Malcolm Mitchell to have a strong showing at Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday.

UAB Transfer ILB Jake Ganus didn’t feel the jitters playing Between the Hedges last Saturday. He looks forward to playing in front of big crowds. Even a down on its luck Vanderbilt team routinely packs the house for their home games. You could feel that Jake was pretty pumped about playing in his first SEC game on Saturday from his meeting with the Georgia Bulldogs beat.

Senior Defensive Leader OLB Jordan Jenkins considers the 2013 loss to Vanderbilt as one of the most painful losses of his collegiate career. He has previously stated that last year’s game against Florida and the 2013 loss at home versus Missouri were the two games that stuck with him into his senior season.

I’m not surprised that the 2013 Vanderbilt Targeting Game lingers with Jenkins, as his fellow LB Ramik Wilson had to exit the game on a poorly called targeting penalty by the officials. Only a sophomore then, Jenkins had to step up his play to account for Wilson’s ejection. Expect Jordan Jenkins to play an outstanding game on Saturday. He doesn’t want to go 0-for in Nashville during his UGA career.

C Brandon Kublanow feels that he’s made the necessary adjustments to play well at center for UGA this fall. He feels confident in his ability to play all three interior line positions for the Georgia Bulldogs. He even thinks that he could play tackle if needed, though OL Coach Rob Sale and Richt probably won’t let him.

Kublanow echoed Richt’s sentiment of the improved Commodore defense, as well as their misfortunes in the red zone. He considers Vanderbilt a good team that is experiencing a string of bad luck. How Kublanow and his offensive line protect first-year starting QB Greyson Lambert will decide if the Georgia Bulldogs can win this SEC opener handedly or if it will get a little too close for comfort for Dawg Nation’s liking.

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