In Georgia’s biggest home game of the season, the Bulldogs host Arkansas for Georgia’s first SEC West opponent. Georgia is coming off a dominant 62-0 win over Vanderbilt while the Razorbacks just defeated Texas A&M 20-10.
Experience against youth
Georgia’s kicker, Jack Podlesny, won the starting kicking position last season after taking a redshirt his first year in Athens. He walked on to the team in 2018 and only participated in the G-Day game in 2019.
However, in 2020, Podlesny became a consistent figure in the kicking game appearing in all 10 games. He finished his sophomore season as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s best kicker.
In his senior season, Podlesny has bounced back from a rough start and has gone two-straight games without missing a field goal. Against Vanderbilt, Podlesny went 2-2 on field goals after making his lone attempt against South Carolina in Week 3.
Podlesny has experience in big games across his two seasons kicking for the Bulldogs, and Saturday’s game will be no different as Georgia hosts a ranked opponent for the first time this season.
On the other sideline, freshman Cam Little will be playing in one of the biggest games of his career when he faces No. 2 Georgia on the road.
Little was ranked as the top kicker in his class coming out of high school, according to 247Sports. In his freshman season, Little has yet to miss a field goal or extra point this season, and added to that total going 2-2 against Texas A&M.
Podlesny is coming into this game having experienced high-pressure moments before, and that may pay off against another ranked opponent. Little got his first glimpse of SEC football in Week 4, and will get another chance to prove himself on a big stage.
Field position battle
Last time Georgia played a ranked opponent, punter Jake Camarda proved his worth in pushing the opponents back into their own territory. In Week 1 against Clemson, Camarda punted five times and put the ball inside the 20-yard line four times.
He hit one punt over 50 yards and forced the Tigers’ offense to start deep in their own territory, which allowed the defense to allow three points the entire game. Against another ranked team in Arkansas, Canada's ability to pin the Razorbacks back could benefit the defense again.
Arkansas’ offense has had a strong start to the season, scoring over 35 points in three of its last four games. The Razorback offense may be the biggest test for Georgia’s defense so far in the season, and pushing Arkansas back in the punt game can give the defense more room to continue its strong season.
The Aggies’ defense held Arkansas to 20 points, the lowest the Razorbacks had scored all season. Because of the offensive struggles, Arkansas punter Reid Bauer had more opportunity.
Bauer punted six times against the Aggies for a combined 240 yards and placed two punts inside the 20-yard line. His two punts inside the 20-yard line was a season-high for Bauer and helped Arkansas’ defense hold the Aggies to 10 points.
Arkansas and Georgia are coming into this game looking to continue their strong starts to the season. For both teams to give their offense and defense the best chance to succeed, the punting game could prove to be important in the field position battle.