No. 3 Georgia enters the season as the favorite to win the Southeastern Conference and a contender to earn its third national title in six years.
But that’s the last thing Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart wants to hear.
Ahead of Georgia’s season opener in Athens, Ga., on Saturday afternoon, Smart said he is worried about one thing: Tennessee State.
While the Bulldogs open as nearly a 50-point favorite over the Ohio Valley Conference member, Smart has never been one to allow his team to be caught napping.
“I know our players are ready to play someone other than beating up on ourselves in practice,” he said. “Their quarterback (Daylin Lee) does a great job. I’ll tell you what, he’s very smooth, hard to tackle, gets out of trouble, and is a very efficient passer. You can just see he understands what they’re trying to do offensively and executes well. He’s a transfer guy that’s played well, and he’ll have an opportunity to come out and play against us.”
As much as Smart will emphasize to his team that the Tigers are a formidable threat, Saturday will be about veteran quarterback Gunner Stockton, leading rusher Nate Frazier and a heralded defense.
Saturday will be part of a bigger picture for Smart’s team, which has won consecutive SEC championships but hasn’t posted a CFP victory since bludgeoning TCU 65-7 in the national title game four seasons ago. Georgia has reached the CFP quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons, however, and finished 12-2 last season.
Stockton leads a group that will be eager to start another impressive campaign.
“They’re going against a formidable opponent every day they go out there in practice,” Smart said. “I enjoy watching them compete against each other. All the things they’ve done so far leave me no doubt that they will go out and respond in game-type situations.”
Tennessee State (0-1) will make its first trip to Athens, but the heavy underdog does have game experience already this year. The Tigers fell 26-24 to Jackson State on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.
“I thought our coaches did a good job of preparing our guys for competition,” Tennessee State coach Reggie Barlow said. “There were some positives to take away.”
Lee, a transfer from Winston-Salem State, threw for 265 yards while passing and rushing for a touchdown in the loss. As the dual-threat quarterback prepares for the stiffest competition of his athletic career, he hopes the momentum of his first outing continues into Saturday.
“We’ve made a big improvement from the spring,” Lee said of the Tigers’ offense. “Spring Day 1 was shaky, but we just kept getting better day by day. We’re just going to try and keep improving and building on that this season.”
Georgia, meanwhile, hasn’t lost a season opener since 2013 against Clemson — the third longest FBS streak behind Ohio State and Air Force.
