Your exactly right! How do you think this team compares to 2018? Better offense, defense, special teams?
We have no Josh Allen on the edge, but we have some defensive stand outs in Big Walker in the middle, Hairston at DB, Wallace at linebacker and Alex Afari at safety/nickle that has power at all three levels to likely match our total quality in 2018, without a freak like Allen. And Walker could end up proving to be as big a freak as that biggun’ UGA had for three years.
Our 2018 offense was a grind-it-out model, with a decent QB transfer in Wilson, who had some wheels. Whenever I think of 2018, I see lineman Bunchy Stallings pancake a safety around left end in Gainesville, allowing Benny Snell to hit wide open territory for 35 yards, to be caught from behind by UF speed.
In 2018, friends and I would marvel at Snell, and the fact he never seemed to be running fast, but he was always going forward and defeating tackles at or near the line.
This year, we have All Day Ray Davis at back and to date he is the opposite of Snell: he can be tackled by one defender, but has breakaway speed. And his moves make it tough for one defender to bring him down.
Defensively, I say it is a push with 2018, or a slight edge to the ‘23 unit. In ‘18, the common refrain was our offensive clock control and TOP advantage helped manufacture a Top 10 defense. This year we trail TOP pretty badly, but still look strong on scoring defense and total yardage defense.
Offensively, we are better, with our large number of explosive plays.
Our QB has yet to separate himself statistically from Wilsons’ numbers in 2018, but each week he and the receivers have a few more practices under their belts.
Pointers:! If UGA can eliminate the big play from Kentucky’s arsenal early, it might be a long day for the Cats.
