Gameday Guide: Georgia vs. UAB kickoff time, odds, stream, top players, TV info

A few moments before the 100-plus red jerseys sprint onto the grass, over 92,000 fans will glance up toward Sanford Stadium’s southwest corner. A capacity crowd returns to watch the Georgia football team in Athens.

Everything will feel normal again, including the Bulldogs’ quarterback drama after JT Daniels suffered an injury and could potentially miss time with Carson Beck filling in. Nonetheless, a long-awaited home opener draws closer and Georgia welcomes another quality non-conference opponent in UAB.

Here’s everything you need to know before heading to the Classic City or beginning your at-home watch party.

When is the Georgia football game kickoff?

Who: No. 2 Georgia (1-0) vs. UAB (1-0)

Where: Sanford Stadium

Time: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

TV: ESPN2 (Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III, Quint Kessenich)

Stream: UGA vs. UAB via ESPN app

Radio: Macon - 93.1 FM; Warner Robins - 105.9 FM; Athens - 960 AM/106.1 FM; Atlanta 750 AM/95.5 FM (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, DJ Shockley) ... more via Georgia football radio affiliates list

UGA vs UAB point spread

Georgia is around a 24-point favorite on most sites, according to VegasInsider. The Bulldogs opened as a 29-point-favorite and are 1-0 against the spread this season, covering as three-point underdogs against Clemson.

Meet the UAB Blazers

This isn’t the typical “buy game” for Georgia. The Blazers will walk out of Sanford Stadium with a nice paycheck, but UAB is a solid program that will treat Saturday as its Super Bowl and hope to take down the Bulldogs. UAB, coached by Bill Clark, touts an experienced defense and a coaching staff with a lot of years under its belt.

The Blazers were projected to finish atop the Conference USA West division and appear in the championship game once again. Georgia holds a 2-0 series lead over UAB, last meeting in 2006.

Some final thoughts about the game ...

Does injury force Georgia to make a quarterback change?

News began to circulate this week that quarterback JT Daniels, the team’s unquestioned starter, suffered an upper-body injury ahead of Saturday’s game. He has taken a limited number of snaps in practice, per reports, and offensive tackle Warren McClendon revealed that Carson Beck has also been taking snaps with the first-team offense.

Beck is an unproven option, but he is the clear No. 2 after a strong spring practice and preseason camp. He turned some heads with a strong G-Day showing in April, and a non-conference game could be an opportunity to be cautious with Daniels while giving Beck the chance to show his capabilities behind center.

Can UGA avoid a letdown after win over Clemson?

A few short days ago, Georgia notched arguably its best regular-season win of the Kirby Smart era with a 10-3 victory over Clemson. Some might’ve projected the Bulldogs to win the powerhouse showdown, but they also wondered whether Georgia would have an issue focusing on the Blazers headed into Saturday’s game.

Georgia went into coachspeak mode almost immediately and has said “focused on UAB” more times than you can count. That question, however, can’t be answered until the game progresses. It’s not a matter of whether Georgia wins, because that might happen regardless, but whether it maintains the same dominance that it showed against Clemson while making improvements.

Enjoy watching Jordan Davis

Georgia’s big-bodied nose tackle wearing No. 99 is one of the best this program has seen in quite some time. Jordan Davis did it all in a return to his hometown of Charlotte. He did the dirty work that doesn’t appear in stat lines, but he also recorded some sacks and made offensive possessions a nightmare for Clemson.

It might’ve been one of Davis’ best games, but it won’t be the last time you see those improvements. Ahead of his final season, Davis did a lot of work with conditioning and nutrition. It’s all paying off with more production. Not only did Davis earn SEC Defensive Player of the Week and Bronco Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honors, but his strong showing also earned him an NIL deal.

Davis signed a partnership with the Rich Eisen Show and the Gorilla Glue Company as the “Toughest Player on Planet Earth.” It earned Davis $1,000.

Georgia fans, soak in the moments of watching Davis. Only a handful of games remain until he retires the Bulldog uniform.

This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 11:56 AM.