Georgia hasn’t lost a game in 699 days. So how, exactly, do you beat the Dawgs?
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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
ATHENS, Georgia — Georgia hasn’t lost a football game in 699 days.
The Bulldogs haven’t been beaten in the regular season in 1,091 days. And they haven’t fallen at home in 1,483 days.
Heading into Saturday’s game against No. 12 Missouri at Sanford Stadium, two-time defending national champion Georgia has won 25 consecutive games. With a victory over the Tigers, Georgia would tie for the 14th-longest winning streak in the AP poll era (since 1936), matching Alabama (2015-16) and Nebraska (1994-1996).
Georgia’s last loss was a 41-24 defeat to Alabama in the SEC championship game Dec. 4, 2021. Its winning streak began when it beat Michigan 34-11 in a CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve in 2021. In the next game, the Bulldogs finally took down the Crimson Tide with a 33-18 win in the CFP National Championship to capture their first national title in 41 years.
The Bulldogs have been winning ever since.
Along with a school record 25 straight wins, they’ve captured 35 consecutive regular-season games, 24 straight SEC regular-season games and 23 in a row at home. They’re 41-1 in their past 42 games.
“Like I’ve said all the time, that’s going to come to an end,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I’ve been part of a lot of streaks. That’s going to come to an end at some point, and when it does, we’ll worry about the next game. I don’t think you can be consumed with that thought process or think that way. You’ve got to think [about] what you can do to help your team win.”
So how do you beat the Bulldogs, who have been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for 20 consecutive weeks, the third-longest streak ever and the longest in the SEC?
Make quarterback Carson Beck uncomfortable
One of the biggest questions about Georgia heading into the season was how Beck would hold up as a replacement for Stetson Bennett, a former walk-on, who guided the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships.
So far, so good. Beck is seventh among FBS quarterbacks with a 73% completion rate and 307.8 yards per game. He is 10th in total QBR (81.8) with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. The junior has been sacked only five times in 283 dropbacks.
“Everybody talks about the quarterback, but he’s extremely composed and very accurate,” said one SEC head coach, whose team played Georgia this season. “Nobody has really been able to put the game on his shoulders, and I still think that’s what you’ve got to do to beat them because they don’t have what I’d call Georgia running backs. They’re good, but not in the way you would think of some of the great Georgia backs.”
In last week’s 43-20 victory over Florida, the Gators pressured Beck on just four of his 30 dropbacks (13%) and had just one sack, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Florida came into that game with a 42% pressure rate, which was third highest in the SEC and ninth best in the FBS.
Georgia’s offensive line has allowed only six sacks in eight games, which is tied for sixth fewest in the FBS. Beck is completing 78.7% of his passes when the pocket is clean, compared to only 50% when he is pressured.
Beck had his biggest moment in Georgia’s first road game, at Auburn on Sept. 30. After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, Georgia rallied to go ahead 20-17 in the fourth. The Tigers tied the game with a field goal, then Beck threw a 40-yard touchdown to tight end Brock Bowers with 2:52 to play. Beck completed 23 of 33 passes for 313 yards with one interception and one touchdown in the game.
“He may not be the runner that Bennett was when things break down, but you don’t get to him much, either,” an SEC assistant coach said. “In that Auburn game, when the game was on the line in a hostile environment, he looked very poised.”
Beat the Bulldogs on the road
It might be hard to believe that the Bulldogs lost three times at home during Smart’s first season as his alma mater’s coach in 2016.
Georgia fell to Tennessee 34-31 after Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs threw a 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Jauan Jennings. Special teams mistakes cost the Bulldogs in a 17-16 loss to Vanderbilt, which beat them for only the third time in the past 22 meetings. Then Georgia blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 28-27 loss to Georgia Tech, which scored the winning touchdown with 30 seconds left.
Georgia has lost only once in 40 home games since the start of the 2017 season. That came against South Carolina in 2019, a 20-17 loss in double overtime, in which the Bulldogs had four turnovers and missed a 42-yard field goal in the second overtime. The Gamecocks, coached by current UGA co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, were 24½-point underdogs in the game.
Georgia has won 23 straight games at Sanford Stadium since then. It has defeated 11 straight opponents ranked in the Top 25 of the AP poll at home, winning by an average of 19.4 points. Only three of the 11 games were decided by fewer than 14 points.
Sanford Stadium can get loud, especially when there’s a ranked opponent in town. In Georgia’s 23-17 victory over Notre Dame in 2019, the Fighting Irish were whistled for six false-start penalties. Arkansas had false starts on its first two plays in a 37-0 loss at Georgia in 2021. Last season, No. 1 Tennessee had seven false starts in a 27-13 loss to the Bulldogs.
Don’t make mistakes
Last season, Missouri unexpectedly gave Georgia its biggest challenge in the regular season. After defeating each of their first four opponents by 17 points or more, the Bulldogs faced a pair of 13-point deficits in the first half and trailed by 10 going into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs lost two fumbles in the first half and went just 4-for-13 on third down in the game. Georgia rallied, however, and won 26-22 after scoring two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes.
Missouri is one of only three teams since 2021 to lead the Bulldogs through three quarters, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Only Alabama managed to win in the 2021 SEC championship game. Each of those three opponents won the turnover battle through the first three quarters: Bama and Missouri were plus-2. Ohio State was plus-1 through three quarters of a CFP semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl last season.
Georgia turned it on in the fourth quarter of the two games it won. It outgained Missouri by 155 yards in the fourth quarter; it had 90 more yards than Ohio State in a 42-41 victory.
The Bulldogs don’t make many mistakes. This season, they’re the least-penalized team in the SEC with 38.1 yards per game.
“I mean, when you don’t beat yourself, you’ve got a chance,” former Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “When you don’t turn it over, you’ve got a chance. And when you don’t have foolish penalties, you’ve got a chance. A lot of games are given away by just self-inflicted wounds and there hasn’t been a lot of that going on, obviously.”
Hit some big plays
Although Georgia’s defense might not have the star power of the previous two editions — there were a record five Bulldog defenders selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft and two more this year — it’s still pretty stingy. Georgia ranks seventh in the FBS in scoring defense (14.8 points), eighth in total defense (272.1 yards) and 12th in run defense (93.6 yards).
One area where the Bulldogs have excelled this season is third-down defense. Opponents have converted only 25% of 100 third-down plays. It’s going to be difficult to drive the ball down the field.
“Where they’re always dangerous on defense is getting you in bad down-and-distance situations,” an SEC head coach said. “It seems like when you play them, that’s always the case. If you can run the ball just a little bit against them, then it obviously gets a little easier. But how many people have been able to do that?
“I still think that’s the first thing you’ve got to do — stay patient, commit to running the ball and mix it up enough in the pass game to keep them honest. You’ve also got to make some explosive plays on them.”
Since the start of the 2021 season, only five opponents have held a halftime lead against Georgia (Alabama did it twice). The two teams that had 10 plays of 10 yards or more in the first half either defeated the Bulldogs or took them all the way down to the wire, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Ohio State had 11 such plays in the first half of last season’s CFP semifinal. The Crimson Tide had 15 in the first two quarters of their victory over Georgia in the 2021 SEC championship game.
This season, Georgia unexpectedly trailed South Carolina 14-3 at halftime at home. The Gamecocks hit nine plays of 10 yards or more in the first half but were shut out in the final two quarters.
“They’re not as good up front [defensively] as they were last year,” an SEC assistant said. “They’re still good, but don’t have as many pros up there as Kirby has had in the past. They don’t run NFL guys in and out like they used to. So that gives you a chance to have some success on offense if you can get the game to the second half.”
How long will Georgia’s winning streak last? It’s about to face one of its most difficult stretches of any of the past three regular seasons. After hosting the Tigers, the Bulldogs play No. 10 Ole Miss at home and No. 17 Tennessee and surging Georgia Tech on the road to close the regular season.
“Listen, they’re still talented, probably as talented as anybody,” an SEC head coach said. “But I do think they’re beatable. I’m not saying they’ll get beat, but it wouldn’t surprise me like it would have a year ago.”
ESPN reporter Chris Low contributed to this report.
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Buster Olney
There is sincere regret in the words of Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker when he mentions what life in baseball has cost him. His son Troy, now a hitting coach for the Houston Astros, played baseball growing up, and Snitker recalls seeing only three innings of Troy’s high school career, due to the natural scheduling conflict for someone working in Major League Baseball.
Snitker will turn 70 next month, and, by all accounts, it’s his call as to whether he will return as Atlanta’s skipper next season. While he told ESPN, prior to this past “Sunday Night Baseball,” that he hasn’t made a decision on that yet, he mentioned spending time with his grandkids and places where he’d like to travel. Friends of Snitker in the game believe that this will be his last year as manager, after 10 years at Atlanta. If that’s the case, he’ll move into a role with the team’s front office, continuing a working relationship with the Braves that began when they signed him to a free agent contract as a player in 1977.
Snitker’s job is one of a number of managerial or general manager positions that will be watched within the industry as the 2025 regular season comes to a close and teams begin to prepare for 2026.
Below are all the teams that could see changes at the top — from clubs who have execs or managers nearing the ends of their careers to those whose performances this season have led to questions — as well as some potential candidates who could step in to fill those positions.
Managers
Atlanta Braves
Current manager: Snitker
If Snitker steps down, the Braves job will be highly coveted, despite the incredibly disappointing 2025 showing, due to the core talent — Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Chris Sale, dynamic rookie pitcher Hurston Waldrep, etc. — and the long-standing stability of the franchise. Alex Anthopoulos, the head of baseball operations, is under contract through 2031.
Some of the names that rival execs speculated could step into the skipper role include: Walt Weiss, currently the Braves’ bench coach; former Cubs manager David Ross and MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa, who both have history with the organization; and Skip Schumaker, the 2022 NL Manager of the Year who is currently working in the Rangers’ front office.
Texas Rangers
Current manager: Bruce Bochy
When Schumaker was hired by Texas in the winter, there was an assumption in the industry that Chris Young, the Rangers’ head of baseball operations, was setting up a plan of succession for whenever Bochy stepped down as manager. This belief was reinforced when Luis Urueta, the bench coach for Schumaker with the Marlins in 2024, was hired by the Rangers.
To date, however, there have been no conversations with the Rangers’ organization about Bochy’s intentions for 2026, according to sources, and with Texas making a late push for a playoff spot, that discussion is likely to be deferred. It’s possible that Bochy’s situation is identical to that of Snitker — in the end, it could be his call on whether to return. Bochy has told friends he feels good and likes what he does, and he has enjoyed having his grandchildren at Rangers games. Like Snitker, he will be 70 at year’s end.
Whenever Bochy decides to retire, he will be quickly inducted into the Hall of Fame. His teams have won four championships with him as manager, and he ranks sixth all time in career victories, less than 100 wins away from passing Joe Torre.
Minnesota Twins
Current manager: Rocco Baldelli
Baldelli just had his 2026 option picked up in June, timing that might suggest he’s safe for next season, as Twins ownership could simply plow ahead with him at the helm. But a lot has changed with the Twins since that decision was made: The team unloaded veterans and salary at the trade deadline, angering fans.
Baldelli is concluding his seventh year with the team and could face the same reality that every manager does: If an organization wants to signal change — and the Twins might want to do that after a messy 2025 season — one of the cheapest ways to do that is to fire the manager. Sometime in the next few weeks, Minnesota’s ownership will make that choice.
If the Twins do switch managers, then Derek Shelton — a former Twins coach who was the Pirates’ skipper before he was fired earlier this season — could be among those considered, along with former Twins hitting coach James Rowson (now with the Yankees) and others.
Los Angeles Angels
Current manager: Ron Washington (on medical leave)
Washington stepped away from the Angels to have quadruple bypass surgery before the All-Star break, and in theory, he could return to manage the team next year. In the end, owner Arte Moreno, who is not inclined to defer to his general manager on the biggest decisions, will determine whether the 73-year-old Washington returns to his position. Ray Montgomery has filled in as manager since Washington went on medical leave, and the Angels have continued to improve. They have already won more games so far this season than they did in all of 2024, when they finished 63-99.
But Moreno’s history of hiring managers suggests that if he doesn’t pick Washington, he’ll want a bigger name. “He might be more apt to pick [former Angels manager] Mike Scioscia than some unknown,” said one rival evaluator.
Albert Pujols is a big name, but his tenure with the Angels didn’t end well. Would Moreno look past that if he needs a new manager? We’ll see.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Current manager: Torey Lovullo
It seems almost silly to include Lovullo on this list, given the devastating injuries incurred by the D-backs’ pitching staff this year and the fact that they played in the World Series just two years ago. But Arizona owner Ken Kendrick is known to be a challenging boss, someone who demands answers from those who work for him, leaving the door open for change.
However, Lovullo is very close with head of baseball operations Mike Hazen — to the degree that if you ranked the symbiosis of GMs and their managers among the 30 teams, a rival exec agreed that Hazen and Lovullo would be No. 1. Presumably, the desire for a change at manager would have to come from Kendrick.
Philadelphia Phillies
Current manager: Rob Thomson
Phillies owner John Middleton has spent heavily to help build a great team — as he once mused, he knows the fans don’t care about his bottom line — and he will push for change when he sees a need. Thomson, under contract through 2026, is nearing the conclusion of his fourth year as the Phillies’ manager. While the team has a .577 winning percentage in regular-season games under Thomson and reached the World Series in 2022, it has been knocked out of the playoffs the past two years, including an incredibly disappointing loss to the D-backs in the 2023 National League Championship Series.
The Phillies have an older group of players, and if they fall short again, could Middleton look for a change? That’s always his prerogative. Prior to the 2022 season, Thomson intended to retire at that year’s end — but then Joe Girardi was fired and Thomson was asked to step in. He knows how this works.
If president of baseball operations David Dombrowski looks for another manager, it’s worth remembering that he hired Brad Ausmus in Detroit and, by all accounts, had a strong working relationship with him. Ausmus is the bench coach with the Yankees now.
San Francisco Giants
Current manager: Bob Melvin
Melvin is working under head of baseball operations Buster Posey for the first time this year, and when the team collapsed before the trade deadline, rival officials wondered if San Francisco was on a trajectory toward change. But the Giants have surged, putting themselves back into the race and perhaps quelling that possibility. Next year is the last on the deal that Melvin signed in 2023.
Baltimore Orioles
Current manager: Tony Mansolino (interim)
On the first day he was introduced as the replacement for Brandon Hyde, who was fired on May 17, Mansolino made it clear that he was on the job in an interim capacity. But following a disastrous start and a desperate organizational need for pitching, the Orioles have played over .500 under Mansolino, and he has strong support among some current players.
It’s unclear whether that sentiment will be decisive as general manager Mike Elias picks the next manager. On a related note: What is clear is that Hall of Famer and Baltimore legend Cal Ripken Jr. is happy in his current life and not interested in the O’s managerial job, according to sources.
St. Louis Cardinals
Current manager: Oliver Marmol
Any change at general manager makes for a climate of change, and Marmol has one year left on his contract at a time when Chaim Bloom is about to take over the Cardinals’ front office. But the team has played better than expected this year, and Marmol has had regular communication with Bloom. Given Bloom’s deliberate style and the fact that the Cardinals are not expected to spend aggressively this winter, some rival executives believe Bloom will want to work in concert with Marmol before making a decision for 2027 and beyond.
Front office executives
Washington Nationals
Current GM: Mike DeBartolo (interim)
Washington fired general manager Mike Rizzo just before the All-Star break, with DeBartolo serving as the interim GM since then.
Nationals ownership has started the process of talking to candidates to find a replacement — Guardians assistant GM Matt Forman, Cubs GM Carter Hawkins and Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye are among those being considered. DeBartolo could be in play, but the fact that the Nationals’ leadership is talking to others outside the organization suggests the team is prepared to hire someone else.
Mark Lerner is the most prominent member of the Nationals’ ownership group, but a large group will collaborate on this decision. The expectation is that the new head of baseball operations will lead the search for the next manager. (Bench coach Miguel Cairo was named interim manager after Dave Martinez was fired alongside Rizzo in July.)
Colorado Rockies
Current head of baseball operations: Bill Schmidt
This might well be Schmidt’s last season leading the baseball operations department for Colorado, according to sources, and rival executives expect that the Rockies, who have been largely disinclined in the past to hire staffers from outside the organization, will be more open to doing that than they have been in the past. Thad Levine, who worked for the Rockies two decades ago before moving on to assistant GM and GM jobs with the Rangers and Twins, respectively, is often mentioned as a possibility.
Toronto Blue Jays
Current president: Mark Shapiro
This is the last year of Shapiro’s deal, and the Jays have had a summer of successes: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed an extension; the Jays surged into first place in the American League East; and more fans turned out to enjoy the renovations to Rogers Centre that Shapiro oversaw. An announcement that Shapiro has signed an extension is expected at some point. If Rogers Communications, the sole owner of the Blue Jays, holds to form, that might not happen until the offseason.
Athletics
Current GM: David Forst
No team has had a stranger road in recent decades than the A’s, who left the city of Oakland after last season to play in a minor league park to buy time for a new home to be constructed in Las Vegas. And throughout that process, owner John Fisher has been heavily criticized.
Along the way, Forst — one of the team’s figures of stability and a protégé of Billy Beane — has constructed a roster deep in young position player talent. But his future with the organization is unsettled, with more conversations to come.
Seattle Mariners
Current head of baseball operations: Jerry Dipoto
Seattle is fighting for a playoff spot, and following the trade deadline acquisitions of Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor, Mariners fans will be incredibly disappointed if their team doesn’t reach the postseason. But Dipoto has built a consistent contender in recent years with a strong farm system, and he seems to have a very functional relationship with Seattle ownership. It would be a surprise if there were changes at the top of the Mariners’ hierarchy even if they fail to reach the postseason.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Current GM: Ben Cherington
Manager Don Kelly, a Pennsylvania native, is well-liked and well-respected, and his stock is rising after taking over in early May following the firing of Shelton. Cherington, who oversees Pittsburgh’s operations, has drawn fan scrutiny, on the other hand. But as one rival official said: “When is the owner [Bob Nutting] going to spend more money? He’s probably too cheap to fire Ben, if he wanted to make a change.”
ARLINGTON, Texas — Marcus Semien is still hopeful of playing again this season for the playoff-chasing Texas Rangers, even though the second baseman is only three weeks removed from fouling off a pitch that left him with a broken bone and sprained ligament in his left foot.
Semien is no longer wearing a protective boot on his foot, and he said Wednesday that he has been walking on an in-pool treadmill. The 34-year-old said he has been able to move around without limping while doing lower-body work to get his legs back in shape after his extended time of inactivity.
“Preparing to just get moving again. Talking to the doctors, in a perfect world, I think six weeks is what you probably need. But right now with where we’re at, just trying to push it,” Semien said. “I think once we get to this road trip and get through some checkpoints, come back home and see how we see how running looks, and go from there.”
Texas played the finale of a three-game series at home Wednesday against Milwaukee, which has the best record in the majors. The Rangers, who started the day 2 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Houston and 1 1/2 games behind the final wild-card spot, open a three-game series at the New York Mets on Friday before three games at the Astros next week.
The Rangers then return for their final homestand, starting Sept. 19 against Miami. At that point, four weeks after Semien got hurt, there will be only nine games left in the regular season.
“At four weeks, there’s still some risk. But, you know, I’m willing to see what I can do and see if there’s a realistic chance of me getting back on the field,” he said. “Regardless, I will work as hard as I can to get back as quick as I can. But the team’s playing great, it’s been fun to watch. A lot of energy out there and I want to be a part of that.”
Semien fouled a pitch off his foot on Aug. 20 at Kansas City and went on the 10-day injured list two days later. It is only the second time in his 13 big league seasons to go on the IL.
Before the injury, Semien had missed only six of the Rangers’ 615 games since joining them before the 2022 season on a $175 million, seven-year contract. He has hit .230 with 15 homers, 62 RBI and 62 runs in 127 games this year.
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