You don’t always hear a Group of Five team talk big before heading into Athens. But here we are. The Georgia Bulldogs, ranked No. 4, are desperate to climb back to the national championship form. But Kirby Smart and co. have found themselves on the receiving end of some unfiltered warning. Because while the Dawgs fans are still adjusting to life after Carson Beck, one of their bulked-up Week 1 opponents didn’t hesitate to fire a shot across Sanford Stadium.

Marshall’s DL KaTron Evans has the confidence as big as his 6’3, 336-pound frame, and he exuded that during his media appearance. As posted by a Georgia fan on X on August 27, the Thundering Herd even has plans to shock the world. “We’re gonna shock a lot of people, that’s what I’m gonna say,” the redshirt senior DL told the media. He also added, “I feel like the first week is the best time to have them.” He reasons that both teams are mysteries now. Georgia has a new QB in Gunner Stockton, who threw just 64 passes last season. Meanwhile, Marshall had a roster upheaval this offseason. So it’s like a fresh identity. For Evans, chaos equals opportunity. 

KaTron Evans didn’t back down even about Sanford Stadium’s 90,000-seat roar. “I’ve played in stadiums like this,” he added. “And even at Jackson State when I played in the HBCU, we sold out games. And 60,000, 70,000 people there. So it’s not an atmosphere that I haven’t been in.” His implication is that Georgia’s famed home-field advantage won’t rattle him. Because there’s the Bulldogs’ new reality.

The Carson Beck era is over. He’s throwing passes in Miami now. Georgia is Gunner Stockton’s team, whether he’s ready or not. Last season’s Sugar Bowl stumble against Notre Dame showed just how thin the margin of error is in Athens. An 11–3 record is good anywhere else. But in Athens, it’s a letdown. Now, the Bulldogs return a defense that allowed just 20.6 points per game. If anything, the pressure is squarely on Kirby Smart to silence any doubt. Can Marshall actually do it though?

The odds makers don’t think so. Georgia is a 39.5-point favorite, and history suggests they’ll treat Marshall like a speed bump. But let’s not forget 2022, when the Herd marched into South Bend and stunned Notre Dame. They may lack Georgia’s depth and 5-stars, but Tony Gibson’s first year at the helm has injected swagger with 56 transfers to make this roster unrecognizable. Tony Mathis Jr. and a stable of transfer backs will try to bleed the clock and frustrate Georgia’s defense. Pull that off, and suddenly the spread looks a little bloated. But while Marshall kept talking about shocking the world, Kirby Smart is only doubling down on discipline.

Kirby Smart faces a rare situation with Marshall

Kirby Smart isn’t one to take Week 1 lightly, especially when the other sideline is barking. “You start with yourself,” he said this week. “You prepare yourself by how you run to the ball, how you strike people, how you move people, how you run the ball, throw the ball, don’t turn it over.” It was a subtle reminder that Georgia’s biggest enemy isn’t Marshall, it’s Georgia. The Bulldogs have the firepower to dismantle the Herd by halftime, but the HC knows games like this are where complacency creeps in. One busted coverage, one careless turnover, and suddenly that Week 1 warmup becomes a haunting foundation.

Kirby Smart also couldn’t ignore Marshall’s roster overhaul. “They’ve got an interesting roster makeup,” he admitted. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a roster that when we write on the depth chart transfer, it’s three-deep transfer, four-deep transfer, all these spots, a lot of transfers.” To some, that sounds like chaos. To the Dawg’s HC, it sounds like unpredictability with no game film, no habits to exploit, no rhythm to anticipate. And unpredictability in college football can be more dangerous than raw talent.

Marshall is talking big, Georgia is sharpening knives, and Sanford Stadium is about to be the backdrop for either an opening-week classic or a lesson in SEC reality. Bold words have been thrown. Now Kirby Smart and the Dawgs have to decide whether Marshall’s warning is noise or a problem.