Three Observations
3. Back to their old ways.
We work better with the best tools. Be that mommy and daddy’s special pillow that they never, ever let anyone else use or the hammer that fits your hand like it was grown there.
Georgia’s offense is the same way. When Mike Bobo has his best tools, everything works better. Right now he’s breaking in a new quarterback, two new tackles, new wideouts, and new running backs. Even some of his returning tools still have that Home Depot sticker residue.
Let’s see what Georgia can do with starters Marcus Rosemy Jacksaint and Daijun Edwards back in the mix. Edwards and Kendall Milton feeding off each other could be devastating. It would be nice if Ladd McConkey was ready, but they want to be extra careful with him. Anyone who really works for a living knows how back issues can linger. If you’ve never experienced it, just wait.
Georgia threw to Arian Smith five times but he didn’t have a catch. He’s one of UGA’s fastest tools but they couldn’t get him the ball. Once he and Carson Beck get in sync, watch out.
On defense, look for Smael Mondon to play more snaps as he continues to progress. He had six snaps last week. He looked great flying to the ball but again, slow is smooth, smooth is fast, even in recovery.
The secondary has new players as well but you should have zero concerns there. They just need to avoid holding and pass interference calls. Your safety tandem of Javon Bullard and Malki Starks is elite.
2. One-third of the game.
We talk a lot about special teams in this column but it matters. Last week we realized we could quietly go back to taking special teams for granted. Of course, there wasn’t a lot of pressure in Week One.
Seven of the nine Georgia kickoffs were touchbacks. Only one was returned for seven yards and UT Martin had to start at their own 10-yard line.
Brett Thorson punted five times and pinned UT Martin inside the 20 twice. Zero punt return yards were given up.
Freshman Peyton Woodring nailed two field goal attempts.
Georgia’s Mekhi Mews had 50 yards on just three returns, picking up a 31-yard kickoff return. Besides Mews, McConkey and Dominic Lovett are good return men, and Dillon Bell can do likewise on kickoffs.
1. New faces.
Dash had a long list of freshmen who made their debuts against UT Martin. Here are three that impressed me the most.
Two Questions
2. Can Georgia get back to the routine plays it hit the last two years?
Smart mentioned there were timing issues last week. That is to be expected with all the new guys in the lineup. Still, Georgia fans would like to see more third-down conversions and downfield passing. The Bulldogs converted 42 percent of their third-down attempts, down from 55 percent in Sanford last year. Carson Beck didn’t take a lot of deep shots despite outstanding pass protection. The yards after the catch were fantastic, but maybe Beck can break up the loaded box with some long passes.
I don’t think we will see a lot of bombs this week since Georgia should have Milton and Edwards back, and that will set up Brock Bowers to be Brock Bowers.
1. Who steps in at left tackle?
If all goes to plan, Georgia should be able to pull its starters at some point in the second half as it did last week. We saw a lot of linemen get more snaps than they have seen in a while. So when Earnest Greene comes out, who goes in? Austin Blaske is dealing with an MCL issue. I have been told he’ll only be out a week. I have also heard he’ll be out for some time.
As it stands now, the backups for Greene are Monroe Freeling and Chad Lindberg. Xavier Truss could move over in a pinch since Georgia has more guards than tackles on the roster. Lindberg has been at Georgia a long time, and you hope he gets a shot. Freeling is a true freshman and is going to be a monster. Here’s hoping we get to see both and that Blaske comes back soon.
One Prediction
Some of our posters who went to practice noted that wide-out Dillon Bell was taking snaps at running back. That is not shocking, as we reported he got a few snaps there two weeks ago.
If you recall, Bell was recruited by a number of schools to be a running back. In high school, he rushed for 1,746 yards and 39 touchdowns, and he caught 1,344 yards worth of passes for 17 scores.
Georgia likes the wideouts and backs who can do both. Mews lined up in the backfield last week and then went on to catch a 54-yard touchdown, which is very reminiscent of how UGA used James Cook in the past. Georgia handed the ball off to tailback Cash Jones three times but threw to him four times. If Smart can convert running backs into leading receivers, doesn’t it make sense to convert wide receivers into running backs, especially when that’s where they played before? Keep the defense guessing.
Maybe we are reading too much into it. But I predict this - if Georgia tries to get the ball into Dillon Bell’s hands as much as they work to get the ball to Brock Bowers, he will make the Dawgs staff look brilliant. The grandson of ‘Give’em Hell, Robert Bell’ will shine.
PS. We are giving away two tickets to tomorrow's game, donated by a poster here on the site. They are of course in Section 3-2-1. Not sure how that worked out but enter the drawing HERE. We draw the winner at 8 pm.
3. Back to their old ways.
We work better with the best tools. Be that mommy and daddy’s special pillow that they never, ever let anyone else use or the hammer that fits your hand like it was grown there.
Georgia’s offense is the same way. When Mike Bobo has his best tools, everything works better. Right now he’s breaking in a new quarterback, two new tackles, new wideouts, and new running backs. Even some of his returning tools still have that Home Depot sticker residue.
Let’s see what Georgia can do with starters Marcus Rosemy Jacksaint and Daijun Edwards back in the mix. Edwards and Kendall Milton feeding off each other could be devastating. It would be nice if Ladd McConkey was ready, but they want to be extra careful with him. Anyone who really works for a living knows how back issues can linger. If you’ve never experienced it, just wait.
Georgia threw to Arian Smith five times but he didn’t have a catch. He’s one of UGA’s fastest tools but they couldn’t get him the ball. Once he and Carson Beck get in sync, watch out.
On defense, look for Smael Mondon to play more snaps as he continues to progress. He had six snaps last week. He looked great flying to the ball but again, slow is smooth, smooth is fast, even in recovery.
The secondary has new players as well but you should have zero concerns there. They just need to avoid holding and pass interference calls. Your safety tandem of Javon Bullard and Malki Starks is elite.
2. One-third of the game.
We talk a lot about special teams in this column but it matters. Last week we realized we could quietly go back to taking special teams for granted. Of course, there wasn’t a lot of pressure in Week One.
Seven of the nine Georgia kickoffs were touchbacks. Only one was returned for seven yards and UT Martin had to start at their own 10-yard line.
Brett Thorson punted five times and pinned UT Martin inside the 20 twice. Zero punt return yards were given up.
Freshman Peyton Woodring nailed two field goal attempts.
Georgia’s Mekhi Mews had 50 yards on just three returns, picking up a 31-yard kickoff return. Besides Mews, McConkey and Dominic Lovett are good return men, and Dillon Bell can do likewise on kickoffs.
1. New faces.
Dash had a long list of freshmen who made their debuts against UT Martin. Here are three that impressed me the most.
- Wide receiver C.J. Smith – He had two catches for 57 yards. More importantly, he hit cornerbacks and linebackers like they stole his Fun Dip. A 6-foot-3, 195-pound wideout who can fly, make catches, and will hit a defender like they cut in line on pizza day? Perfect.
- Inside Linebacker C.J. Allen. – Allen got the most snaps of all the inside linebackers last Saturday. A lot of that has to do with him getting plays with the first team and the second team. But the fact that Smart and Glenn Schuman handed the keys of the defense to a true freshman tells us this kid has huge potential. Most freshmen can’t even remember all the calls on defense, much less call the defense as Allen did. I haven’t been this excited to watch No. 33 since Odell Thurman wore it.
- AJ Harris – Longtime viewers of our shows know I picked Daylen Everette to be a star cornerback for Georgia, and he very well could be. Julain Humphrey impressed me too. He’s so long and fast, sort of like a cigarette boat with “12” painted on the side. But keep an eye on the future and watch AJ Harris. He got a lot of work at cornerback last week and I liked what I saw there.
Two Questions
2. Can Georgia get back to the routine plays it hit the last two years?
Smart mentioned there were timing issues last week. That is to be expected with all the new guys in the lineup. Still, Georgia fans would like to see more third-down conversions and downfield passing. The Bulldogs converted 42 percent of their third-down attempts, down from 55 percent in Sanford last year. Carson Beck didn’t take a lot of deep shots despite outstanding pass protection. The yards after the catch were fantastic, but maybe Beck can break up the loaded box with some long passes.
I don’t think we will see a lot of bombs this week since Georgia should have Milton and Edwards back, and that will set up Brock Bowers to be Brock Bowers.
1. Who steps in at left tackle?
If all goes to plan, Georgia should be able to pull its starters at some point in the second half as it did last week. We saw a lot of linemen get more snaps than they have seen in a while. So when Earnest Greene comes out, who goes in? Austin Blaske is dealing with an MCL issue. I have been told he’ll only be out a week. I have also heard he’ll be out for some time.
As it stands now, the backups for Greene are Monroe Freeling and Chad Lindberg. Xavier Truss could move over in a pinch since Georgia has more guards than tackles on the roster. Lindberg has been at Georgia a long time, and you hope he gets a shot. Freeling is a true freshman and is going to be a monster. Here’s hoping we get to see both and that Blaske comes back soon.
One Prediction
Some of our posters who went to practice noted that wide-out Dillon Bell was taking snaps at running back. That is not shocking, as we reported he got a few snaps there two weeks ago.
If you recall, Bell was recruited by a number of schools to be a running back. In high school, he rushed for 1,746 yards and 39 touchdowns, and he caught 1,344 yards worth of passes for 17 scores.
Georgia likes the wideouts and backs who can do both. Mews lined up in the backfield last week and then went on to catch a 54-yard touchdown, which is very reminiscent of how UGA used James Cook in the past. Georgia handed the ball off to tailback Cash Jones three times but threw to him four times. If Smart can convert running backs into leading receivers, doesn’t it make sense to convert wide receivers into running backs, especially when that’s where they played before? Keep the defense guessing.
Maybe we are reading too much into it. But I predict this - if Georgia tries to get the ball into Dillon Bell’s hands as much as they work to get the ball to Brock Bowers, he will make the Dawgs staff look brilliant. The grandson of ‘Give’em Hell, Robert Bell’ will shine.
PS. We are giving away two tickets to tomorrow's game, donated by a poster here on the site. They are of course in Section 3-2-1. Not sure how that worked out but enter the drawing HERE. We draw the winner at 8 pm.
