Three Observations
3. Not an excuse, but a reason.
Kirby Smart mentioning that this team is the most beat up of any group of players since he began his tenure at Georgia certainly put things in perspective. We broke the news last week that Ladd McConkey would be out for a few more games, and that holds true for Saturday. Nor do I expect to see Javon Bullard play. Now Amarius Mims is out, having gone through tightrope surgery on Monday.
My Rockdale County math tells me that makes three preseason ALL-SEC players who are currently unavailable.
We can talk about “next man up” and “reloading” until the Auburn cheerleaders come home, but at some point the losses affect your team. How many teams in the nation can realistically handle playing without three of their top players? It should be noted these aren’t just three starters but rather three of the top players in the conference. They also have a ton of experience you can’t just replace by adding the next guy on the depth chart. Add in the fact that Georgia lost 10 players to the NFL Draft, and those injuries just hit all the harder.
South Carolina went after the spot Bullard vacated. We saw the difference it made for UGA in getting Daijun Edwards back after missing a couple of games.
So keep Ron Courson in your prayers as he tries to get your top players back on the field.
2. Time to make a name for yourself
With Mims out, look for Xavier Truss to take over at right tackle. People still hold that Cincinnati game against him. You’d have thought he fished their dock the way some people hold a grudge. Last week though he did a good job and Georgia ran behind him a lot versus South Carolina.
Look for a lot of different combinations in the wide receiver groupings with McConkey. Three starters in the UAB secondary have given up 25 completions on 27 attempts. It should be easier to score on the Blazers than at a Florida wedding.
We will also see some new faces get some reps in Bullard’s spot. This may be the most interesting part of the game.
As for the kicker, Smart said he would continue the competition at the spot. Still, I expect Peyton Woodring to continue kicking field goals and extra points. Kirby mentioned the guy is a true freshman and I can’t see Smart pulling him without a longer look. Woodring won the job and they will let him continue to develop.
1. Running out of backs
Georgia has five scholarship running backs. In theory.
Three are unavailable this week (Kendall Milton, Branson Robinson, and Rod Robinson). Another has missed the last two games and even in the best scenario is still coming off of an ACL tear. It’s not clear if Andrew Paul is still recovering or still learning the ropes.
That leaves Daijun Edwards to carry the load again and he will.
Cash Jones has been invaluable as a fill-in running back. What many don’t see is how big he’s been on special teams.
So get ready for more Dillon Bell. The wide receiver turned tailback will have an expanded role as he gets more comfortable with the position. He’s added some routes to his repertoire, like flares and angle delays.
Two Questions
2. Will we see more pressure versus the UAB passing game?
The Blazers have a pretty much nonexistent running game but their quarterback, Jacob Zeno, is quite good. Especially when blitzed.
Still, I’ve been impressed with Xavian Sorey and Jalon Walker in Georgia’s pressure packages. Add in the fact that Georgia’s defensive front will push the pile to get after Zeno and that should force him to throw some ball the UGA secondary can play in the air. There could be more picks than the underside of a Georgia Tech chess club desk.
1. Will we see some explosive plays on offense?
Look for more big plays and deep passes tomorrow night.
RaRa Thomas and Dominic Lovett are starting to turn it on and Brock Bowers is long overdue for some huge plays. We can throw in the younger wideouts making some big catches along with Oscar Delp in the groupings mentioned earlier.
One Prediction
No one is just bursting at the seams for this game. It’s just not a thrilling matchup. It is the mashed potatoes part of Thanksgiving. Sure it’s good, but it’s not dressing or Granny’s caramel pecan pie. We will be happy about it but we know there is better stuff like lemon bars on the sideboard.
I predict we will watch Georgia go through the motions for a routine win as the Bulldogs get ready for their first road game next week. Maybe the Dawgs will cover the spread, but at 41.5, that is a tall order. Georgia just needs to avoid penalties and continue to protect the ball to avoid a replay of last week. And for the love of Ghost don’t let anyone else get hurt.
We will see some great field positions off of turnovers and explosive kick returns. Add in the aforementioned long pass plays and it should be a good Saturday night.
It’s hard to believe by Sunday this team will be one-third of the way through the regular season. We saw the halftime video last week where the identity of this team started to form. Let’s see it firm up this week as they learn to win with who they have, and not worry about who’s out.
3. Not an excuse, but a reason.
Kirby Smart mentioning that this team is the most beat up of any group of players since he began his tenure at Georgia certainly put things in perspective. We broke the news last week that Ladd McConkey would be out for a few more games, and that holds true for Saturday. Nor do I expect to see Javon Bullard play. Now Amarius Mims is out, having gone through tightrope surgery on Monday.
My Rockdale County math tells me that makes three preseason ALL-SEC players who are currently unavailable.
We can talk about “next man up” and “reloading” until the Auburn cheerleaders come home, but at some point the losses affect your team. How many teams in the nation can realistically handle playing without three of their top players? It should be noted these aren’t just three starters but rather three of the top players in the conference. They also have a ton of experience you can’t just replace by adding the next guy on the depth chart. Add in the fact that Georgia lost 10 players to the NFL Draft, and those injuries just hit all the harder.
South Carolina went after the spot Bullard vacated. We saw the difference it made for UGA in getting Daijun Edwards back after missing a couple of games.
So keep Ron Courson in your prayers as he tries to get your top players back on the field.
2. Time to make a name for yourself
With Mims out, look for Xavier Truss to take over at right tackle. People still hold that Cincinnati game against him. You’d have thought he fished their dock the way some people hold a grudge. Last week though he did a good job and Georgia ran behind him a lot versus South Carolina.
Look for a lot of different combinations in the wide receiver groupings with McConkey. Three starters in the UAB secondary have given up 25 completions on 27 attempts. It should be easier to score on the Blazers than at a Florida wedding.
We will also see some new faces get some reps in Bullard’s spot. This may be the most interesting part of the game.
As for the kicker, Smart said he would continue the competition at the spot. Still, I expect Peyton Woodring to continue kicking field goals and extra points. Kirby mentioned the guy is a true freshman and I can’t see Smart pulling him without a longer look. Woodring won the job and they will let him continue to develop.
1. Running out of backs
Georgia has five scholarship running backs. In theory.
Three are unavailable this week (Kendall Milton, Branson Robinson, and Rod Robinson). Another has missed the last two games and even in the best scenario is still coming off of an ACL tear. It’s not clear if Andrew Paul is still recovering or still learning the ropes.
That leaves Daijun Edwards to carry the load again and he will.
Cash Jones has been invaluable as a fill-in running back. What many don’t see is how big he’s been on special teams.
So get ready for more Dillon Bell. The wide receiver turned tailback will have an expanded role as he gets more comfortable with the position. He’s added some routes to his repertoire, like flares and angle delays.
Two Questions
2. Will we see more pressure versus the UAB passing game?
The Blazers have a pretty much nonexistent running game but their quarterback, Jacob Zeno, is quite good. Especially when blitzed.
Still, I’ve been impressed with Xavian Sorey and Jalon Walker in Georgia’s pressure packages. Add in the fact that Georgia’s defensive front will push the pile to get after Zeno and that should force him to throw some ball the UGA secondary can play in the air. There could be more picks than the underside of a Georgia Tech chess club desk.
1. Will we see some explosive plays on offense?
Look for more big plays and deep passes tomorrow night.
RaRa Thomas and Dominic Lovett are starting to turn it on and Brock Bowers is long overdue for some huge plays. We can throw in the younger wideouts making some big catches along with Oscar Delp in the groupings mentioned earlier.
One Prediction
No one is just bursting at the seams for this game. It’s just not a thrilling matchup. It is the mashed potatoes part of Thanksgiving. Sure it’s good, but it’s not dressing or Granny’s caramel pecan pie. We will be happy about it but we know there is better stuff like lemon bars on the sideboard.
I predict we will watch Georgia go through the motions for a routine win as the Bulldogs get ready for their first road game next week. Maybe the Dawgs will cover the spread, but at 41.5, that is a tall order. Georgia just needs to avoid penalties and continue to protect the ball to avoid a replay of last week. And for the love of Ghost don’t let anyone else get hurt.
We will see some great field positions off of turnovers and explosive kick returns. Add in the aforementioned long pass plays and it should be a good Saturday night.
It’s hard to believe by Sunday this team will be one-third of the way through the regular season. We saw the halftime video last week where the identity of this team started to form. Let’s see it firm up this week as they learn to win with who they have, and not worry about who’s out.
