Here are some quick observations from the 2019 G-Day game in stream-of-consciousness form:
OFFENSE
The offense struggled to run the ball consistently (32 carries for 98 yards), which is pretty standard for the spring scrimmage. The team nearly always focuses on the passing game, and the few standout runs largely came as a result of D’Andre Swift (#7) working his magic. Speaking of Swift…
D’Andre Swift looks untouchable. The defense struggled to corral him whether he was behind the line-of-scrimmage or catching a route in the flats. He is the most electric player on Georgia’s offense and could very well be the best player on the entire team.
The hype surrounding sophomore receiver Matt Landers (#5) appears to be a bit premature. Landers dropped some very catchable deep balls and look like an explosive athlete that needs more time to refine his game.
Stetson Bennett IV has clearly separated himself from freshman D’Wan Mathis (#2) as the backup quarterback. Mathis’ arm strength and running ability flashed, but he completed just 15 of 28 attempts and took five “sacks.” Bennett’s mobility, accuracy, and surprising arm strength resulted in 8-14 for 128 yards passing and an impressive 43-yard TD in his reps with the first offense. He went 4-9 for 82 yards with the second team.
Overall, the offense looked like they were in “Spring Game” mode. Fromm wasn’t particularly sharp, going just 14-29 for 116 yd, one TD and one INT. The play calls were very vanilla (Kirby allowed each team one “trick” play), which didn’t allow a lot of opportunities to evaluate the backs and the run blocking. The running game looked sluggish at best, but Swift and Brian Herrien (#35) both showed promising flashes.
DEFENSE
Standouts: Eric Stokes (CB, #27), Richard Lecounte (S, #2), Mark Webb (DB, #23), Lewis Cine (S, #16)
Georgia played a surprising amount of 4-2-5 alignment, using Mark Webb at the starting nickel or “Star” position along with four down lineman. This appeared to be their preference against one-back passing sets, while they played more traditional looks against two tight end or two back sets.
New defensive coordinator Dan Lanning likes to blitz...a lot. The defense netted nine tackles for loss and six sacks, both HUGE areas of emphasis for Georgia headed into the fall.
Eric Stokes stood out at corner for the second year in a row. In addition to a pick-six he wrestled away from Jeremiah Holleman (#9), he stuck to Holleman like glue all day and defended several passes in addition to his one official pass break-up. Despite his slight frame, Stokes plays a physical, aggressive style that fits well into Georgia’s scheme and looks like an All-SEC caliber corner if he can stay healthy.
Lecounte and Cine tied for the game lead with 8 tackles each, and Cine looked excellent at times in run support from his safety spot. Webb led the game with three pass break ups and was very active as well.
The lack of emphasis on the run game meant we didn’t get to see a lot out of highly touted young linebackers like Nakobe Dean (#17), Trezman Marshall (#15), and Channing Tindall (#41) among others. Brenton Cox (#1) managed a sack and two tackles for loss, but there just weren’t a lot of opportunities for production out of the front seven. The defense looked strong in limited opportunities against the run as long as they weren’t trying to tackle D’Andre Swift.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kearis Jackson (#10) appears to be the heir apparent to Mecole Hardman. Jackson lacks Hardman’s other-worldly top-end speed, but he is smooth, has great vision, and was an unbelievably productive punt returner at Peach County High School. It was also interesting to see D’Andre Swift drop back to field a punt, something he also excelled at in high school.
Brooks Buce (#97) made from 42 yards, missed from 40, and placed one of his three kickoffs in the endzone. He got a majority of the place kicking work as the team is already well aware of what standout senior Rodrigo Blankenship (#98) can do.
Jake Camarda (#90) has clearly worked on his inside-the-20 punting, dropping one in the target zone, and having two other kicks land inside the five-yard line but roll into the endzone before the coverage unit could corral them. That’s still a huge improvement from his freshman year when he consistently (and frustratingly) boomed punts into the endzone for touchbacks, allowing ZERO chance for them to be downed.
TAKE AWAYS
D’Andre Swift is special. He could very well be the best running back in the country when healthy.
The secondary has improved by leaps and bounds since the start of spring practice. I personally got to watch days five and six of practice and witnessed a surprising number of busted assignments, coverage breakdowns, and wide-open receivers. Corners Tyson Campbell (#3) and Tyrique Stevenson (#7) were two of the prime suspects, and both appeared to have found their groove with solid performances in the G-Day game.
Don’t worry about Jake Fromm. In the two practices I watched, Fromm absolutely fileted the starting secondary, picking them apart with pinpoint accuracy and lightning fast decision-making. He OBLITERATED them in red zone 7-on-7 drills, and in one of the film sessions I was able to join, it was borderline laughable to see how easily he beat the blitz packages. I’ve never been a huge believer in Fromm's NFL potential, but I may have been converted. Seeing the way he dominates at practice provides a much better context to why he’s run two other five-star quarterbacks off campus. Jake Fromm is going to be just fine.
In case you're interested: G-Day Game Stats
That’s it until August 31…Go Dawgs!
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