Hey folks - as a member of the DawgNation community, please remember to abide by simple rules of civil engagement with other members:
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
Options
Keele Ringo, Arik Gilbert headline 10 Georgia football standouts from G-Day
System
Posts: 10,434 admin
Keele Ringo, Arik Gilbert headline 10 Georgia football standouts from G-Day
Georgia football got some strong performances out of a few Bulldogs on Saturday.
Comments
Tom Brady could not unseat Stetson Bennett. No sense in writing about any of the QBs other than Stetson.
Finally watched the last 6 mins of the G Day game. BVG was the QB that impressed me the most. His rollout throw to Blaylock to the 1 yard line was a sunday throw. He had a number of dropped passes as well. His long run was eye popping. Beck played pretty well but clearly BVG has the highest ceiling. Gotta get that guy some experience and polish or UGA looking at another JFields situation? Beck is more ready now but BVG looks like the more complete player.
What I found interesting about the "game winning" drive by SBIV. 2 passes batted down at the LOS. A pass SBIV threw up for grabs at the goal line into a crowd. Does he throw it up like that in a real game? IDK. He did last year. Also the completion to KJackson was a late throw. A nice throw but a late throw. KJackson did not secure the ball before he went out of bounds. That "completion" would've been reversed by replay in a real game.
Jackson looked clearly similar to the quickness he displayed in '20. He did not have that burst last year. The overcrowding in the TE room and the thin wr ranks can both be corrected if AGilbert continues to work hard to get in better shape. Coming in over 300 lbs and getting down to 265 is commendable. Can he get down to 245? IDK. If he gets close he can play more outside.
Multiple guys stepping up on D (especially DL) is very encouraging. There are some defenders that are going to surprise people this year. With all the promising young DB's UGA has I just don't see UGA going to the TP for a DB. Or WR. Even if somehow UGA could find room it sends the wrong message.
... except that it does matter who our No. 2 QB is and how prepared he is to step in.
It's difficult to know who'll be our most productive WRs, or how good they'll be.
Several have good chemistry with Bennett. All seem capable of being either dependable or dangerous targets. But none have put together an exceptional mix of speed, route running, hands and/or body control that would make him an unstoppable weapon.
If you throw in Bowers and Gilbert, however, you have two other guys who could go wide at times and serve in that go-to-guy role -- or alternatively would relieve the pressure off these very good WRs.
It's obvious that we'll have a lot of talented options on offense. But the lack of two obvious starters, complicated by the wealth of TEs, makes this a fun parlor game. LOL. I guess I'll be obsessing on this until well into the season! :-)
I don't see any problem at WR IF the guys can stay healthy. When KJackson has that quickness, speed and cutting ability he's an NFL WR and at least as good as any AL WR. He is a natural slot wr. The rest of the guys may platoon. They all offer something and none are head an shoulders above the others. AMitchell is high up side. Needs consistency. McConkey has a solid all around game. If Blaylock can stay healthy and regain his pre-knee injury speed he is a guy you can count on to make catches. ASmith scares the D. MRJ moves the chains. Even Meeks looked good. He is a big dude and would also help the running game. Having all these guys means you won't have to play guys that are banged up. Key is what kind of injuries will happen this year.
I was impressed with what I saw at G Day. I watched the AL scrimmage and wasn't really impressed. Murray is right. Burton isn't Jameson Williams. I said last year that Burton is a good #2 wr but not a great #1. Especially with how easily he was getting injured. It was hard to tell much about AL as WAnderson just wrecked their O. So unblockable they had to take him out to get the practice reps on O. I understand 2 starting OL were out but the AL OL needs a lot of work. JGibbs looked good but not all world. ERicks is playing 2nd team CB. (for now) BYoung didn't look like the same guy as last year. New wr's and OL and only 14 practices may account for his struggles. Saban was losing his mind watching from the field. It was funny to watch. Watching Saban being interviewed by Stinchcomb was interesting. Clearly mutual respect and what seemed like general friendliness. Saban clearly lightened up around Stinch. Very similar to what we saw between CKS and McElroy. Though Smart was at AL when McElroy was there (?) so you would expect them to be friendly.
I agree completely. UGA's offense is loaded with play makers. Yes, that includes QB, Bennett. They have backups to backups. I expect them to be as dominant on offense this year, as they were on defense last year. With a significantly improved secondary and enough talent on the front 7 to at least have a top 5 or top 10 defense, they've got enough to win it all again. I actually like UGA's roster and chances, better than BAMA's. I see Alabama losing a couple of games in the West next year. They may not even get to the SECC Game this time around.
I watched Mark Schlabach (ESPN Senior Sportswriter and UGA Alum) in an interview regarding his Way-Too-Early Top 25. He actually laughed at what he called, "a vocal minority of UGA Fans" thinking Beck should start after the Spring game. There's no arguing or accounting for ignorance.
While there's not a lot of separation between BVG and Beck...there is a Depp and wide chasm between those 2 guys and Bennett. You can see it in the G-Day game, if you know what to look for. While you are looking hard for failure in Bennett, you look right past the brilliance of his game.
All you need to do, is look at the vast difference between Bennett's play against the 1st team defense and Beck/BVG's collective effort against the same defense using the same offense. Night and day.
If Bennett goes down early in the season, UGA's run may be over, unless the rest of the offense can rally around the backup and the defense stands strong to allow either Beck or BVG or both to gain some experience and develop.
The offense has had preseason injuries at key offensive positions in the past. Last year included. If they can avoid that, for once...they will be an offensive juggernaut next year. Mark my words.
Not looking for anyone's "failures". SBIV's play speaks for itself. 2 batted passes, a ball throw up for grabs and a late throw in the last drive. All there for anyone's eyes to see. With the lion's share of rep's the last 2 seasons and an additional season starting in the minors, less boneheaded (CKS's word though he recently changed it to something I don't remember) plays and some decision making and accuracy improvement would normally be expected. Right now SBIV has a very slim lead on the starting QB position. CKS tends to go the safe route and "if it ain't broke don't fix it". If it came down to starting BVG early vs losing him or starting SBIV for his last season. I'd chose to keep BVG. Suspect CKS might as well after the JFields incident. Unless of course he knows he is getting Manning. This UGA team is probably good enough to carry the QB just like last year's team was. Providing the QB doesn't make too many mistakes. Thankfully SBIV recovered 2 of his 3 fumbles in the CFBCG.
I suspect Saban will have AL together by the season. Considering AL has out-recruited UGA (and everyone ese) the last 2 years and still has a Heisman winning QB and the best defensive player in the country the smart money will still take AL vs the field.
LOL...You kind of made my point for me. Bennett had 35 pass plays against the #1 defense and you point to 4 plays, 2 of which were batted passes.. Everyone concedes. that the defensive front 7 had a significant advantage in the Scrimmage which led to the batted passes.
I assume the pass you are referring to as being "thrown up for grabs", was the last pass of the half. After McIntosh dropped the walk-in TD, there was only time for 1 play and everybody on the field knew what was coming. Smart didn't want to kick a FG, cause that's not what he wanted to see. He wanted to see the #1 defense defend the goal line on an obvious pass play. There was nowhere Bennett could've thrown it in the end zone, that it wouldn't have been in a crowd or tight coverage. Nobody had a play for the ball and the defensive line, pinned their ears back an came after Bennett with a vengeance. Not exactly a high percentage play. Did you notice that Bennett wasn't allowed to use the running game inside the 10 yd line. Beck scored twice on running plays inside the 10, cause the defense wasn't set up to defend it.
Bottom line is, you don't want to destroy a young, developing QB's confidence in a Spring scrimmage. Smart was trying to instill confidence in these young men and I think he succeeded, for the most part.
A number of Sportswriters and coaches I've seen in interviews, point out that Bennett didn't have a problem with batted passes in games last year. There's no reason to believe that he will have a problem with it, going forward.
"Lion's share of reps the last 2 years"? Really? Where have YOU been? 2 years ago, there was no Spring practice. Smart had just lost his starting QB of 3 years and had a new OC. There were 5 QB's in the room, to vet for the starting and backup job for the 2020 season. Daniels, Newman, Mathis, Beck...and oh yeah, then there was Bennett. Mathis started the first game, then Bennett came in and took it from there to FLA, where he injured his throwing shoulder. So, you can scratch 2020, Mathis and Newman got the "lion's share of reps" that year. When asked by reporters, why they didn't see or hear more about Bennett during preseason, Smart said, "We knew what we had in Bennett. We needed to see what the other guys could do.".
According to Schlabach, ESPN Senior sports reporter and UGA Alum, this will be the first year Bennett is given the reins and the lion's share of reps with the 1's in preseason. Last year, it was Daniels. I think I'll take his word for it...not the gossip or narrative.
As for the separation between Bennett, Beck and Vandergriff...let's examine that a little bit, using real data and not narrative. In the G-Day game all 3 QB's had time with the offensive 1's against the defensive 1's. Bennett was the only QB that didn't get a chance to pad his STATS against the 2's. He alternated with BVG in the 1st half, while Beck got all of the 2'nd team reps. After the half, they swapped. Bennett alternated with Beck, while BVG led all but 1 series against the 2's (Gunner got 1 series).
The results are as follows:
BENNETT.....15/35, 273 yds, 3 TD's, 2 INTs
BVG..............4/7, 29yds
Beck..............1/5, 28yds
Let me say that again....Beck and BVG...we're a combined 5 of 12, for a grand total of 57 yds and zero TD's....while Bennett was 15 of 35 for 273 yds and 3 TD's. Was he just the luckiest QB on the field Saturday? Or, maybe, it's just how it looks....Bennett is head and shoulders above Beck and BVG right now.
Together, Beck/BVG and Bennett had an equal number of series against the 1's, yet their numbers, since that's what some people want to focus on, are pedestrian at best, when compared to Bennett's.
And, I'd like to be clear about one thing regarding BAMA. Young is a good enough QB...when he has the supporting cast, which he does not, right now. I don't see him as Heisman quality talent anymore than I see Bennett as an also-ran walk-on. He won the Heisman last year, because there was nobody else to give it to. Heck, 2 DL were in the running, if that tells you anything. According to all the Draft analysts, this is one of the worst years for QB's in recent memory. There may not be a QB taken in the 1st round. That was Young's Heisman competition last year.
BUT....Young has the "Heisman" label and the narrative that goes along with it and Bennett has the "Walk-On" label and the narrative that goes along with that. Some people are going to ride that carpet, till reality hits in September. From what I've seen, Bennett has all the tools and support cast to win the Heisman himself, in 2022. There are a couple of other QB's in the SEC that are talented enough to be Heisman material, but, do they have the necessary supporting cast? No QB can do it all by himself, especially Young...he's not that type of QB.
I apologize for this being so long. I had runaway finger syndrome. LOL
Great observations, UGADad20. Bama certainly lost a lot off what was already an inconsistent line, and they don't seem to have as many guys to plug in there as, for example, we do.
It may be difficult for Young to put up last year's numbers and to have as few mistakes if the pass protection is even shakier than last year's and if the receivers aren't as good as Williams and Metchie.
Great comment, @BigDawg61.
Young will have a hard time repeating with the WRs and OL he'll get in 2022. I do think you underrate his 2021 season, however.
It's true that his QBR didn't stack up against, say, Mayfield or Burrow or Mac Jones in their Heisman seasons.
But give him SOME credit: He threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns with only seven interceptions, and was mobile enough to cover for a leaky line.. Plus only had ice in his veins -- except of course late in Indianapolis Pretty good for a kid who before last season had only thrown 22 passes
It's interesting that Bennett had basically the same QBR (admittedly with about half the attempted passes). With our OL and other tools on offense, SBIV could end up with an even higher QBR this year and significantly more yards passing. We'll need it: It'll take at least 30 yards more per game in total offense to make up for the less favorable field position we're likely to get on most possessions.
I wasn't trying to be too hard on the kid. I think he's talented, but young and inconsistent. I like him as a person, as well...at least what I've seen of him. But, not particularly deserving of the Heisman as a Sophmore in 2021. Yet, besides Will Anderson, Aiden Hutchinson or one of the 7 All-Stars on UGA's defense, whom else could they give it to? LOL
I watched every BAMA game last year with a few cupcake exceptions.. Young looked great one minute,, then pedestrian the next. There WERE more great moments than pedestrian, but his great moments were directly proportional to Williams and Metchie's success in getting open...and the offensive line's ability to stop the rush.
A great example , is the Auburn game. Receivers weren't getting separation, and Young didn't have time to wait. The offensive line was horrendous in that game. But,, in the last drive of the game,, Young and company,, drove the length of the field to tie the game and take it into OT. That drive, won Young the Heisman, but Williams and Metchie made it possible. IMO
Bryce Young isn't like Jameis Winston, Vince Young, Cam Williams or Michael Vick. He's more of a pocket passer that can occasionally make plays with his legs. He's kind of like JT Daniels. He's not the type of QB that can put a team on his back and carry them.
Okay, so, he won the Heisman and the SECC. Good for him. I just don't see him having that kind of success next year.
LOL...All that being said...BAMA's defense could possibly be as dominant next year, as UGA was this year or pretty close to it. I just don't know if they will be as deep as the Dawgs were in 2021.
As for UGA, I've been a Dawg fan going back to the '60's. My Brother and I used to watch the Vince Dooley Show every Sunday after Church. My Dad would take us to High School games to watch players like Ray Goff. I played football with and against a lot of the guys on the 1980 NC Team. I tell you this, to qualify my next statement (or opinion). The 2022 UGA offense has the most weapons and best offensive line I've ever seen on a UGA Team...bar none. They may have 2 or 3 Herschel Walker type players in the TE room, alone. And 2 or 3 Lindsay Scott's the WR room. The RB room is rediculous, especially with that kid from Mississippi coming in. IMO, if they don't at least reach the CFP in 2022...it will be a big miss.
They are in much better shape this year, than last year. You can bet, their defense will be among the best in the Country. Forget what they lost, look at what they gained and kept. They could have the best secondary in the Country, by the 4th or 5th game...if they remain injury-free. That's a big IF. LOL
I agree with just about everything you wrote, Big Dawg.
The thing is that most years, it ends up being pretty clear who'll win the Heisman -- based on informal criteria and biases that heavily favor QBs. That's why they usually get more than two-thirds the votes, especially when a QB wins.
My main point before was that -- based on that rather arbitrary criteria -- Young earned it as much as many previous winners. Yes, like Jones before him, he walked into a position where he was set up to win. But he also came through -- despite an OL that didn't do him any favors in that Auburn game.
This year, Stroud is viewed as the slight favorite. To your point, however, that has a lot to do with the OL and WRs that will be surrounding him at OSU -- not to mention that he's not going all year against SEC defenses.
Meanwhile, the best returning player in the country has gotta be Will Anderson -- if ever there was a defensive player who should be among the pre-season Heisman favorites it is he. But Anderson is ranked 14th by the odds makers -- behind one WR, two RBs, and TEN QBs!
LOL...and to think UGA didn't even offer Anderson a scholarship, despite him wanting to play for UGA. I think that was the same recruiting class that landed Nolan Smith. I don't know if I'll ever understand why Smart didn't offer him a scholarship.
Regarding Heisman lists, Vegas puts out an odds board every year and favorites are listed by ESPN and various Sports outlets....I believe they're batting around .150. They're almost never right. But, they'll stay with the top 10 until it becomes absurd and somebody comes out of left field to lay claim.
I sincerely believe Bennett could be "that guy", this year. He's got the experience, the confidence, the arm, the legs, the weapons, the team, the schedule, and the OC...everything is lined up in his favor.
I know some people will laugh at that thought considering the narrative surrounding him since he signed with UGA in 2019, but, it's real. He has improved with every game, which he doesn't get a lot of credit for, from some of the less informed talking heads. I expect him to take a big step this year, while holding the #1 spot all by himself. I guess we'll see, huh? Pressure obviously doesn't bother him. He's lived in a pressure cooker since 2020 and look what he's done with it.
Not sure who the "2 OL starters missing" from the AL spring game were. BUT AL has added three 5* OT's in the last 2 recruiting cycles. Latham, Brockermeyer (in '21) and Pritchett in '22 (from GA). In addition, AL got a high 4* OG (Ferguson from GA) in '21. AL has recruited VERY WELL at pretty much all positions with virtually #1 classes the last 3 years (either outright or when you add in the blue chip transfers they have gotten). In addition AL added a transfer from V'Bilt 6'5 315 lb who has started 33 games in the SEC (and graded highly by Pro Football Focus) to the rotation. So it would be unwise to count out AL OL as being very good by the time Sept rolls around. BTW AL added a WR from LOU this week through the TP. Reported 4.19 40 and 29 yds/catch avg last season. This team's jameson Williams? Saban plugging blue chip players in left and right. I like that CKS is sticking with his own recruits and hope that they stick with him. But there is a reason AL is preseason #1 (again) this year.
Did I read that someone said UGA didn't recruit WAnderson? 5*, #22 player in the country, #1 WDE, #5 player in GA WAnderson? The only reason UGA wouldn't recruit Will Anderson would be because Anderson told UGA that he was going to AL and would not consider going to UGA.
SBIV is the starting QB on 9/3. Probably. He has 3 years of starting experience. All/most of the 1st team reps from all the in season practices over those 3 seasons. He is the safer choice now considering the inexperience of his back ups. It would not surprise me to see SBIV moved out of the starting line up before season end. The fact that SBIV does the same things now he did 2 years ago epitomizes that this is his ceiling. The "4 bad plays" were on the "game winning" drive. A microcosm of SBIV in a nutshell. More often then not he has come up small at the big moments (Both AL losses). Is he the Tony Romo of college QB's? Nice stat's then some boneheaded plays in the biggest games. The difference is that SBIV had such greatness around him it didn't matter in most games. He was bailed out of some bad plays by his teammates great plays last season. If you don't think SBIV's 1st fumble recovery vs AL wasn't miraculous then take a football, go outside to the street, run full speed down the street and try to dribble the ball one time and see how many times you recover the ball. For once almost everything went SBIV's way. Thankfully. That allowed UGA to break the jinx.
BTW not sure you can call BYoung's Heisman "arbitrary" He was 2nd in passing stats to a guy who threw the ball 340 more times (and NOT vs SEC competition). His stats were pretty phenomenal. SBIV was ranked #44 in passing yards (2000 behind BYoung). Young also had 20 more TD's than Bennett and the same number of INT's with 260 more passing attempts.
I gotta say, I thought you might be a closet BAMA fan, not that I really care. I'll be happy to match my witts and experience with you. LOL
Wil Anderson grew up near UGA as a Dawg fan. He wanted an offer from UGA, but, UGA was stacked at LB and couldn't sign anymore...ya can't sign em all. BAMA uses him different in their defense and it gives him more opportunities to create havoc, so, good for him. It's probably best that he went there. BTW, Tennessee, LSU and Auburn also were in his top schools and recruited him hard.
If you don't believe what I'm telling you, you can always just type "wil Anderson not offered by uga" in your search engine and read up. He wanted to come to UGA, but they didn't offer I heard it out of his own mouth.
I can also tell you didn't play much ball when you were a kid. I could, most certainly, bounce a football like a basketball and spin a basketball on my finger, bounce a ball into the basket and drop a pass in a milk crate from 25 yards out. I'm not trying to boast, I'm just letting you know that athletes that play ball all the time, can do things that you might call, "lucky".
I'm not saying Bennett meant to bounce the ball. That would be absurd. What I am saying is that his hand was injured in the first series of the game and he was having difficulty holding onto the ball. He dropped it, it bounced, his momentum carried him into the path of the ball and he made an athletic play.
I wish people would stop throwing around the "boneheaded" term, like it's the first time they've ever heard a coach use it. LOL. It obviously carries more weight with you than it should.
I've heard Smart, and other coaches, use that term, to describe offensive and defensive plays and players many times over the decades, and not just in football. My baseball coach used it. My defensive coach used it.. Smart used the term in reference to Jake Fromm once.. I guess that puts Bennett in pretty good company. LOL
It's a term used for mental errors. Physical errors are going to happen, no matter who the player is, but mental errors can be fixed with practice and repetition. A coach uses the term "boneheaded" when he's frustrated with a player or position group not getting it as fast as he'd like. Or, as a kind of term of endearment to describe a play or plays from a player he likes and knows can take the criticism in the light hearted way it was meant. I guarantee you, Bennett referred to some of his plays over the last 2 years as boneheaded. It's not a disease, it's a symptom.
It could describe some fans that don't seem to understand that numbers and STATS are only important to Sportswriters, enthusiasts and losers (see Dan Mullin vs Tenn)...LOL. The only STAT that matters to a player is Scores and Wins vs Losses. Some people think it's important in NFL Draft evaluation, but, that's a misconception. Look at Jordan Davis or Channing Tindall. Jordan's tackles and sacks were few and far between and Channing wasn't even a "starter", yet both will be drafted in the 1st or 2nd round.
And let's face it, BAMA's ranked #1 cause; A) they're BAMA; and B) Saban is still there. No other reason. I think Kirby's pretty happy with that. I know I am. It puts the pressure on The Tide, not UGA. After the Oregon game, I predict they swap places in the polls. It's a no-brainer. The disrespect to UGA gives the players all the motivation they need, to work their tails off over the summer. And crush Oregon on Sep 3. I like it.
In response to the recruiting thing...personally, I think bringing all those outside players in, will negatively impact team chemistry. If you don't think that's important, you've never been part of a team. Brothers that sweat and bleed together, don't take kindly to an outsider coming in and replacing one of their own on the roster. That will create divisions. UGA's team chemistry over the last 2 years is as much responsible for their success as the talent level. If a guy isn't performing to standard, the guys rally around him and get him up to speed. That's how you Win. I believe Saban is making a mistake and it will ultimately fail. On the other hand, he may be planning to retire soon and he doesn't care.
I enjoy discussing football with you. However, I don't believe you and I will ever agree or look at the QB position the same. I see a lot of improvement in Bennett, as well as talent and brilliance in his throws. His accuracy, which is precise, is such that it gives him a confidence to make throws that he shouldn't. It also allows him to make throws, not many QBs can make. He has cut down significantly on the high-risk throws. He has become more patient and self-aware. Throwing balls away or committing to running it sooner. The game has slowed down for him. This will be his breakout year, I have no doubt. As long as he can avoid injury. If he is injured and replaced by either Beck or BVG, UGA's season, for all intents and purposes, is probably over. The Dawgs only saving grace is their weak schedule between Oregon and FLA, and the talent/experience level at all other positions.
BTW, I don't think either one of us was saying Young didn't deserve the Heisman in 2021. What we were saying was the National competition at the QB position was weak. He was the best of the rest, so-to-speak. Not sure this year will be much more competitive. Look for a dark horse to rise up and win the trophy in 2022. Who knows, maybe Bennett wins the Heisman. The pins are set up for him, all he has to do is knock em down. And, he knows it.