UGA Football: Game Notes – SEC Division Leaders Meet Under The Lights

Game & Broadcast Info

On Saturday, Georgia will make its second of at least three scheduled appearances on CBS this season. The network televised the Bulldogs’ 44-21 win over #14 Tennessee last weekend in Athens. The Bulldogs’ alltime record on CBS is 62-42-1. The Florida contest (Nov. 7, 3:30 p.m.) is also slated to be on the network.

No. 3 Georgia goes on the road to face No. 2 Alabama this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in a matchup of the SEC division leaders. Under Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs are 9-4 in Top-10 showdowns. Georgia’s last win over a team ranked as high as No. 2 came in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal when the Bulldogs defeated No. 2 Oklahoma 54-48 in overtime in the Rose Bowl Game.

Georgia has faced Alabama twice in the Smart era with the Crimson Tide rallying back both times. No. 4 Alabama won the 2018 CFP National Championship Game 26-23 over No. 3 Georgia in overtime. Then, No. 1 Alabama edged No. 4 Georgia 35-28 during the 2018 SEC Championship Game.

The Bulldogs went 3-1 versus Top-10 teams in 2019. Georgia beat No. 7 Notre Dame in Athens, No. 6 Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., and No. 7 Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. The lone loss came to then No. 2 LSU in the SEC Championship Game.

This Saturday, the Bulldogs will be facing their third Top-15 foe in a row. Georgia dominated No. 7 Auburn 27-6 in Athens on Oct. 3 and then beat No. 14 Tennessee 44-21 at home last weekend. The last time the Bulldogs faced three Top-25 teams in a row in three consecutive weeks came in 2018 when Georgia reeled off victories over No. 9 Florida, No. 9 Kentucky and No. 24 Auburn.

Alabama is coming off a 63-48 shoot out with Ole Miss and enters the matchup with the nation’s top-rated Scoring Offense at 51.0 ppg. Meanwhile the Bulldogs rank fifth nationally in Scoring Defense at 12.3 ppg. Georgia ranks 22nd nationally in Scoring Offense at 36.0. The Tide fell to 44th in the country in Scoring Defense at 30.3 after their contest last weekend.

Junior Jake Camarda and the Bulldog punting unit is enjoying a splendid start to the season. Currently, Camarda leads the nation with a 51.4 avg. and the Dogs are No. 1 in the country in Net Punting at 47.7. Alabama has punted just six times this year with Sam Johnson averaging 37.2 yards a punt. In field goals, redshirt sophomore Jack Podlesny is 7-for-8 while Alabama’s Will Reichard has made his only two attempts and leads the SEC with 21 PATs.

Georgia is +3 in Turnover Margin this year and the defense has scored two touchdowns through three games. The Bulldogs have 16 defensive or special teams scores in the Smart era.

Alabama leads the all-time series with Georgia 40-25-4. Georgia won the first meeting, coming in 1895, with a 30-6 triumph in Columbus. In the series history, Georgia has made just nine trips to Tuscaloosa and gone 2-7. However, the Bulldogs have left town with a victory in their last two visits. Seventh-ranked Georgia won 27-25 over No. 22 Alabama in 2002. In 2007, No. 22 Georgia registered a 26-23 decision over No. 16 Alabama in overtime in Nick Saban’s first season.

Since then, the Crimson Tide have won the past five meetings, including the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game in overtime. Alabama’s other wins in this span came in Athens during the 2008 and 2015 regular season and in the 2012 and 2018 SEC Championship Games in Atlanta.

The Bulldogs are also the only team in the nation with two wins against the current AP Top 25.

This will mark the second time ESPN College GameDay will be at a Georgia game this year. The Bulldogs topped No. 7 Auburn 27-6 in Athens on Oct. 3 with GameDay on site earlier in the day. Last year, GameDay was on hand for Georgia’s third straight trip to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. GameDay also came to Athens for the Dogs’ win over #7 Notre Dame in 2019.

Personal
Full Name: Kirby Paul Smart
Birthdate: December 23, 1975
Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama
Family: Wife: Mary Beth; Children: twins Weston and Julia (Feb. 8, 2008), and Andrew (May 25, 2012)
High School: Bainbridge (Ga.)
College: BBA Georgia ’98; MS Arkansas State State ’03Coaching Experience
1999 Georgia Admin. Asst.
2000 Valdosta State Defensive Backs
2001 Valdosta State Def. Coord.
2002-03 FSU Grad. Assistant
2004 Arkansas State Defensive Backs
2005 Georgia Running Backs
2006 Miami Dolphins Safeties
2007 Alabama Asst. HC/DBs
2008-13, ’15 Alabama Def. Coord./ILBs
2014 Alabama Asst. HC/Safeties
2016-current Georgia Head Coach

Playing Experience
Georgia (1995-98): Four-year letterman as defensive back. First team All-SEC in ’98; 13 career interceptions; four-time member of SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Bainbridge H.S. (1991-93): Three-year letterman in football, basketball, and baseball; first team Class AAAA All-State as a senior; 16 career interceptions.
High School Coach: Sonny Smart (father)

When Georgia looked for a head coach after the 2015 season, the arrows pointed to Kirby Smart, longtime Alabama defensive coordinator and former UGA player and assistant. The 2017 Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year has not disappointed.

In his first year leading the Dogs in 2016, Georgia extended its school record to 20 consecutive bowl appearances and had wins over No. 8 Auburn and No. 22 UNC.

In 2017, Smart directed UGA to a 13-2 record, an SEC title, a win at The Rose Bowl Game during the CFP semifinal and a spot in the National Championship. He was named the Maxwell Football Club’s George Munger National Coach of the Year. Before 2017, the Bulldogs last SEC title was 2005.

The 2018 and 2019 seasons saw the Bulldogs advance to the SEC Championship Game, secure an invite to the Sugar Bowl and combine for a 23-5 record. Most recently, Georgia completed a 12-2 campaign with a 26-14 victory over #7 Baylor in New Orleans.

He has also made an immediate impact in recruiting, posting the nation’s top-ranked class in 2018, the second-ranked class in 2019 and the third-ranked class in 2017.

In addition to coaching, Smart oversees the Kirby Smart Family Foundation, which is focused on being champions in the community by supporting and giving back to needy children and families. In September of 2020, Smart and his wife Mary Beth pledged $1 million to support social justice and student-athletes impacted by COVID-19.

Smart officially came home to Georgia on Dec. 6, 2015. He juggled two jobs for a month until January 11, 2016, when the Tide won its fourth national championship in a seven-year span.

Did You Know?
Kirby Smart is one of nine head coaches at schools from Power 5 conferences that are coaching at their alma maters.

The complete list:
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern), David Shaw (Stanford), Scott Frost (Nebraska), Kirby Smart (GEORGIA), Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Jonathan Smith (Oregon State), Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Tom Allen (Indiana)

Top Ind. Single-Game Performances Under Smart
Rushing Yards: 222, Nick Chubb vs. #22 UNC (9/3/16)
Rushing TDs: 3, Sony Michel vs. UK (11/18/17); vs. #2 Oklahoma (1/1/18)
Longest Rush: 83-TD, D’Andre Swift @ #9 UK (11/3/18)
Passing Yards: 346, Jacob Eason vs. VU (10/15/16)
Passing TDs: 4, Jake Fromm vs. GT x2 (11/25/18, 11/30/19)
Receiving Yards: 175 (12 rec.), George Pickens vs. #7 BU (1/1/20)
Receiving TDs: 2, Isaiah McKenzie @ Missouri (9/17/16); Terry Godwin vs. Samford (9/16/17); Jeremiah Holloman vs. #9 Florida (10/27/18); Riley Ridley vs. GT (11/2518); George Pickens vs. Missouri (11/9/19)
Longest Pass/TD Pass: 80-TD, Fromm to Mecole Hardman vs. BAMA (1/8/18)
Tackles: 13, Roquan Smith vs. GT (11/26/16); SECCG (12/2/17); CFPNC (1/1/18)
Sacks: 3, Trenton Thompson vs. TCU (12/30/16)
TFL: 3, Azeez Ojulari vs. #7 AU (10/3/20); Thompson vs. Nicholls (9/10/16)

Quick Facts

• Advanced to 2017-19 SECCGs, making Georgia the first from the East to win at least three straight since 1996.
• Went 6-0 in the division in 2017-18 for the first time since the SEC split into divisions in 1992. Has gone 17-1 in the SEC East during the last three years.
• 2017 Georgia Munger National Coach of the Year finalist, leading UGA to a 13-2 record, a Rose Bowl Game victory and an appearance the CFP National Championship Game.
• The Bulldogs’ No. 2 AP ranking in 2017 was the team’s top AP ranking since week three of the 2008 season when Georgia was No. 2.
• Seven fourth-quarter comebacks, including wins over #8 AU (’16), #22 UNC in Atlanta (’16), @ #24 Notre Dame (’17), vs. #2 Oklahoma in 2018 Rose Bowl Game.
• Led UGA to its first win over a ranked team in a season opener away from Sanford Stadium in school history.

13 Defense/Special Teams Scores
2016: Safety vs. #22 UNC; Lorenzo Carter 24-yd fumble recovery for TD vs. Nicholls; Terry Godwin 43-yd KOR for TD @ SC; Maurice Smith 34-yd INT return for TD vs. #8 AU; Isaiah McKenzie 82-yd PR for TD vs. ULL
2017: J.R. Reed 3-yd fumble recovery for TD vs. Florida
2018: Juwan Taylor 1-yd INT return for TD @ USC; Mecole Hardman 70-yd PR for TD vs. MTSU; Tyson Campbell 64-yd fumble recovery for TD & Eric Stokes 8-yd blocked punt for TD @ Missouri
2019: J.R. Reed 14-yd PR for TD vs. Murray St.; Tae Crowder 60-yd fumble recovery for TD @ Tennessee; Tyson Campbell 0-yd fumble recovery for TD @ GT
2020: Safety @ ARK; Eric Stokes 30-yd INT return @ ARK; Monty Rice 20-yd fumble recovery vs. #14 UT

%Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic; ^Liberty Bowl; $Rose Bowl Game

Junior QB Stetson Bennett has helped Georgia to a 3-0 start, including a 2-0 mark versus Top-15 teams as a starter.

Against #14 Tennessee, Bennett directed the Bulldogs to 431 total yards on 77 plays. He finished 16-for-27 for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Bennett passed for two scores and ran for the other. He has been most accurate on third downs this season at 72 percent (18-for-25 for 239 yards and three touchdowns).

In his first career start at Georgia, Bennett helped lead the Bulldogs to a 27-6 win over #7 Auburn in Athens. In the first half on third down, Bennett was 5-for-7 for 81 yards and a touchdown. The score was a 21-yard strike to sophomore George Pickens when it was 3rd-and-9. The play gave the Bulldogs a 17-0 lead.

Bennett came in to help spark the Bulldogs to a 37-10 road win over Arkansas in the opener after redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis got the start. In addition to his passing performance, Bennett also ran for a two-point conversion.

Bennett played in five games for the Bulldogs last year. He was on the 2017 Bulldog squad that advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and went 13-2. Bennett spent 2018 at Jones County Junior College in Mississippi. He led the Bobcats to a 10-2 season, going 144-for-258 for 1,820 yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Bennett added 69 carries for 148 yards and four scores.

Mathis made his Bulldog starting debut in the opener against Arkansas. He finished 8-for-17 for 55 yards and an interception. He enrolled early in January 2019 and competed during spring practice. Mathis was then forced to redshirt the 2019 season after undergoing surgery to remove a brain cyst. The native of Belleville, Mich., got his share of snaps this preseason after gaining his medical clearance during the spring of 2020.

Georgia also has redshirt sophomore transfer JT Daniels and early enrollee Carson Beck competing for playing time.

While at USC, Daniels started all 11 games as a true freshman in 2018 before a knee injury in the 2019 opener shortened his sophomore season. He made 12 starts for the Trojans from 2018-19 and has completed 241-of-397 attempts (60.7 percent) for 2,887 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his career. Daniels was medically cleared in early October.

Beck completed 136 passes for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns last season for Mandarin HS (Fla.) while also rushing for six scores.

Georgia’s starting offensive line featured junior Jamaree Salyer (LT), junior Justin Shaffer (LG), junior Trey Hill (C) and senior Ben Cleveland (RG). Redshirt sophomore Owen Condon (RT) got his first start at Arkansas while redshirt freshman Warren McClendon (RT) has gotten the nod the last two games.

Cleveland was named the SEC OL of the Week for the second time in his career following the win over #7 Auburn.

Georgia was most effective running the ball against #7 Auburn. In the season opener against Arkansas, the Bulldogs finished with 121 yards on 42 attempts (2.9 avg.). Against #7 Auburn, Georgia churned out 202 yards on 45 attempts (4.5 avg.). The Tigers’ lone sack came on an intentional grounding call in the fourth quarter.

In the win over UT, Georgia racked up 193 yards on the ground and had two touchdowns.

Through three games, the Dogs have allowed just five sacks.

Redshirt sophomore Zamir White headlines the running game with a team-high 54 carries for 209 yards and four touchdowns, including a career-high two scores against #7 Auburn.

Junior James Cook missed the Tennessee game with a shoulder injury. He had 12 carries for 67 yards (5.6 avg.) through the first two games.

White is a key member of the special teams unit, including collecting his first career blocked punt. This led to a touchdown, which gave the Bulldogs a 20-10 edge at Arkansas. White became the first Bulldog running back since 2005 to block a punt (Tyson Browning vs. Vanderbilt).

Sophomore Kenny McIntosh, who has 17 carries for 80 yards, has made a significant impact on special teams. He has four kick returns for 171 yards (42.8 ypg, third nationally/first in SEC), including a career-long 48 yarder at Arkansas.

With Cook out against the Vols, true freshmen Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards got more experience along with McIntosh.

Redshirt sophomore Kearis Jackson (19 rec., 300 yds., 1 TD) has emerged as a favorite target for Bennett. After posting career highs in catches and yards against Arkansas, he set new career highs in the win over #7 Auburn. Jackson collected nine catches for 147 yards. Against #14 Tennessee, he had a team-high four receptions for 91 yards, including his first career score that covered 21 yards.

Sophomore George Pickens ranks second on the squad with eight catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

Twelve different Bulldogs caught a pass against Arkansas in the season opener. That tally was the most since the 2019 seasonopening win over Arkansas State when 13 different Georgia players had at least one reception.

Three true freshmen made their debut in the opener and WR Jermaine Burton has started every game. Burton, TE Darnell Washington and WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint all registered their first career catches against Arkansas. Burton and Washington starting equaled the total of Bulldogs who have started as true freshmen on offense during the Kirby Smart era. The other two were LT Andrew Thomas in 2017 and TE Charlie Woerner in 2016. Both Bulldogs are in the NFL.

Georgia utilizes the tight ends as well with redshirt sophomoreTE John FitzPatrick, graduate transfer Tre’ McKitty (FSU) and Washington combining for seven catches for 113 yards and one score. McKitty made his Bulldog debut against the Vols after missing the first two games with an injury.

Georgia has three new on the field coaches this year. The first hire was Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Matt Luke, who joined the Bulldogs after serving as the Ole Miss head coach for three seasons. Luke began in December and was part of the coaching staff during the victory over #7 Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. Luke replaced Sam Pittman who took the head coach job at Arkansas.

Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken was the next addition to Smart’s staff in January. Monken arrived after spending a year as the Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator (OC). His coaching experience includes three years as the Southern Mississippi head coach earlier in his career.

Then in February, Special Teams Coordinator Scott Cochran joined the Bulldog coaching staff. Cochran, who worked with Smart nine seasons at Alabama, had served as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Tide since 2007.

The Bulldogs have one of the nation’s top defenses again in 2020. Georgia opened up with a 37-10 road win over Arkansas, held #7 Auburn out of the end zone in a 27-6 home victory and most recently shutdown #14 Tennessee in the second half in a 44-21 win.

Georgia ranks fifth nationally in Scoring Defense (12.3 ppg), first in Rushing Defense (38.3 ypg) and second in Total Defense (236.7 ypg). On Saturday, the Bulldogs will face their toughest test to date in #2 Alabama, who leads the nation in Scoring Offense (51.0 ppg) and is third in Total Offense (560.3 ypg). The Tide is also second nationally in Passing Offense at 385.0 ypg.

The Bulldogs are +3 in the Turnover Margin this year, which ranks second in the SEC and 10th nationally.

Georgia held Arkansas to 77 yards rushing on 28 attempts while Auburn had just 39 yards on 22 tries. Thanks in part to five sacks, #14 Tennessee finished with minus-1 rushing yards on 27 attempts. The defense has allowed no rushing touchdowns and just three through the air covering 27, 36 and 49 yards.

In the 2020 opener, senior S Richard LeCounte had his second straight game with two interceptions to give him seven in his career.

Junior Eric Stokes also posted his first career INT against the Razorbacks and took it back 30 yards for a score. This marked the second touchdown of his career after he blocked a punt versus Missouri and scored in 2018. Versus the Vols, Stokes had his second career pick.

Junior Tyson Campbell and sophomores Lewis Cine and Tyrique Stevenson round out the starters in the secondary.

Georgia is deep at LB with Monty Rice, who was a 2019 AP All-SEC Second Team selection, leading the way. He has a teamleading 18 stops this year, including a game-high eight tackles versus #14 Tennessee.

Against the Vols, Rice had strip-sack, recovered the fumble and ran it in 20 yards for his first career touchdown.

Redshirt sophomore and 2019 FWAA Freshman All-American/ National Freshman of the Year semifinalist Azeez Ojulari has a team-high six tackles for loss (all coming in the last two games against #7 Auburn and #14 UT) so far this season.

Ojulari, who led the Bulldogs with 5.5 sacks in 2019, added his first versus the Tigers this year. Against the Vols, he exploded for five tackles, including two sacks for a loss of 20 yards, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Sophomore Nakobe Dean, who tallied 25 tackles and forced a fumble in his first season last year, complements Rice in the middle. He was the leading tackler against Arkansas with seven stops and has 15 tackles through three games.

Sophomore Nolan Smith, junior Quay Walker, senior Jermaine Johnson and sophomore and 2019 Freshman All-SEC selection Travon Walker have given this position additional depth in 2020. Johnson has missed the last two games with an injury after starting off 2020 with a strong performance, collecting six tackles and 1.5 sacks at Arkansas. Walker had four tackles of his own against #7 Auburn and then a career-high five solo versus the Vols.

Georgia’s defense starts with the trio up front headlined by preseason All-SEC selection Jordan Davis. Seniors Devonte Wyatt and Malik Herring make up the rest of the Bulldog front that allows the linebackers to make plays behind them.

Davis (6-6, 320), along with freshman Jalen Carter (6-3, 305), are part of a “jumbo” package that includes freshman TE Darnell Washington (6-7, 260) or TE Tre’ McKitty (6-5, 245) on offense.

Carter lined up in the backfield versus #14 Tennessee and caught a 1-yard touchdown reception from QB Stetson Bennett.

Redshirt sophomore Jack Podlesny made his debut in the 2020 season opener and handled the place kicking and kickoff duties. He made a pair of 38-yard field goals, went 3-for-3 on PATs and five of his six kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

In the latest victory over #14 Tennessee, Podlesny had a solid game going 3-for-3 on field goals, including a career-long 51 yarder that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good at 23-21 in the third quarter.

Georgia leads the nation with a streak of 303 straight PATs made dating back to 2014. The streak involves six kickers (Marshall Morgan, Patrick Beless, William Ham, David Marvin, Blankenship and Podlesny).

For the first time since 2015, Georgia needed to replace its placekicker after All-American and 2019 Lou Groza Award winner Rodrigo Blankenship graduated. He won the starting job with the Indianapolis Colts after signing as a free agent. Blankenship finished his Bulldog career with a school-record 440 career points (2nd all-time in the SEC).

Georgia’s snappers this year include redshirt sophomore Payne Walker and redshirt freshman William Mote. Walker, who was one of the snappers last year as well, snaps on field goals and PATs while Mote handles the snaps for punts.

The Bulldogs return junior Jake Camarda at punter. He was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time in his career after the Arkansas game and was included as one of “Ray’s 4” as being on the Ray Guy Award’s top weekend performers.

Camarda looked to be in midseason form in the opener by averaging 49.9 yards on seven punts, placing five of those at the 11-yard line or better. He boomed five punts that were 50-plus yards, including a 63 yarder.

Against #7 Auburn, Camarda only punted twice in the first half and averaged 51.5 yards. During the win over #14 Tennessee, he also only had a pair of punts for an average of 56.5, including a 64 yarder.

This year, Camarda is leading the nation at 51.4 yards on 11 punts. The Bulldogs rank No. 1 nationally in Net Punting (47.7).

Camarda had one of the finest seasons ever by a Bulldog punter in 2019 as he averaged 46.8 yards/punt, which ranked second in school history.

Now in his third season, Camarda was averaging 45.7 yards/ punt, which is on pace for a school record. Drew Butler, the 2009 Ray Guy Award winner, owns the Bulldog record with a 45.4 career punting average.

In the KOR game, sophomore Kenny McIntosh has four returns for a 42.8 average (fourth nationally). He had two against Arkansas for a total 91 yards, one 38 yarder versus #7 Auburn and one 42 yarder versus #14 Tennessee.

With WR/PR Dominick Blaylock out for the year with a knee injury, Georgia turned to redshirt sophomore Kearis Jackson.

The Bulldogs have maintained their spot in the AP Top 25 now for 55 consecutive weeks, which ranks fourth nationally, dating back to the start of the 2017 season. Georgia ranks in the top three for active streaks in the top five and top 10.

Head football coach Kirby Smart and his wife, Mary Beth, will donate $1 million to their alma mater to support the UGA Athletic Association’s new social justice program, create scholarships for senior student-athletes whose final seasons were impacted by COVID-19, and contribute to the expansion of the UGA football program.

“Mary Beth and I are where we are because of the University of Georgia, so we feel a duty to give back to the university that opened so many doors for us, brought us together and brought us home,” said Smart. “The current moment presents unique challenges for all of us, whether that’s dealing with the ramifications of this pandemic or acknowledging and addressing racial inequality.

We hope this gift can fuel positive change in both areas.”

The Smarts joined Detroit Lions quarterback and former UGA standout Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly, to endow UGA Athletics’ new social justice program. The goal of the program is to continue developing an environment to effect meaningful change in the areas of diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice for all, including student-athletes, coaches and staff.

Many student-athletes saw their seasons canceled or postponed this year as part of public health precautions to protect against COVID-19. As a result, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility and lifted team financial aid limits so that senior studentathletes could return and complete their final seasons of eligibility at UGA. But with a pandemic-related financial shortfall impacting the Athletic Association’s budgets, UGA Athletics faced a challenge: finding new funding avenues to support returning student-athletes.

This is where the Smarts stepped in, dedicating a portion of their gift to defraying the costs associated with returning seniors whose spring and fall activities were impacted by COVID-19.

The final portion of the Smarts’ gift will support the Butts- Mehre Expansion Project, which will expand and renovate all aspects of football operations at UGA. The project will, among other improvements, expand the weight room and add a locker room, meeting rooms, coaches’ offices and a sports medicine facility to Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall.

The Georgia football team kicked off its initiative called “Dawgs For Pups” in early September by pledging to raise money for WiFi hotspots for Clarke County students.

After the idea arose from a team meeting, the Bulldogs are participating in a number of “Dawgs For Pups” activities in the Athens area and beyond to help students and others affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The first activity has been to supply families who have kindergarten to eighth grade students with WiFi hotspots. This access to an internet connection will help students stay connected with their virtual classroom.

Through the first week in October, the Bulldogs and donors have given $84,000 to the project.

“Helping out the youth in this area is so important because they are our future,” said senior defensive back Eric Stokes. “I have a platform (at the University of Georgia) and I am trying to use that platform and make it as big as it can go.”

“During our team meeting, I talked about breaking the cycle in our community and I have realized that being in Athens and being at the University of Georgia, we kind of lead this community without knowing it,” said freshman defensive lineman Warren Brinson. “Youth in our community need to have something to look forward to, something they can be great at. Education is one of the most important things in your life.”

The donations will help support the more than 1,000 families in Clarke County who do not have the Internet access needed for online learning. For only $20, donors can sponsor a family’s unlimited high-speed date plan for a month. For $60, donors can sponsor a family’s WiFi for the fall semester. All donations received will be solely for the purpose of hotspots for CCSD. The link to donate to “Bridging The Digital Divide” is here: http://gado.gs/53q

The Bulldogs’ second project of the “Dawgs For Pups” initiative was called the Food2Kids Snack Drive.

The Food2Kids Snack Drive came at a pivotal time for the area community. The temporary COVID-19 unemployment benefits have ended and many parents are unable to go to work with their children receiving a virtual education and not attending school. The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia has reported an 80 percent increase in demand over its 2019 numbers and with September being Hunger Action Month, food bank representatives are stressing that the need for any help in this arena remains high.

The Bulldog football team, as well as other UGA teams, and donors gave nearly 28,000 pounds of food to the Food Bank. Healthy and transportable snacks were the ones targeted for the Food2Kids Snack Drive. Granola bars, snack-size trail mix, nuts and pretzel bags, 100 percent fruit treat snacks and other various snacks that are not easily crushed under the weight of canned goods were requested for the drive.

“The food drive is very important for kids who are not fortunate to have daily snacks and who have hunger, and I think us as athletes and the staff at (the University of Georgia Athletic Association) have a duty to help our community become a better place and become united,” said senior receiver Demetris Robertson.

“I’ve been giving back to my community as far as I can remember,” said sophomore linebacker Nakobe Dean. “Doing projects like this makes me feel like I am kind of continuing that tradition that we did with my mom growing up. It’s important to help the youth at all times, not just right now in times of despair but all the time since they are the future of our country.”

The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia still accepts donations for this program. The food bank’s hours for drop-off are 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday.

Georgia ranked second in the league with 10 representatives on the Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team. First Team Defense selections junior DL Jordan Davis and senior S Richard LeCounte highlighted the group of Bulldogs.

Junior C Trey Hill, sophomore WR George Pickens, senior DL Malik Herring, senior LB Monty Rice, sophomore LB Nakobe Dean, junior DB Eric Stokes and junior P Jake Camarda were included on the Second Team. In addition, sophomore LB Nolan Smith was named to the Third Team. Bulldog Graduates

Georgia has a pair of player on this year’s roster who have already earned their undergraduate degrees. The graduates include: DB Prather Hudson (Georgia – Finance) and TE Tre’ McKitty (FSU – Criminology).

All of the SEC players who have achieved an undergraduate degree are sporting the SEC Graduate patch on their uniforms.

The seven Georgia players in 2020 matched the total from 2019 and equaled the second-best total in school history.

OT Andrew Thomas (1st Rd.-No. 4, Giants), RB D’Andre Swift (2nd Rd.-No. 35, Detroit), OT Isaiah Wilson (1st Rd.-No. 29, Tennessee), OG Solomon Kindley (4th Rd.-No. 111, Miami), QB Jake Fromm (5th Rd.-No. 167, Buffalo), TE Charlie Woerner (6th Rd.-No. 190, San Francisco) and ILB Tae Crowder (7th Rd.-No. 255, N.Y. Giants) were all picked by NFL teams.

Selected as the draft’s final pick, Crowder became Georgia’s second “Mr. Irrelevant” after Bulldog Donald Chumley was taken with the last pick in the 1985 draft. Crowder is on the Giants active roster. Also, eight Bulldogs signed as free agents.

Georgia has 50 players on NFL rosters, including 10 that were part of the Bulldogs’ offense last year.

The Bulldogs have had 11 first-time starters in their 2020, including seven in the opener.

@ ARK: 7 (Darnell Washington, William Mote, Jake Podlesny, Nakobe Dean, Jermaine Burton, D’Wan Mathis, Owen Condon)
#7 AU: 2 (Stetson Bennett, Warren McClendon)
#14 UT: 2 (Tre’ McKitty, Nolan Smith)

During the 2020 season opener, 10 true freshmen played for the Bulldogs.

@ ARK: Malik Herring, Richard LeCounte, Jamaree Salyer
#7 AU: Tyson Campbell, Monty Rice, Zamir White
#14 UT: Mark Webb, Kearis Jackson, Jordan Davis