UGA Football: Game Notes – Football Opens Season In Top-5 Clash Against Clemson

For the 20th time in school history, Georgia will open a season against a ranked opponent as the Bulldogs battle Clemson (ranked No. 3 in Associated Press poll, No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches poll). The Bulldogs are 9-9-1 in these games. This will be Georgia’s first-ever top five matchup to open a season, the previous best was in 2013 when the fifth-ranked Bulldogs were outlasted by eight-ranked Clemson 38-35 in Clemson. The highest ranked opponent in a Georgia opener has been third-ranked Alabama thrice (1961-63) with the Crimson Tide beating an unranked Bulldog team in those contests.

Georgia’s last season opener to feature a pair of ranked teams came in the debut of the Kirby Smart era when the No. 18 Bulldogs beat No. 22 North Carolina 34-22 in the 2016 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta. The Bulldogs are 5-0 in season openers under Smart. Overall, the Bulldogs are 97-27-3 in season openers including winning their last seven dating back to a 45-21 win over Clemson in Athens in 2014, which marks the last time these programs have faced each other. The Georgia-Clemson series dates back to 1897, and the Bulldogs hold a 42-18-4 advantage.

Georgia checks in at No. 5 in the AP preseason Top 25 poll as well as the Coaches poll. This marks the fourth consecutive season that the Bulldogs begin in the top five. Georgia opens up against Clemson in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium, and the Tigers were picked No. 3 in the AP and No. 2 in the Coaches poll. The first College Football Playoff (CFP) ranking will be released in October. Georgia will refer to the AP and Coaches poll rankings until the CFP’s weekly rankings.

While some may refer to Georgia as “RBU”, one could make a case for “DBU” with the recent Bulldogs now in the NFL including four who were drafted last season (Eric Stokes, 1st Round, Green Bay; Tyson Campbell, 2nd Round, Jacksonville; Richard LeCounte, 5th round, Cleveland; Mark Webb, 7th round, L.A. Chargers). To help offset these losses, Georgia landed a pair talented players via the transfer portal in All-ACC first teamer Derion Kendrick (Clemson) and All-America Tykee Smith (West Virginia). However, Smith went down with a foot injury in camp.

Secondary coach Jahmile Addae is in his first season at Georgia after spending the last two years with the Mountaineers. He inherited a few veterans in the secondary in seniors Latavious Brini, Christopher Smith and Ameer Speed plus junior Lewis Cine. A few young Bulldogs who made strides in camp include redshirt freshmen Kelee Ringo and Jalen Kimber, early enrollee Nyland Green and freshman Kamari Lassiter.

The 2021 season will be the second under Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken. In 2020, the Bulldogs went 8-2 and employed three different signal callers. Georgia averaged 32.3 points/game, which ranked fifth in the SEC. When JT Daniels became the starter in late November, Georgia went 4-0 the rest of the season with wins over Mississippi State, South Carolina, No. 25 Missouri and No. 8 Cincinnati in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Bulldogs did not have the benefit of a 2020 spring practice to install a new offense because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of Georgia’s players, the 2021 spring practice was their first.

Facing former UGA offensive line coach and current Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman in Fayetteville, Ark., the Bulldogs overcame a slow start to whip the Razorbacks 37-10. Georgia trailed 7-5 at the half, tallying only a safety and a field goal. However, WR George Pickens hauled in a 19-yard touchdown catch from Stetson Bennett in his first start at quarterback to take a 13-10 lead with six minutes left in the third quarter and the Bulldogs rolled from that point on. TE John FitzPatrick and RB Zamir White also scored for Georgia while former DB Eric Stokes returned an interception 30 yards for another score. In addition, PK Jack Podlesny made his debut and finished 2-for-2 with a pair of 38-yard field goals.

Georgia is 10-6 against top-10 teams under Kirby Smart. Ten of the games have come at neutral sites, three have been true road games and three have been in Athens. Most recently, the Bulldogs ended last season with a 24-21 win over eighth-ranked and undefeated Cincinnati during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Georgia’s highest-ranked win under Smart was over No. 2 Oklahoma (54-48, 2OT) in a CFP Semifinal at the 2018 Rose Bowl Game.

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)

Three SEC Eastern Division championships, 52 wins, one SEC title, four bowl victories, and an appearance in one national championship game are more than respectable rewards over a five-year period. That’s what Georgia got when it hired former Bulldog player and assistant coach Kirby Smart to head the program in December, 2015.

The 2020 Bulldogs became Smart’s fourth straight team to earn a New Year’s Six bowl game. With a Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory, the 2020 Bulldog senior class tied the record for the most wins by a senior class in school history (44), set by the 2005 and 2019 teams. That was also Smart’s fourth straight team to finish the regular season ranked in the top ten of the College Football Playoff rankings.

Smart’s 2019 Bulldogs became the first team in school history to win 11 or more games for a third straight season. The senior class posted a four-year record of 44-12, matching the school record of 44 wins for a senior class. Georgia defeated three Top 15 teams in the final CFP ranking — Notre Dame, Florida, and Auburn — and finished as the fourth-ranked team in the final polls. The season was capped by a dominant win over Baylor in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

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 Bulldogs, 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 Bulldogs advanced to the SEC title game, secured an invite to the Sugar Bowl and combined for a 23-5 record.

He has also made an immediate impact in recruiting, posting the nation’s No. 1 class in 2018, the second-ranked class in 2019 and the third-ranked class in 2017 and 2020.

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.

Quick Facts

• Advanced to 2017-19 SECCGs, making Georgia the first from the East to win at least three straight since 1996.
• Since 2017, Georgia is 19-2 in SEC East contests. Went 6-0 in the division in 2017-18 for the first time since the SEC split into divisions in 1992.
• 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.
• Eight 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. vs. #8 Cincinnati in 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
• Led UGA to its first win over a ranked team in a season opener away from Sanford Stadium in school history.

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: 401, JT Daniels vs. MSU (11/21/20)
Passing TDs: 4, Jake Fromm vs. GT (x2) (11/25/18; 11/30/19); JT Daniels vs. MSU (11/21/20)
Receiving Yards: 197 (8 rec.), Jermaine Burton vs. MSU (11/21/20)
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); Jermaine Burton vs. MSU (11/21/20); George Pickens vs. Missouri (12/12/20)
Longest Pass/TD Pass: 82-TD, Bennett to James Cook vs. #2 BAMA (10/17/20)
Tackles: 15, Nakobe Dean vs. #8 UF (11/7/20)
Sacks: 3, Trenton Thompson vs. TCU (12/30/16); 3, Azeez Ojulari vs. #8 UC (1/1/21)
TFL: 3, Azeez Ojulari vs. #7 AU (10/3/20); Thompson vs. Nicholls (9/10/16); 3, Azeez Ojulari vs. #8 UC (1/1/21)

Under Kirby Smart, Georgia has registered 18 scores on defense or special teams. The Bulldogs are 15-1 when they register a non-offensive touchdown under Smart.

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

Georgia returns eight starters on offense for a team that averaged 32.3 points/game.

The 2020 season was the first under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who placed a premium on explosive plays, which are recognized as plays that are at least a 12-yard rush or a 16-yard completion.

The Bulldogs return their top five running backs, headlined by Zamir White who went for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns. Georgia’s top three receivers are also back in Kearis Jackson, George Pickens (currently injured) and Jermaine Burton. Jackson and Pickens had 36 catches to lead the corps. Pickens and Burton were the latest Bulldogs to go down with knee injuries. Burton’s occurred during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl while Pickens’ injury happened in the spring.

The offense will return Dominick Blaylock and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint from 2020 injuries.

Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman opted out in the 2020 preseason. D’Wan Mathis (now at Temple) started last season’s opener against Arkansas and Stetson Bennett took over as the starter for the next five games before JT Daniels closed out the year.

The 2020 season marked the first time since 2006 that Georgia started three different QBs in the same season (Joe Tereshinski, Matthew Stafford, Joe Cox).

Daniels, an Irvine, Calif., native who was recovering from a torn ACL at Southern Cal in 2019, replaced Bennett in game seven and led the Bulldogs to a 4-0 finish and final record of 8-2. Daniels threw for 1,231 yards and 10 TDs in that span, capped by a 24-21 comeback over undefeated No. 8 Cincinnati in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Daniels made 12 starts at USC (2018-19).

Thus far with the Bulldogs, Daniels is 19-for-27 for 279 yards and six touchdowns on third down.

A former walk-on who returned to Georgia on scholarship as a junior college transfer in 2019, Bennett threw for 1,179 yards last year as a junior with eight TDs and six INTs in eight games including five starts.

Carson Beck is a redshirt freshman from Jacksonville, Fla., who saw his first action late against Missouri last year. Brock Vandagriff, who was rated a five-star recruit, is more of a dual-threat QB.

Bennett went 3-2 as a starter, including two wins versus Top-15 teams and came off the bench to lead a comeback at Arkansas.

Zamir White leads a loaded backfield for the Bulldogs. Senior James Cook, sophomore Kendall Milton, junior Kenny McIntosh and sophomore Daijun Edwards make up the rest of the top-five rushers from 2020 and all return this season.

White highlighted the running game with 144 carries for 779 yards (both team highs) and 11 TDs. Also, he is a key member of the special teams unit, including collecting his first career blocked punt at Arkansas last year.

Georgia tallied a season-high 332 rushing yards and four rushing TDs in the win at South Carolina. It was the most yards on the ground since piling up 426 against UMass in 2018. Cook led the attack at USC with a career-high 102 yards and two TDs.

There will be plenty of competition for playing time on the offensive line for second-year Offensive Line coach Matt Luke.

Georgia had to debut a new front in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl game after a couple longtime starters in C Trey Hill and OG Ben Cleveland made the decision to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Cleveland was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round while Hill went to the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round.

Senior Jamaree Salyer continues to show his versatility by lining up at both tackle and guard along with junior Warren Ericson, who started games at both C and OG in 2020. Salyer (LG), along with fifth-year senior Justin Shaffer (RG), started the bowl game with first-time starter Xavier Truss (LT) and redshirt sophomore Warren McClendon (RT).

McClendon was a 2020 Freshman All-American after starting the last nine games in 2021. Salyer and Shaffer have each started 12 career games while Ericson has started three games.

Sophomore Sedrick Van Pran emerged as an option at C after Ericson sustained an injury during preseason camp. Redshirt freshman Tate Ratledge has also battled into a position to earn playing time at one of the guard spots.

At times during fall camp, junior starter John FitzPatrick and sophomore Darnell Washington were sidelined with injuries that provided more reps for sophomores Ryland Goede and Brett Seither along with versatile freshman early enrollee Brock Bowers.

The Bulldogs have a variety of weapons at receiver with new targets emerging and existing receivers returning from injuries.

Dominick Blaylock, George Pickens (currently injured), Jermaine Burton and Kearis Jackson are all expected to be returning to the lineup after sustaining injuries either during the 2020 season or leading up to his year’s campaign.

Sophomore Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and redshirt freshmen Arian Smith and Justin Robinson will be in the mix at receiver while freshmen Adonai Mitchell, Jackson Meeks and Ladd McConkey are also battling for snaps following a productive preseason.

Jackson (36 rec., 514 yds., 3 TDs) and Pickens (36-513-6) were Georgia’s co-leaders from the corps last year.

The Bulldogs return only four starters on defense – DLs Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, ILB Nakobe Dean, DB Lewis Cine.

Georgia does return its two top leading tacklers with Dean and Cine, but will miss the veteran presence of Monty Rice, the third-leading tackler last year who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the Third Round, and Azeez Ojulari, who led the team in sacks (8.5) and forced fumbles (four) before being taken by the New York Giants in the Second Round.

Georgia’s secondary accounted for nine interceptions last year. However, all four Bulldogs who tallied those picks are all now on NFL rosters. OLB Adam Anderson, a 6-6, 230-pound senior, also returns after being the team’s second-leading sack master (6.5) and finishing with 24 pressures.

Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is starting his fourth year and guided his unit to a national leading mark in Rushing Defense (72.3 yards/game) last season.

Head coach Kirby Smart stresses the importance of making havoc plays and how those plays give the defense momentum. Turnovers (interceptions, forced fumbles), deflections, tackles for loss, including sacks, are examples of havoc plays.

Preseason All-American and Charlotte, N.C., native Jordan Davis joins fifth-year Devonte Wyatt as the veterans on the center of the defensive line.

Davis anchored his group with 16 tackles, including a sack, in only seven games last year. He added a key field goal block versus No. 8 Cincinnati in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Wyatt started all 10 games in 2020 and had 25 stops, including two tackles for loss.

The duo is joined by junior Travon Walker and sophomore Jalen Carter along with junior Tramel Walthour, redshirt sophomore Zion Logue and sophomore Nazir Stackhouse who comprise the rotation of the Bulldog front.

Junior ILB Nakobe Dean was the team’s leading tackler with 71 last year and finished the season as a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. He will be joined by senior Channing Tindall and junior Quay Walker in the middle.

A pair of redshirt freshmen in Rian Davis and Trezmen Marshall will also be aiming to contribute alongside early enrollee freshman Smael Mondon.

Senior Adam Anderson and junior Nolan Smith will be filling the spot vacated by NFL Second Round pick Azeez Ojulari, who finished 2020 with a team-leading 8.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. Ojulari capped his collegiate career by being named Defensive MVP at the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Anderson played in all 10 games (no starts) and finished with 14 tackles, including 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Smith started one game and played in all 10, finishing with 22 stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

Veteran Robert Beal and sophomore MK Sherman are expected to provide depth at the position with early enrollee freshmen Chaz Chambliss and Xavian Sorey.

Senior punter and 2020 Ray Guy Award finalist Jake Camarda was the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year last season. He posted an SEC best 46.6 average that ranked fourth in the country and was named a FWAA Second-Team All-American. Camarda is a preseason All-American at his position in 2021.

Camarda punted 36 times and placed 18 inside the 20 and had 17 that have traveled 50+ in 2021. Opponents had four punt returns for 29 yards with 17 coming on a blocked punt versus No. 25 Missouri. Camarda also kicked off (36 of 41 touchbacks) and Georgia led the SEC and was eighth nationally in coverage (16.8 yds/ret).

Now beginning his fourth season, Camarda is averaging 45.5 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 mark.

Junior Jack Podlesny was 13-for-16 on field goals and 38-for-38 on PATs in 2020. He made his debut in the 2020 season opening win at Arkansas and capped his first year by earning Offensive MVP honors at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. In the 24-21 win over #8 Cincinnati, Podlesny accounted for 10 points, including the game-winning 53-yard field goal with three seconds remaining.

Georgia enters the 2021 season with the NCAA record for Consecutive PATs Made. The streak stands at 330 and involves six kickers (Marshall Morgan, Patrick Beless, William Ham, David Marvin, Rodrigo Blankenship and Podlesny).

Georgia’s snappers this year include returning starters junior Payne Walker and redshirt sophomore William Mote. Walker snaps on field goals and PATs while Mote handles the snaps for punts.

In the KOR game, junior Kearis Jackson averaged 27.1 yards on 11 returns (298 yards), which ranked fourth in the SEC. The team was fifth nationally at 29.7 last year.

Because WR/PR Dominick Blaylock missed the year with a knee injury, Jackson also handled the punt returns. Jackson had an SEC-high 15 returns and had a career-long 52 yarder against South Carolina. Blaylock is expected to be back in the mix on offense and special teams this season.

During the first part of the 2020 season, junior Kenny McIntosh played a key part in the return game before sustaining an injury during the fourth game of the year at #2 Alabama. He finished with six returns for 218 yards (SEC-best 36.3 average). McIntosh’s longest of the year was a 48 yarder at Arkansas.

Senior punter Jake Camarda (1st Team) along with senior offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer (2nd Team) and senior defensive lineman Jordan Davis (2nd Team) have been named preseason All-Americans by the Associated Press. Camarda, a Ray Guy Award finalist in 2020, made the AP 3rd team a year ago when he was honored as the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Year as voted on the league coaches.

The Bulldogs also had four players earn 2021 Walter Camp Second Team All-America honors this preseason. Davis, Camarda and junior WR George Pickens were included on the squad. Pickens will be unavailable during the first portion of the season after tearing his ACL during the spring.

Bulldogs on 2021 National Award Watch Lists
Bednarik Award (Defensive Player): Nakobe Dean, Jordan Davis
Butkus Award (LB): Adam Anderson, Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker
Lou Groza Award (Kicker): Jack Podlesny
Ray Guy Award (Punter): Jake Camarda
Lombardi Award (Lineman): Justin Shaffer, Jamaree Salyer)
Lott Trophy (Defensive Player): Nakobe Dean
Mackey Award (TE): Arik Gilbert, Darnell Washington
Manning Award (QB): JT Daniels
Maxwell Award (Player of the Year): JT Daniels
Nagurski Trophy (Defensive Player): Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Tykee Smith
Davey O’Brien Award (QB): JT Daniels
Outland Trophy (Interior Lineman): Jordan Davis, Jamaree Salyer, Justin Shaffer
Rimington Trophy (C): Warren Ericson
Johnny Unitas Award (QB): JT Daniels
Doak Walker Award (RB): James Cook, Zamir White

The Bulldogs had 19 first-time starters in 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)
@ #2 UA: none
@ UK: 2 (Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Quay Walker)
vs. #8 UF: 3 (Jalen Carter, Christopher Smith, Kendall Milton)
@ MU: ppd
MSU: 1 (JT Daniels)
@ SC: none
@ #25 MU: none
vs. #8 UC: 2 (Latavious Brini, Xavier Truss)

During the 2020 season opener, 10 true freshmen played for the Bulldogs. Last season, 16 true freshmen took the field for Georgia.

@ ARK: Malik Herring, Richard LeCounte, Jamaree Salyer
#7 AU: Tyson Campbell, Monty Rice, Zamir White
#14 UT: Mark Webb, Kearis Jackson, Jordan Davis
@ #2 UA: Azeez Ojulari, Rice, Salyer
@ UK: Herring, Trey Hill, Eric Stokes
vs. #8 UF: James Cook, Rice, Campbell
MSU: Salyer, Ojulari, Jackson
@ SC: Ojulari, Channing Tindall, White
@ #25 MU: Herring, Rice, Ben Cleveland
vs. #8 UC: 2020 Seniors