By John Frierson
Staff Writer

We’re all eager to see the Georgia Bulldogs take the field again, which, at last, they will do Saturday at Arkansas when their season, delayed and altered by the coronavirus pandemic, kicks off against the Razorbacks.

It will be a regular season like none before it — a 10-game schedule against only SEC teams — and it will be a season with a lot of new: new safety protocols, a new offensive coordinator, a new quarterback, a lot of new offensive linemen, new lead running backs, and some new uniforms.

This season marks the 40th anniversary of the 1980 national championship, and to honor and celebrate that magical 12-0 run the Bulldogs will suit up Saturday in a throwback road uniform, with the red pants and white jerseys. It’s a modern take on what Georgia was wearing on the road 40 years ago, including in that season’s opener at Tennessee when a freshman, Herschel Walker, burst onto the scene.

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By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Jamaree Salyer, astronaut. That has a nice ring to it.

The 6-foot-4 and 325-pound Georgia offensive lineman said during a Quick Chat after practice Wednesday that he would love to go into space for a day, “just to see what’s out there.”

During our Chat, Salyer, a junior from Atlanta, also talked about opening the season Saturday at Arkansas, and facing former Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman, now the Razorbacks’ head coach. Other topics included video games and being a veteran on a Bulldog offense with a lot of new pieces this season.

Here’s some of what he had to say:

Frierson: To be this close to finally playing a game again, are you about as excited as you’ve ever been for a football game?

Salyer: Yeah, it’s really exciting. You know, the butterflies are there and you’ve got that first-game feeling, to get out there in a new environment, really. It’s really cool, I’ve never been to Arkansas before, never been to Fayetteville, so it’s going to be exciting.

Of course, this game has extra meaning for the offensive lineman, and it’s going to be fun.

Frierson: What’s it going to be like to see Coach Pittman again, only this time he’s the head coach of the other team?

Salyer: He poured a lot into me while I was here, I was one of the Sam Pittman guys, and I really enjoyed my time with him here. He was great to me, treated me with respect, pushed me hard and I got a lot better under his wing. I’m excited to compete against him — it’s kind of crazy.

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The Georgia Bulldogs vs. The Arkansas Razorbacks

Game & Broadcast Info

Georgia	2019 Averages	Arkansas
30.8	Scoring Offense	21.4
12.6	Scoring Defense	36.8
+3	Turnover Margin	-5
408.1	Total Offense	340.1
185.1	Rushing Offense	147.2
223.0	Passing Offense	192.9
11.3	Punt Returns	11.5
19.1	Kickoff Returns	18.5

 

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ATHENS, Ga. – The Bulldogs have nine representatives on the Preseason Media All-Southeastern Conference Football Team, according to a recent league announcement.

Georgia also tied for second with the most votes to win this season’s SEC title.

The Bulldogs tied for the most players on the First Team Defense with junior defensive lineman Jordan Davis, senior defensive lineman Malik Herring and senior safety Richard LeCounte.  Sophomore receiver George Pickens and junior center Trey Hill represented Georgia on the Second Team Offense while senior linebacker Monty Rice and junior defensive back Eric Stokes were named to the Second Team Defense.  Also, junior punter Jake Camarda was included on the Second Team Special Teams.  Redshirt sophomore running back Zamir White was the Bulldogs’ sole Third Team selection.

The Bulldogs, who are ranked fourth in the AP poll and tied for third in the Coaches Poll, are set to open the year in Fayetteville, Ark., versus Arkansas on Saturday.  The SEC Network will televise the matchup at 4 p.m. ET.

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

It was a little over a year ago that Georgia defensive back Eric Stokes sat down — remember when you could comfortably and casually sit across from someone? — for his first Quick Chat. One of the things he talked about was the trip he’d taken to Pensacola, Fla., that summer, and how much he’d enjoyed riding a Jet Ski for the first time.

It was a big thing, he said, because he didn’t know how to swim. And Stokes, now a junior on the preseason watch lists for all the major defensive honors like the Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, said last August that one goal he had was to learn how to swim. That goal, he told me during another Quick Chat, after practice Tuesday, has been achieved.

Among the things the 6-foot-1 and 185-pound Stokes, from Covington, Ga., did when so much was shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, along with tons of working out to be ready for this season, was learn how to swim. He also talked about Saturday’s season opener at Arkansas, dunking a basketball, Hot Wheels and much more.

Here’s some of what he had to say:

Frierson: After everything that’s gone on over the past six months or so, what does it feel like to be in the middle of a game week again?

Stokes: Of course it feels weird and all that stuff, but now that our schedule is getting back to normal, it’s a great feeling that you’ve missed.

Frierson: What were you doing during the spring when everything was shut down? How did you fill the downtime that you suddenly had?

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The Georgia Bulldogs vs. The Arkansas Razorbacks

Game & Broadcast Info

Georgia	2019 Averages	Arkansas
30.8	Scoring Offense	21.4
12.6	Scoring Defense	36.8
+3	Turnover Margin	-5
408.1	Total Offense	340.1
185.1	Rushing Offense	147.2
223.0	Passing Offense	192.9
11.3	Punt Returns	11.5
19.1	Kickoff Returns	18.5

 

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The Georgia Bulldogs conducted a two-hour practice Wednesday, Sept. 23, in preparation for the first contest of the season at Southeastern Conference opponent Arkansas, in Fayetteville, Ark.

Georgia travels to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m., ET, on the SEC Network. Before practice, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart participated in the SEC Football Weekly Media Teleconference and provided an update on the Bulldogs. Following practice, Warren Ericson and Jamaree Salyer offered these comments on the contest with Arkansas.

Selected comments from Smart and the student-athletes follow:

Coach Kirby Smart
Opening Statement
“I am looking forward to seeing my dear old friend Sam Pittman. It’s a long time coming. This offseason in terms of our players being excited and the uncertainty involved in this year. I know our guys are certainly extremely excited to go play. I don’t know if we are going to get much better without playing. We need to go play so we can find out where we are. We are excited to go play Arkansas.”

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Below is the full transcript of head coach Kirby Smart‘s comments following practice Tuesday afternoon. Also included below are selected comments from players Nakobe Dean and Eric Stokes.

On Tre’ McKitty’s rehab and whether he will play Saturday against Arkansas…
“He’s doubtful for Saturday. He’s up and running and moving around well. He got on the AlterG and been able to run some. We don’t think he’s going to make it in time for Saturday.”
 
On the direction of the offense under Coach Monken/whether it is influenced by the success of other programs’ and their RPOs (Run-Pass Options)…
“I don’t think that the offenses that are highly success aren’t necessarily RPOs—I would disagree with that… Yeah, it’s built around what we think we can do and be most successful with the players we have. Certainly, [we] study a lot of teams that were successful last year, as we do every year. [We] look [at] what we have similar to other teams that might have something similar to us—meaning if there is an elite receiver or an elite tight end or maybe [defensive] backs or a really good, featured quarterback. Whatever it is that we think we can simulate with the players we have that teams have been successful with. You have to be careful when you talk about that because our league is very different than many others. The outlier for me would be obviously LSU last year, being what they did. You can see on every Sunday what they had, and what they were capable of with the ammunition they had. Everybody tries to copycat to an extent, and do what people do well. We have to build that around what we have and what we are capable of doing with what we have.”

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The Georgia Bulldogs vs. The Arkansas Razorbacks

Game & Broadcast Info

Georgia	2019 Averages	Arkansas
30.8	Scoring Offense	21.4
12.6	Scoring Defense	36.8
+3	Turnover Margin	-5
408.1	Total Offense	340.1
185.1	Rushing Offense	147.2
223.0	Passing Offense	192.9
11.3	Punt Returns	11.5
19.1	Kickoff Returns	18.5

 

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