G-Day wraps up Bulldogs’ spring
ATHENS, Ga. — It wasn’t a particularly eventful G-Day, and that was perfectly fine with the Georgia Bulldogs.
They held their annual spring football game Saturday at Sanford Stadium, a 20-20 tie between the Red team and Black team. Unlike a year ago, when the affair featured first-half fireworks and 51 total points, this one leaned toward the defenses until the offenses found sparks late.
“It’s just a glorified scrimmage at the end of the day,” said senior quarterback Carson Beck, who took over as the starter last season. “It’s more for fun. Come out here to Sanford and play for the fans.”
While the offenses moved the ball, there weren’t many eyepopping or cheer-inducing plays. The fans’ loudest roar came when Brock Bowers, who played the past three seasons at Georgia and is expected to be a first-round pick in this month’s NFL draft, was honored at halftime. That included coach Kirby Smart bowing to the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder, who in three years won a national championship his first two seasons and won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end the last two seasons.
Injuries limited Bowers to 10 games this past season, when the Bulldogs went 13-1, cruising to an Orange Bowl victory after losing the Southeastern Conference title game to Alabama and missing the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. The CFP expands from four teams to 12 starting this season, but the SEC is also expanding from 14 teams to 16 with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12.
SEC teams will still play eight league games this year, and Georgia’s conference opener comes in the third week with a Sept. 14 visit to Kentucky. The home opener is the week before that against Tennessee Tech, and the season opener is Aug. 31 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Clemson, an Atlantic Coast Conference program but a border rival from South Carolina that the Bulldogs will be facing for the second time in four years and the 66th time overall.
That’s months away, of course, but the preparations for Smart’s ninth season as head coach at his alma mater aren’t. G-Day was just a small part of that, with Smart more focused on the overall picture from spring practices.
“It was great weather today, a little windy, but considering the weather we’d practiced in, I thought the weather conditions were awesome,” he said. I” thought our players handled it the right way. We went into it like a game, game-like situation. Next time we put on those uniforms, it’ll be for real and we’ll be playing against a really good opponent. We want to find out where we are as a team and get a lot of guys reps. We’ve got guys who’ve gotten a lot of work, a lot of reps — fourth-year, fifth-year guys — and we’ve got like 40 guys who’re in their first year. The discrepancy between old and young is really great.
“I thought the defense played much better today than previous scrimmages in terms of energy and enthusiasm. We rushed the passer better today. Our offense probably didn’t have as a good a day as they’ve had in the scrimmages, but some of that was dictated by the terms with which we scrimmaged. … Overall, I don’t evaluate things on today. For me, it was about the entire spring, 15 practices. I was very pleased with our health coming out of it.”
Beck’s 3,941 passing yards last season ranked third in the Football Bowl Subdivision and were more than any other player returning this year, but he wasn’t sharp early for the Red team Saturday. He had several overthrows and was picked off twice, with one of those interceptions coming when he didn’t see linebacker CJ Allen over the middle.
It’s worth noting, however, that Beck was unimpressive in the second half at G-Day last spring but was obviously fine last fall.
He still had several good throws Saturday, with perhaps his best coming on the final possession when he fired a 39-yard dart downfield to Rara Thomas. He followed with a beautiful lob to leading receiver Dominic Lovett in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown to pull within one.
That series had started with his team down seven, and Beck being at his best in the final chance should count for a little something, even in a spring game. Smart said the Bulldogs opted to kick the tying PAT rather than attempt a 2-point conversion for the win because they didn’t want to put a 2-point play on video.
Beck finished 25-for-46 passing for 301 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He’ll enter the coming season a favorite for the Heisman Trophy and among the top candidates to go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL draft.
“Obviously, I have expectations for myself, but I’d never listen to the expectations other people put on me,” Beck said. “I have very high expectations for myself, but there’s no weight on my shoulders from that. I know what I’m capable of, and I know I have a team around me. It’s not all about me. It’s about the team and getting wins. Whatever I have to do to do that, I’m here for.”
The Bulldogs should be ecstatic with the defense. Both teams looked fast and tough on that side of the ball, constantly contesting on catches and making skill players battle for yards. Youngsters such as defensive back KJ Bolden and linebackers Allen and Chris Cole impressed at times, too.
Mykel Williams, now an edge rusher after previously lining up inside on the defensive line, had the play of the day by tipping and intercepting a Beck pass in the red zone. He also batted a third-down pass to open the second half.
“I feel like I played all right,” Williams said. “There were definitely some plays I wish I had back, but I feel like I did all right.”
The early returns of his transition were encouraging for Georgia as it tries to maximize the former five-star recruit.
“I’ve explained to him if you’re going to have a really good year, you have to have a really good camp,” Smart said. “And he’s bought into that.”