The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Areas or concern remain after G-Day
Secondary, offensive line have a ways to go based on scrimmage.
Heading into spring practice, there were two primary areas of concern Georgia needed to address. That increased to three after the injury bug took a bite out of the receiving corps early in camp.
The other two areas were secondary and offensive line. So, what did we learn about those three areas from G-day, won by the Red Team 28-23?
A little, but not a lot. Keep in mind, for almost every positive in an intrasquad scrimmage situation, there is also a negative. For instance, if there were a lot of sacks for the defense, then the protection wasn’t good for the offense.
But based on the factors such as they were, we were able to get an approximation for where the Bulldogs are in their progression. Here’s how they graded out:
Secondary
Analysis: This is by far the Bulldogs’ greatest area of concern heading into the opener against Clemson, which will counter with the best receivers Georgia will see all season. The No. 1 defense, fielded by the Black Team, started Jalen Kimber and Ameer Speed at the corners, Latavious Brini at star and Lewis Cine and Christopher Smith at safety. The 6-foot3, 211-pound Speed, a redshirt senior, led the DBS with seven tackles and had two pass breakups. But he also got tangled up with Demetris Robertson and gave up a 59-yard touchdown. Kimber
also had two PBUS and finished with four tackles. But the lack of overall depth was apparent, as walk-on Dan Jackson started for the Red defense and got the majority of reps at safety.
On one play we saw converted cornerback Lovasea Carroll fall down and Jackson get trucked by tight end Darnell Washington on a 51-yard completion. Brini had five stops at star position and has good size for the position at 6-2, 210. Cine and Jackson had the only interceptions.
Kelee Ringo started at corner for the No. 2 D and had the day’s biggest hit. The 684 yards passing allowed is negligible based on the format of the game. Also, Georgia will add transfer Tykee Smith from West Virginia to the equation next month. Other additions could come as well.
Smart’s comment: “It doesn’t change; it’s day to day. We’ve got two safeties we feel like can play pretty good and are experienced. But at corner, we’ve got to find guys that are pretty comfortable, can make plays down the field, and can make plays with their back to the wall.”
Grade: C
Offensive line
Analysis: The outlook here was tainted somewhat with the limited use of Jamaree Salyer and the quick whistle protecting non-contact-designated quarterbacks. Arguably the Bulldogs’ best overall offensive lineman, Salyer didn’t start and played only a few series because of unspecified injuries. It could also be one of those deals where coach Matt Luke was thinking “no way in heck am I going to risk losing that guy in a scrimmage.”
Georgia went with LT Xavier Truss, LG Justin Shaffer, C Warren Ericson, RG Tate Ratledge and RT Warren Mcclendon. That group allowed four sacks, three of them in the first half when it was mostly 1s-vs-1s. In all, there were six sacks in the game. UGA didn’t keep track of hurries.
Again, this has to be tempered with the fact that the Bulldogs’ will have one of the best D-lines in the country this fall. But another contender for that very distinction is Clemson. So, much improvement must be made.
Smart’s comment: “We’re not where we need to be with the offensive line. If we’re going to be a good team, we’ve got to protect the quarterback and we’ve got to be able to run the ball. That’s one of the areas we’re going to have to take the largest leaps to get where we want to go.”
Grade: D
Wide receivers
Analysis: It can’t be overstated who Georgia was without Saturday. All-america candidate George Pickens (ACL) was out and will be for the foreseeable future. The Bulldogs were also missing Jermaine Burton (knee), Justin Robinson (Achilles), Marcus Rosemy-jacksaint (ankle) and Dominick Blaylock (ACL). At least three of those other four should be back in the fold by preseason camp and that will make a difference.
In the meantime, Adonai “A.D.” Mitchell introduced himself to the Bulldog Nation with a 7-reception, 105-yard, 1-touchdown performance. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound true freshman from Missouri City, Texas, showed great burst and demonstrated a generous catch radius. His was not a flawless worksheet, but his speed and competitiveness served as checked boxes for the Bulldogs.
Other than Mitchell, Georgia’s wideouts with receptions were Demetris Robertson (4-88-1), Kearis Jackson (4-50-1), Steven Peterson (4-60), Ladd Mcconkey (4-28), Jaylen Johnson (4-34), Braxton Hicks (2-17) and Nathan Priestley (1-8). Of Georgia’s 60 catches in the scrimmage, 30 went to running backs (22) and tight ends (8).
Smart’s comment: “I would probably argue every G-day we’ve come out of you feel good about the wideouts because you throw the ball so much in the G-day game. … I know we have a lot of wideouts. It’s going to be a really good competition come fall when we’re at 100% health at the wide receiver position, because some of these guys who got all these opportunities in spring have really stepped up.”
Grade: B