Emptying The Notebook: Georgia injuries, expectations and silver linings
Georgia is 3-0 on the season and set to take on UAB in a game that it should win comfortably. The Bulldogs are favored by over six touchdowns and the Blazers have given up a ton of points the past two weeks. The game will take place under the Sanford Stadium lights and should be a fun environment. With all of that said, DawgsHQ has some thoughts and some intel heading into the weekend.
*** I’ve spoken to a handful of College Football contacts over the past few days about Georgia and those were some interesting conversations. Carson Beck came up a lot and, in the words of many DawgsHQ members, he’s playing tight. He’s either rushing things or a little hesitant a large portion of the time.
One thought I’ve had is that you’d rather have your quarterback’s clock to be a little too quick than too slow where he holds on to the ball too long. In speaking with some guys who know a lot more about quarterback play than I do, they agreed. Now that doesn’t mean that Beck will eventually get into a groove, but everyone I spoke with is encouraged by the bright spots as compared to the struggles.
*** One thing I will say about Beck and this Georgia offense is we should start to see improvement. That’s fair to expect. Beck and Bobo didn’t work together last season. They’re still coming together as far as how they communicate and anticipate within the game. But those things should be improving with every snap. I don’t think it’s unreasonable, at all, to expect a fast start on Saturday. The same goes for trips to the red zone.
*** Kirby Smart’s comments on Andrew Paul this week caused a range of different comments. Some are concerned that Paul just isn’t very good and that’s why he’s not playing. Others have concluded that, whether Smart will come out and say it or not, he’s still hurting. Shocker here, but I believe the truth is somewhere in between. After asking Smart about Paul on the Wednesday teleconference, I checked with some folks close to the program who tell me that Paul is still earning trust. He went an entire year without practicing and didn’t really get a chance to do much, comparatively, this spring. Based on my conversations, I feel like this is a situation of a guy being young, inexperienced, and lacking confidence coming off an injury. But I do think that he’s going to get better as this year goes along.
*** Amarius Mims is going to be out for awhile. We know that for sure. I would say that the earliest he’ll be back is the Florida game and it might be a week or two later than that. I did have a source tell me this week that when it comes to those ankle injuries, it’s often a little easier for offensive linemen to return because it can be heavily taped and spatted up. But I don’t think the Bulldogs are going to rush it.
This does, however, help in regards to the future offensive line. We’ve all been under the assumption that Georgia will be replacing four offensive linemen in 2023. Well, that number falls to three, at least, with Mims going out for an extended period. Dylan Fairchild will get tons of experience. The same could end up being true for Micah Morris and Jared Wilson. Georgia would rather have Mims fully healthy, no doubt, but this is a sliver lining.
*** Nothing new on Ladd McConkey this week. Georgia shut him down to see if rest would help the back tightness and spasms. I haven’t heard how well that has gone.
*** I do not expect Javon Bullard back this week. I would be very surprised if he’s not good to go for Auburn next week, but I don’t think the staff will put him out there this week. In other injury news, I’m told that Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is probably a couple weeks away.
*** Let’s finish up with some thoughts on cornerback where Julian Humphrey led the way for that starting spot opposite of Kamari Lassiter all throughout preseason camp. Then, in game week, Daylen Everette won the job. We then saw Nyland Green get very little run, comparatively, at cornerback in the first few games. I do not think that position is settled. Everette had a shaky first half against South Carolina. He was matched up with a really good receiver for a lot of it, but the Bulldogs are going to need higher-level play out of that position. Neither Green nor Humphrey, got a look at cornerback against the Gamecocks and Smart indicated after the game that he wants to see more out of them in practice. I suspect that at least one of them is going to make a move at some point.
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