2021 UGA Football: Week Two

UGA Instant Analysis 

Week 2: W vs.UAB; 2-0

After a hard-fought battle against Clemson, Georgia earned a comfortable victory against UAB. I’m a big fan of Bill Clark — he seems to be a quality coach with great character — and while I was not ever worried about this game I did expect it to be a little closer. I don’t know how much we really learned about the Dawgs today, but historically Georgia does not put teams away like this, so it was great to see. Regardless, lots of fun plays and players to talk about.

Special teams gets the first spot today, although all three phases were successful overall. Starting with the negative — Podlesny missed another field goal and at this point I’m concerned. A missed field goal on opening night against Clemson in a neutral site game is somewhat understandable, but a 30-yarder at home with zero pressure is troubling. Again, he showed his ability before, but he must improve to be effective moving forward. Outside of that, I was impressed with the special teams play. Punt return was particularly impressive and it was great to see Kearis back in action. The few punts Georgia kicked were covered flawlessly and Camarda continues to prove he’s the top punter in the land. A play of note happened when Ladd McConkey made an open field tackle on punt team deep in UAB territory. Camarda’s skill combined with quality coverage is a great asset. Overall, good showing by the unit and I look forward to them growing more next week. 

Offense gets the second position although they were much closer to the top spot than last week. I will limit my QB analysis because I, and no one outside the locker room, really knows what the truth is with the QB room. While I am not crazy enough to say Stetson deserves to start, he played very well and executed an outstanding game plan dialed up by Todd Monken. As mentioned last season, I do appreciate Stetson’s mobility and he is very good outside the pocket and on the move. I was slightly disappointed and confused by Beck’s performance, and really wanted to see Brock play because I think he’s got the tools to be the next Trevor Lawrence. The run game was a disappointment today, both from a blocking perspective and running. Although James Cook actually broke a tackle for his first score of the season, the run game was ineffective and often looked unenthusiastic. Once again, my primary concern with Monken’s scheme is the lack of downhill, attacking ground plays. If he can get White and Milton running hard off tackle, they are tough to stop. Mixing in McIntosh and Cook on the edge there’s a lot of potential for the unit to succeed. I loved seeing Arian Smith and Jermaine Burton get some deep targets and man is Brock Bowers exciting or what? When Darnell comes back healthy, those two and Fitz make one heck of a TE room. Georgia got some younger skill players in on the action today too, and any team with their goals needs depth developed any chance they get. I imagine Kirby and Monken are reluctant to empty the playbook so I expect the offense to continue to evolve and become more dynamic. 

Defense earned the top spot today and they are an exciting group. Last week I limited my Jordan Davis praise because he gets plenty now, however, on an early UAB drive, the 350 pound monster tracked down a Blazer ball carrier across the field in full sprint. That effort and that example shows exactly why I love having that young man at Georgia. Did that play change the game? Not at all. But it showed that Davis isn’t some Premadonna looking to stay pretty. Channing Tindall is another player deserving of recognition. His quickness and tenacity sideline to sideline is exactly the style needed to compete against modern offenses and athletic opponents. He plays like Tae Crowder and has great inside-out form. Finally, a shoutout for Kelee Ringo is in order for his toughness and athleticism. Early in the game, he stepped up from the corner position to fill a hole and make a tackle in the box. To see a freshman corner get dirty is rare and special. His interception wasn’t too bad either. Even though they gave up some more yards than preferred, any time a defense keeps an opponent off the scoreboard it is spectacular. 

I’m not confident enough to say Georgia is ready to win the East, but if they stay hungry and humble, and continue to get healthy and build depth, it will be tough to beat this Bulldawg squad.

I would do a disservice to everyone if I didn’t close this week’s article with a shoutout to all the men and women who fought to keep terrorism away from our shores since the dreadful day 20 years ago. I am grateful and blessed to live in a country and environment where I can write freely (and for free) about a game I love, and I can use this game to develop young leaders.

God Bless America, and Go Dawgs.