Morning, y’all!
I hope everyone had an awesome Labor Day weekend, and I hope those who attended the game Saturday stayed hydrated, made it through the heat alright and were able to enjoy the blowout victory.
In today’s newsletter, we’re going to balance talking through the season-opening dominant 63-3 win vs. Tennessee State while also looking ahead to this Saturday’s Western Kentucky game (would be super cool if we could keep the temperature out of the 100s this time).
It’s true that it’s hard to glean a ton from that first game when the Bulldogs vastly outmatched their opponent. But there is a bit we can analyze, especially with plenty of players fans have been excited to see get significant playing time.
So, to start out, here’s what stood out from Georgia’s Week 1 win:
An easy Nate Frazier touchdown run
Georgia’s leading rusher on Saturday scored on his first two carries of the season. On the third play of the game, Nate Frazier ran right behind freshman Zykie Helton and sophomore Juan Gaston.
Gaston started the season opener last year as a true freshman. The only other offensive lineman to start as a true freshman in a season-opener under Smart is former All-American Andrew Thomas.
Helton and Gaston had little trouble opening a hole for Frazier. They blew the defensive lineman three yards off the ball before Helton peeled off to take care of the inside linebacker.
After making the safety miss, Frazier was off to the races for his first of what Georgia hopes will be many explosive runs this season.
For as good as Frazier looked on Saturday, he knows it wouldn’t have been possible without his linemen in front.
“If you really watch the tape and see how my whole line moves, every week in and week out, I’m just so proud of them guys,” Frazier said. “They come work, they train, so I give all the credit to them.”
Chris Cole and Gabe Harris meet at the quarterback
Georgia had to wait until the end of the first quarter to get its first sack. Chris Cole and freshman PJ Dean teamed up to take down Tennessee State’s starting quarterback.
But the Georgia pass rush showed some real bite on the opening drive of the game for the Georgia defense.
Facing a third and 10, Georgia rushed five, bringing linebacker Zayden Walker as the fifth defender.
Walker didn’t get to the quarterback, but Cole and Gabe Harris did. The latter got the quarterback from the front and up high. Cole came in low and behind.
Tennessee State quarterback Daylin Lee only just got the pass off, which fell incomplete. Cole and Harris have a chance to be the most disruptive players on Georgia’s front this season. On the opening third down of the season, Georgia also had freshmen Khamari Brooks and defensive tackle Valdin Sone on the field.
The Bulldogs finished with three sacks on the afternoon, with 2.5 coming from true freshmen.
Read Connor Riley’s full story here.
Before we move on to news from Tuesday’s press conferences, I have to give one more shoutout to our amazing sports photographers. They captured the heck out of that season opener.
Remember that amazing leaping touchdown by tight end Elyiss Williams?
Relive it frame-by-frame here:
OK, now let’s move forward to this week:
How the Georgia injury situation looks coming out of season-opener
The good news coming out of Georgia’s season-opening win is that the Bulldogs didn’t have to push anyone too hard in the 63-3 blowout.
Georgia was able to get plenty of players game action and not overextend several key members of the team.
Center Drew Bobo made his first start since suffering a foot injury against Georgia Tech last season. He was able to play the first five series of the game. The Bulldogs were up 35-0 when he and Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton were pulled from action.
“Thought he did a good job,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Bobo. “Did what was asked of him. He makes good checks, and he commands the huddle. He’s a high-effort guy. He didn’t play a ton of snaps. So, he did a good job.”
On the defensive side of the football, the Bulldogs did have two noteworthy names who did not make it on the field.
Outside linebacker Chase Linton was not dressed as he deals with a lower-body injury.
Smart shared on Tuesday that Linton is expected to be week-to-week as he recovers from the injury. The Bulldogs are also without Amaris Williams, who suffered an ACL injury in April.
With Linton out, that created more opportunities for freshmen Brooks and Dean. They took advantage of the added playing time, as Dean picked up 1.5 sacks.
In the secondary, Ja’Marley Riddle did not play against Tennessee State. Smart clarified that it was not because of health concerns. Riddle was limited this spring because of a groin injury he suffered dating back to this time at East Carolina. Riddle was arrested in May on two counts of possession of a controlled substance, both of which are felonies, and a misdemeanor speeding offense. Those charges were all dropped by the Brunswick, Ga., District Attorney’s office.
Smart did share an update on Georgia running back Dante Dowdell on Tuesday. He suffered serious injuries in an offseason ATV accident that has kept him away from the team.
Read Connor’s full story here.
Trivia time
Two Western Kentucky coaches previously served on Smart’s staff at Georgia. Can you name them?
Jones is back and ready to bring punch to Georgia defense
Smart believed in Kyron Jones long ago, and nothing has changed where the senior safety is concerned.
Trust in Georgia has been a theme for Jones throughout his career in Athens, and it has gone both ways from the onset.
Jones returned to the starting lineup on Saturday after missing the last eight games of last season and much of the full-speed work in the spring and summer workouts after suffering a foot injury.
Jones, one of the more unheralded veterans on Georgia’s celebrated defense, didn’t waste any time making an impact against Tennessee State, delivering a big hit on the first defensive play of the Bulldogs’ win.
“I was just doing my job,” said Jones, whose primary job as a high school player long ago at Charlotte Christian School was rushing to the tune of 2,316 yards and 29 touchdowns before Georgia got involved in his recruitment.
“(It) was a great way to start the game off.”
Jones’ elite speed (sub-4.4-second time in the 40-yard dash) and hard-hitting abilities are what Smart envisioned when UGA recruited the talented high school player with a switch to defense in mind.
“The vision was there before I even got here; Georgia, it’s a place that’s known for developing defensive guys,” said Jones, who had an offer to play tailback at North Carolina State. “You know, somebody from my home state, Jordan Davis … he came here and got developed, and I got to see that pay off for him and play out for a lot of guys.
“I knew, as far as development, that what they were telling me was the real deal.”
Jones has proven the real deal at safety, too, from the first game he played in when he returned an interception 26 yards for a safety his freshman season.
Then there was last season’s clutch fumble recovery at the UGA 1-yard line with Auburn up 10-0 and threatening to score more when Raylen Wilson and CJ Allen jarred the ball loose and Jones was there for the recovery.
Read Mike Griffith’s full story here.
DawgNation Invasion
I am so, so excited to announce our DawgNation invasions for the 2026 season (you might have already known about these, if you’ve been watching “DawgNation Daily”). And throughout the month of October, everyone start gearing up, because they’ll actually be held on back-to-back weekends this year:
This fall, we’re taking over Atlanta and Oxford for two unforgettable game day tailgates, bringing Dawgs fans together for great food, drinks, entertainment and plenty of Georgia pride.
We’ll kick things off at Cosm Atlanta ahead of Georgia vs. Florida, then head to The Lyric Oxford as the Dawgs take on Ole Miss. Come hang with us before the big games and get ready for kickoff with the DawgNation family.
Space will be limited, so join the list now to be among the first to know when tickets go on sale.
Trivia answer
Defensive coordinator Davis Merritt (who was a defensive quality control coordinator in 2021 and 2022) and safeties coach David Metcalf (defensive quality control assistant from 2022-25).
