ATHENS — Georgia’s first game is still weeks away but this weekend will see the Bulldogs put the pads on and go good-on-good inside Sanford Stadium.
The Bulldogs hold their first scrimmage on Saturday, giving a young Georgia team a chance to show what they can do when the lights are a little brighter.
“We’re going to try to introduce kicking game, see where our freshmen are, give everybody an opportunity to go out there and play,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Wednesday. “Play three groups. I don’t see it being different. The outcomes have always been different, but not in terms of format.”
This will be the first of two scrimmages for Georgia, as is customary for the Bulldogs during fall camp.
One stark difference between Saturday and past scrimmages is that it will be a new experience for a large part of the team. Factoring in freshmen signees and transfers, Georgia has 40 newcomers on the roster this fall.
Some have already impressed in practice — defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, running back Bo Walker and wide receiver Noah Thomas — and will get a chance to further prove they can be counted on as contributors this fall.
Much will be made of how quarterback Gunner Stockton does against the first-team defense. Stockton is well-accustomed to playing against Georgia’s starting defense, stemming from his past experience as the scout team quarterback.
But Saturday will be the first time he does it in an August scrimmage.
“He’s getting more opportunities at the decision-making process with two-minute drives,” Smart said. “He hasn’t had that many of them. He’s getting more now every day — red area. He’s just getting more opportunities to make good decisions. He continues to do that. I think avoiding catastrophic moments is what’s important.”
Ryan Puglisi will soak up most of the backup reps, as he continues to prepare for his role for the upcoming season.
Among the top two quarterbacks, Smart isn’t all that concerned about the reps available for Georgia’s top two quarterback options. Add in that freshman Ryan Montgomery is still working his way back from a high school knee injury, Stockton and Puglisi will get a long runway to show what they’re capable of while piloting the Georgia offense.
Smart wants the August practices to be the most difficult, so in to prepare Georgia for an SEC slate that sees it face Tennessee and Alabama before the calendar flips to October.
The weather has not fully cooperated in that regard, as it has been a cooler August than it has perhaps been in previous years.
But Smart still wants to see a heightened intensity, focus and execution from his team come Saturday.
“We can play faster. We can get timing in the passing game,” Smart said. “We don’t have to worry about mental exhaustion mistakes because they shouldn’t be heat-induced’. They might be mentally tired from practice, but not the same as it would be. So the conditioning level may not have been tested like we want to, but it has allowed us to take more reps and do more two-spot and get more guys developing, which has been good.”
