Good Day, UGA: The NEEERRRRRRDS edition

Good day, UGA. Welcome to your one-stop shop for all the relevant UGA football news and takes every Monday through Friday. In today’s edition, we start Thanksgiving week with a look back at the best players from the win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Then we get ready for a week full of hatin’ on North Avenue Trade School. There’s a lot to be thankful for. First of all, I wanna thank my connect … 

Top Dawgs

1. Isaiah McKenzie — Less than halfway through the first quarter, it was clear which player would have the best game. McKenzie took a carry 55 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage. A few minutes later, he returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, giving him the Georgia record for punt return touchdowns in a career (5).
   

   Isaiah Mckenzie's 5th career punt return for a TD, the most in #UGA history pic.twitter.com/rh1s6qnVpw

   — Dayne Young (@dayneyoung) November 19, 2016

2. Deandre Baker — McKenzie wasn’t the only player who had a hand in Georgia’s early lead. Baker picked off ULL quarterback Anthony Jennings on the Ragin’ Cajuns’ first play, his second interception of the season. Baker has made a strong case for himself this season as the best player in Georgia’s secondary.
3. Nick Chubb — Chubb once again eclipsed the 100-yard mark, rushing for 108 and a touchdown on 16 carries. He also made a major contribution as a receiver, when he gave Georgia a 35-7 lead with a 49-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
   

   The Chubb Train rolling with a full head of steam on the long TD reception pic.twitter.com/apj0Ba1dPp

   — Jake Reuse (@ReuseRecruiting) November 19, 2016

4. Davin Bellamy — Bellamy and his fellow linebackers flew around the field on Saturday, preventing UL-Lafayette from getting much on the ground or through the air. But Bellamy was the best of the bunch, as shown by his 2 tackles for losses, including 1 sack.
5. Jacob Eason — His numbers were far from eye-popping. The freshman threw for a meager 165 yards. However, he was efficient, completing 13 of his 19 pass attempts, including 2 for touchdowns. He also threw an interception in the first quarter, but that pass was tipped by a receiver before it was picked, so Eason isn’t entirely to blame.

Bowl projections

There’s only one week left in the regular season, so bowl projections are finally starting to reflect some accuracy. Here are Georgia’s bowl projections from a few major news outlets:

‘Get those nerds!’

There will be plenty of time to analyze and pontificate about the Georgia Tech game during this week of thanks. But, for now, all I have to say is …

The spread

Georgia sits as a 4.5-point favorite against Georgia Tech as of Sunday night, according to Odds Shark.

Former Bulldogs injuries

It was a bad day on the injury front for former Georgia players in the NFL. One injury in particular was legitimately frightening.

Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd suffered a neck injury when he collided with one of his own teammates during Chicago’s game against the New York Giants. Floyd was carted off the field and taken to the hospital, but was released Sunday night and traveled back to Chicago with his teammates.

Leonard Floyd being carted off the field after this play. Looks like a back/spine injury. Nasty. pic.twitter.com/4NsGMEwY6Y

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) November 20, 2016

A.J. Green also suffered a serious, but much less scary, injury. Green was carted off after a tackle on the sidelines during the Cincinnati Bengals’ 16-12 loss to the Buffalo Bills. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported that Green suffered a tear to his hamstring.

Source: #Bengals WR AJ Green has a tear in his hamstring. MRI is coming, but it's believed to be significant. Not good.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 20, 2016

Green didn’t log a catch before leaving the game. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2014 season.

Dawgs in the NFL

• Malcolm Mitchell scored the first touchdown of his NFL career on a 56-yard strike from Tom Brady as the Patriots beat the 49ers, 30-17. Mitchell finished the day with 98 yards receiving on 4 catches.
  

  Tom Brady's 4th TD of the day. @money_mitch26's first TD of his career. #NEvsSF https://t.co/nBGTVOXpFy

  — New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 21, 2016

• Kansas City Chief Chris Conley had 4 catches for 28 yards in a 19-17 loss to Tampa Bay.
• Todd Gurley rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown as the Rams lost to the Dolphins, 14-10, in Los Angeles.
  

  .@TG3II breaks through!

  TOUCHDOWN @RAMSNFL!!! #MIAvsLA https://t.co/Yk3ffiz0zg

  — NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2016

  Alec Ogletree once again led all L.A. tackles with 11 total tackles, including 2 tackles for losses.

ICYMI

• Dawgs turn latest ‘Blackout’ into no big deal (Bill King, Dawg Nation)
• Nick Chubb getting better as Georgia’s season nears end (Seth Emerson, Dawg Nation)
• Bulldogs shrug off black jersey effect … with one exception (Seth Emerson, Dawg Nation)
• Report Card: Georgia thankful for 3-game winning streak (Chip Towers, Dawg Nation)
• By the numbers: Georgia’s updated stats and rankings … and Georgia Tech’s too (Seth Emerson, Dawg Nation)
• Trenton Thompson plays like a ‘monster’ on Saturdays (Jason Butt, Macon Telegraph)
• Georgia needed the ‘easy’ victory (Bill Shanks, Macon Telegraph)
• Kirby Smart left frustrated by how UGA finished (Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald)
• UGA on roll heading into rivalry showdown, but loss to Jackets in last visit to Athens lingers for some (Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald)
• 15 Thoughts is not looking for a new head coach today (DavetheDawg, Dawg Sports)

Good dog

Attention all good dogs: If you try to throw hands with a bear cub, you will lose.

Bear Cub Vs Dog pic.twitter.com/Rh85XYOsLp

— Nature is Scary (@TheScaryNature) November 19, 2016