Even in a 63-3 blowout victory against Tennessee State, several players stood out in Georgia’s season opener.
Whether it’s younger or newer players showing potential or veterans dominating, the DawgNation team answered this question going into Georgia’s Week 2 matchup against Western Kentucky: What player flashed the most in the season opener? Or, who did you leave wanting to see more of?
Obviously, Georgia vastly outmatched Tennessee State. But there are still players who got the DawgNation team excited for more Bulldogs football.
This roundtable was featured in the Sept. 11 newsletter as a part of “Feature Fridays,” where each Friday the staff will chime in on anything from football to tailgating to their wildest sports memories.
You can subscribe to the newsletter here, and check out our answers below:
Mike Griffith: “Tight end Jaden Reddell is the obvious answer on offense, as far as a player who flashed, but more importantly in the big picture, it was safety Kyron Jones, returning from the foot injury that sidelined him the final eight games of last season, who impressed me from the opening hit he flexed the first time UGA’s defense took the field. Jones is an underrated player who will make a bigger impact when games are on the line than some might expect.”
Connor Riley: “Chris Cole. He was all over the field for Georgia. He had .5 sacks and a pass breakup and very nearly got another one. It’s clearly a big year for Cole and he got off to a great start in the season-opener.”
Jeff Sentell: “While Zykie Helton and Jaden Reddell flashed for sure, those two are known commodities by now. I want to see more of Ryan Montgomery. Ryan Puglisi got a good sample size, but we only saw Montgomery attempt two passes. He completed both and left with a golden highlight after a 54-yard scoring strike to Jeremy Bell. How close is that battle to back up Gunner Stockton? An extended window for Montgomery would help clear that up.”
Cody Chaffins: “Nate Frazier housing three of his four touches definitely drew my attention. One of my biggest questions in Frazier’s first two years is can he be a home run hitter. He showed that against Tennessee State and we’ll see if that is a sign of good things to come. I am excited to see if the sack and a half from PJ Dean is a result of overmatched competition or if the Dawgs may have a real contributor to the pass rush.”
Kaylee Mansell: Kaylee picked Reddell as the player who flashed the most (and can you blame her, with all the Brock Bowers comparisons pouring in?), plus running back Chauncey Bowens and safety Tyriq Green as players she can’t wait to see more of.
Sarah Spencer: “I know we’ve given a lot of love to the tight ends lately (how could you not, with the talent in that group), but I’m going to go with Elyiss Williams as the player who flashed a lot in the opener and someone I’m excited to see more of.
“It wasn’t just his viral leaping touchdown (Williams admitted he may need to work on the landing a bit), but his downfield blocking that impressed me, with his blocking helping pave the way for Talyn Taylor’s touchdown. Even though Georgia’s tight end room is loaded, I think we’re in for some exciting plays from Williams and his 6-foot-7 frame this season.”
